Hacksaw
So Why Choose a Hacksaw?
The Hacksaw is one of the most common types of hand tools available today. It is used as a basic cutting tool for wood, plastic, or metal (usually rods or pipes). It is mainly composed of a saw blade attached to a metal frame with a wooden or plastic handle. The blade is attached to the frame by clamping it in between the spigots on each end of the metal frame. The design of the handle is made as a pistol grip for easy handling. The invention of the hacksaw can be traced back to the early ages, although it cannot be specifically determined who or when this was invented. This is a common thing for basic tools, like the hammer, inclined plane, wheel, and many other great inventions.
The blade is installed by first loosening the spigots screws at each end of the metal frame. Once they are loosened, you can attach the saw blade by connecting the edges to the end of the frame. As you can notice, there are Two (2) holes in the saw blade located conveniently on each end, which would fit perfectly into the screws at both ends of the frame. Now tighten the clamps, making sure the saw blades cutting part is where it should be facing. When you are sawing or cutting an object, make sure it is tightly kept in place and that your fingers and other objects which you are not supposed to cut are now anywhere near the blade. Clamping the object you are cutting is a good idea in order to keep it in place. Marking the portion to be cut is a good idea for the accuracy of the cut. Holding the pistol grip on the saw, press it along the marking where you want to cut the object, hold the saw in a slanted position and start with short strokes of push and pull until the blade creates a path where you intend to make the cut. Once the blade can steadily move back and forth through the cut, you can increase the length and speed of the push and pull motion to make a faster cut. The saw can easily slip, which may be the cause of some accidental injuries.
Wear and tear will dull the blade after several uses. However, a replacement blade can easily be bought in your nearest hardware shop. You can also buy online if you prefer it that way. There are various types of blades which you can buy. Different sizes are available depending on the frame you have. There are also different metal compositions of blades developed through the years. Early blades were made of carbon steel. They are flexible enough to avoid breaking yet they wear out quite easily because of their softness. Eventually, they were replaced with high speed steel; this king of saw blade can withstand high temperature brought about by the sawing motion without losing its hardness. This property allowed these blades to cut faster than carbon steel, thus the name "high speed steel."
There are specific saw blades that will serve better when cutting specific materials. There are Five (5) blade types according to use, or the number of Teeth-Per-Inch (TPI) of each blade. For cutting thick metal rod or pip or any hard pieces of steel, you would probably need a blade which has Eighteen (18) TPI, which is designed for this kind of torture. Cutting thin gauge steel or thin walled tubing would require you to have a Thirty Two (32) TPI blade. A Twenty Four (24) TPI blade is perfect for medium steel or any regular walled tubing. For cutting Aluminum or Tin (soft metals) a Fourteen (14) TPI blade would do the trick. While the Twelve (12) TPI serves a lot by cutting through plastics, light pipes, woods, and different light materials. You can see the TPI printed on the side of each blade, so you don't have to do manual counting to know if you are buying the correct number of TPI in a blade. There are other blade teeth factors, which would affect the effectiveness of a blade in cutting through certain materials. However, you don't really need to know these, unless sawing is part of your regular employment.
The blade is installed by first loosening the spigots screws at each end of the metal frame. Once they are loosened, you can attach the saw blade by connecting the edges to the end of the frame. As you can notice, there are Two (2) holes in the saw blade located conveniently on each end, which would fit perfectly into the screws at both ends of the frame. Now tighten the clamps, making sure the saw blades cutting part is where it should be facing. When you are sawing or cutting an object, make sure it is tightly kept in place and that your fingers and other objects which you are not supposed to cut are now anywhere near the blade. Clamping the object you are cutting is a good idea in order to keep it in place. Marking the portion to be cut is a good idea for the accuracy of the cut. Holding the pistol grip on the saw, press it along the marking where you want to cut the object, hold the saw in a slanted position and start with short strokes of push and pull until the blade creates a path where you intend to make the cut. Once the blade can steadily move back and forth through the cut, you can increase the length and speed of the push and pull motion to make a faster cut. The saw can easily slip, which may be the cause of some accidental injuries.
