Hold your saw the right way.bow saw

The first step in keeping your saw in tip-top shape is to hold it the right way. Grab the handle with all of your fingers in the slot. Then take your index finger and point it straight out in front and against the handle. This will give your greater control of the saw and allow you to make straighter lines.

Remove resin from the blade

Some woods such as pines can cause a gummy buildup on the blades. This can make your saw blades dull. Spray oven cleaner on the blades in order to remove the resin. To prevent the buildup in the first place, apply silicone along the teeth. You can also try running a soap bar on them. This procedure is only for construction jobs and not for finished pieces. Side Cut Pliers

Keep your hacksaw clean

Cutting metals with a hacksaw will eventually lead to clogged teeth. This can be avoided by using a bigger toothed blade, keeping your strokes slow, and being gentle when pushing down on the saw.

How to tell if your saw is dull

Carefully inspect the teeth to see if there is wear on the cutting edges and if the points are rounded. You can get a close look by using a magnifying glass. If you have a dull blade, take it to a professional and have them resharpen it. Junior Hacksaw

Inexpensive way to cover your saw

Covering your saw is vital to making it last. If you have misplaced the store-bought cover, you can use an old garden hose with a slit down the middle. You can also use rigid foam, or slip on spines from a report cover as backup options. Mini Hacksaw

Hold your saw the right way.bow saw

The first step in keeping your saw in tip-top shape is to hold it the right way. Grab the handle with all of your fingers in the slot. Then take your index finger and point it straight out in front and against the handle. This will give your greater control of the saw and allow you to make straighter lines.

Remove resin from the blade

Some woods such as pines can cause a gummy buildup on the blades. This can make your saw blades dull. Spray oven cleaner on the blades in order to remove the resin. To prevent the buildup in the first place, apply silicone along the teeth. You can also try running a soap bar on them. This procedure is only for construction jobs and not for finished pieces. Side Cut Pliers

Keep your hacksaw clean

Cutting metals with a hacksaw will eventually lead to clogged teeth. This can be avoided by using a bigger toothed blade, keeping your strokes slow, and being gentle when pushing down on the saw.

How to tell if your saw is dull

Carefully inspect the teeth to see if there is wear on the cutting edges and if the points are rounded. You can get a close look by using a magnifying glass. If you have a dull blade, take it to a professional and have them resharpen it. Junior Hacksaw

Inexpensive way to cover your saw

Covering your saw is vital to making it last. If you have misplaced the store-bought cover, you can use an old garden hose with a slit down the middle. You can also use rigid foam, or slip on spines from a report cover as backup options. Mini Hacksaw

Portable air powered hacksaws are relatively uncommon tools, and many people are not even aware of their existence.

Typically, hacksaws come in two varieties: the unpowered, handheld kind that consists of a handle and a bow-like frame that tenses a fine toothed, flat blade (this is the same general layout as a coping saw, except a hacksaw is a much stronger and used for cutting hard materials, while coping saws are delicate and used for contour cuts). Twist Knot Cup Brush

For electric units, these advantages don't include portability. This is where portable pneumatic hacksaws come in. The fact that they're air-driven allows them to be significantly lighter and deliver vastly more power per pound than units that need to incorporate a motor; they're also at an advantage in places where moisture is an issue, or environments where there are many sharp corners and edges - while severing an electric cable can lead to fires and short-circuits, an air hose isn't nearly as hazardous if punctured. Heavy duty hacksaw

Power hacksaws are generally large electric units that are either free-standing or table-mounted. Too heavy to move, they occupy roughly the same workshop niche as floor band saws. In recent times, they have fallen out of favor to the benefit of handsaws, which can cut faster; however, many machinists still swear by hacksaws, claiming that they're tougher and don't need replacement blades as frequently. Tool makers sell a number of power hacksaws for use in remote regions and less developed countries, where simplicity of maintenance and longevity are key advantages. Machinist's Hammer

The simplicity and portability of air hacksaws makes them a good choice for use in maintenance at remote and watery locations such as oil rigs. The saws can be clamped directly onto a pipe or other object, and left to do their work. A band saw, as already mentioned, can cut much faster, but equivalent portable air band saws have a cutting diameter of only a few inches; a hacksaw, on the other hand, can cut pipe of up to 30" and more in diameter.

Here, we explain how to use a clamp-style air powered hacksaw to cut pipe onsite.

First and foremost, "portable" doesn't mean that it can be used free-hand. Unlike more common hacksaws, these saws don't attach the blade to a frame at the far end; instead, they use a bow-like guide with rollers to keep the blade straight. All this needs to be assembled when preparing to make a cut, and disassembled when the cut is done.

First, you need to attach the saw clamp to the work (let's say, a pipe). Put the clamp on top of the pipe, loop the chains around the pipe, feed them into the clamp and tighten them with the anchor, so the assembly can't shift during cutting.

