Repurposing broken saw blades

By Alan Revere

Remember all those saw blades you broke when you started out at the bench? If you’ve been wondering why you saved them, wonder no more. You can actually use the tips of broken blades to drill holes.

My friend John Cogswell, a contemporary metalsmith in Clintondale, New York, showed me this trick. Simply take a pair of pliers and snap off about 15 to 20 mm from the top of a broken saw blade, where there are no teeth. The size of the blade will dictate the diameter of the hole you drill. Using a grinder, sharpening stone, diamond file, or flat carborundum paper, put a crisp 45-degree facet at the top, leaving a flat blade-like edge.

You can insert the blade into a flex-shaft with an adjustable collet and drill into any material that is softer than the blade—wood, plastic, bone, and even jewelry metals. Although there is no point on the flat blade, when it is brought firmly in contact with a metal surface it will begin to shear metal away, creating an indentation. Add pressure as you guide the saw blade through the metal, leaving a crisp hole. If necessary, pause and re-sharpen the blade, depending on the thickness and hardness of the material you are piercing.