Wear and tear will dull the blade after several uses. However, a replacement blade can easily be bought in your nearest hardware shop. You can also buy online if you prefer it that way. There are various types of blades which you can buy. Different sizes are available depending on the frame you have. There are also different metal compositions of blades developed through the years. Early blades were made of carbon steel. They are flexible enough to avoid breaking yet they wear out quite easily because of their softness. Eventually, they were replaced with high speed steel; this king of saw blade can withstand high temperature brought about by the sawing motion without losing its hardness. This property allowed these blades to cut faster than carbon steel, thus the name "high speed steel."
There are specific saw blades that will serve better when cutting specific materials. There are Five (5) blade types according to use, or the number of Teeth-Per-Inch (TPI) of each blade. For cutting thick metal rod or pip or any hard pieces of steel, you would probably need a blade which has Eighteen (18) TPI, which is designed for this kind of torture. Cutting thin gauge steel or thin walled tubing would require you to have a Thirty Two (32) TPI blade. A Twenty Four (24) TPI blade is perfect for medium steel or any regular walled tubing. For cutting Aluminum or Tin (soft metals) a Fourteen (14) TPI blade would do the trick. While the Twelve (12) TPI serves a lot by cutting through plastics, light pipes, woods, and different light materials. You can see the TPI printed on the side of each blade, so you don't have to do manual counting to know if you are buying the correct number of TPI in a blade. There are other blade teeth factors, which would affect the effectiveness of a blade in cutting through certain materials. However, you don't really need to know these, unless sawing is part of your regular employment.
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Hacksaw
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Getting The Right Hacksaw
There are other variants of the Hacksaw, like the power hacksaw which is basically an electric powered hacksaw which is also very bulky and is stationary, yet the common hand tool is still the most popular. The common hand tool can be bought in your neighborhood hardware store for a price range of £15 to £30; this will include the saw's steel frame and a saw blade.
What is the advantage of a common hacksaw as opposed to power tools? First, it is very handy. You can keep it in a tool box in your garage, and it would not really occupy big spaces, contrary to big and bulky power tools, which will occupy a lot of space, depending on the kind of power tool and how big it is; second is that it does not need electricity in order to work, while an electric covered power tool needs electricity to work; third it is a general cutting tool which can be use in almost every sawing need, while power tools are mostly specialized tools, which are designed only for specific purposes; fourth, if you break the blade, or it's worn out, you can just buy a cheap replacement blade, and you can get it to work again, contrary to a broken power tool where you will be forced to call for expert help to fix the tool; and lastly, it cost way cheaper than any power tool in the market yet it would probably give you more for your money.
It is a very handy tool to have at home. Easy to keep, assemble and disassemble. It is the generic cutting tool for professionals and non-professionals alike. Having this tool in your arsenal of home maintenance materials will be a good decision which will benefit you in the future.
What is the advantage of a common hacksaw as opposed to power tools? First, it is very handy. You can keep it in a tool box in your garage, and it would not really occupy big spaces, contrary to big and bulky power tools, which will occupy a lot of space, depending on the kind of power tool and how big it is; second is that it does not need electricity in order to work, while an electric covered power tool needs electricity to work; third it is a general cutting tool which can be use in almost every sawing need, while power tools are mostly specialized tools, which are designed only for specific purposes; fourth, if you break the blade, or it's worn out, you can just buy a cheap replacement blade, and you can get it to work again, contrary to a broken power tool where you will be forced to call for expert help to fix the tool; and lastly, it cost way cheaper than any power tool in the market yet it would probably give you more for your money.
It is a very handy tool to have at home. Easy to keep, assemble and disassemble. It is the generic cutting tool for professionals and non-professionals alike. Having this tool in your arsenal of home maintenance materials will be a good decision which will benefit you in the future.