Now you can mount the hacksaw on the clamp and use the provided springloaded pin to secure it. The saw will be able to pivot up and down as it cuts through the material, but won't be able to move side to side.

Next, attach the blade guide we discussed above - this semicircular piece of metal attaches to the saw at one end, and lets the saw blade through a pair of rollers at the other. The guide ensures a straight cut while also improving the longevity of the blade.

After that, mount the blade on the saw and put it through the blade guide.

One of the advantages of hacksaws is the ease of swapping out blades for different materials - there are special blades for cutting carbon steel, aluminum and many other materials. These blades are rated for different stroke speeds, so make sure to set the saw to the appropriate stroke per minute frequency before starting the cut. Dry Wall Hammer

Finally, while the compressor is off, attach the air hose to the saw.

Use the safety switch to turn the saw on; a portable air powered hacksaw can do its work with minimal human supervision; if you're cutting horizontal pipes, gravity will make sure the saw swings down as it makes the cut. However, you shouldn't leave the saw completely unattended - pay attention to saw blade wear, since a dull blade can heat up, expand and jam the cut. If this happens, the blade can snap and ruin equipment, if not injure someone.

Finally, when the cut is almost done, for the sake of safety, it's good to lower the air pressure and carefully guide the saw through the final several inches of the cut manually.

This is the general procedure of using a portable pneumatic hacksaw. Be safe and don't cut corners!

Portable air powered hacksaws are relatively uncommon tools, and many people are not even aware of their existence.

Typically, hacksaws come in two varieties: the unpowered, handheld kind that consists of a handle and a bow-like frame that tenses a fine toothed, flat blade (this is the same general layout as a coping saw, except a hacksaw is a much stronger and used for cutting hard materials, while coping saws are delicate and used for contour cuts). Twist Knot Cup Brush

For electric units, these advantages don't include portability. This is where portable pneumatic hacksaws come in. The fact that they're air-driven allows them to be significantly lighter and deliver vastly more power per pound than units that need to incorporate a motor; they're also at an advantage in places where moisture is an issue, or environments where there are many sharp corners and edges - while severing an electric cable can lead to fires and short-circuits, an air hose isn't nearly as hazardous if punctured. Heavy duty hacksaw

Power hacksaws are generally large electric units that are either free-standing or table-mounted. Too heavy to move, they occupy roughly the same workshop niche as floor band saws. In recent times, they have fallen out of favor to the benefit of handsaws, which can cut faster; however, many machinists still swear by hacksaws, claiming that they're tougher and don't need replacement blades as frequently. Tool makers sell a number of power hacksaws for use in remote regions and less developed countries, where simplicity of maintenance and longevity are key advantages. Machinist's Hammer

The simplicity and portability of air hacksaws makes them a good choice for use in maintenance at remote and watery locations such as oil rigs. The saws can be clamped directly onto a pipe or other object, and left to do their work. A band saw, as already mentioned, can cut much faster, but equivalent portable air band saws have a cutting diameter of only a few inches; a hacksaw, on the other hand, can cut pipe of up to 30" and more in diameter.

Here, we explain how to use a clamp-style air powered hacksaw to cut pipe onsite.

First and foremost, "portable" doesn't mean that it can be used free-hand. Unlike more common hacksaws, these saws don't attach the blade to a frame at the far end; instead, they use a bow-like guide with rollers to keep the blade straight. All this needs to be assembled when preparing to make a cut, and disassembled when the cut is done.

First, you need to attach the saw clamp to the work (let's say, a pipe). Put the clamp on top of the pipe, loop the chains around the pipe, feed them into the clamp and tighten them with the anchor, so the assembly can't shift during cutting.

Now you can mount the hacksaw on the clamp and use the provided springloaded pin to secure it. The saw will be able to pivot up and down as it cuts through the material, but won't be able to move side to side.

Next, attach the blade guide we discussed above - this semicircular piece of metal attaches to the saw at one end, and lets the saw blade through a pair of rollers at the other. The guide ensures a straight cut while also improving the longevity of the blade.

After that, mount the blade on the saw and put it through the blade guide.

One of the advantages of hacksaws is the ease of swapping out blades for different materials - there are special blades for cutting carbon steel, aluminum and many other materials. These blades are rated for different stroke speeds, so make sure to set the saw to the appropriate stroke per minute frequency before starting the cut. Dry Wall Hammer

Finally, while the compressor is off, attach the air hose to the saw.

Use the safety switch to turn the saw on; a portable air powered hacksaw can do its work with minimal human supervision; if you're cutting horizontal pipes, gravity will make sure the saw swings down as it makes the cut. However, you shouldn't leave the saw completely unattended - pay attention to saw blade wear, since a dull blade can heat up, expand and jam the cut. If this happens, the blade can snap and ruin equipment, if not injure someone.

Finally, when the cut is almost done, for the sake of safety, it's good to lower the air pressure and carefully guide the saw through the final several inches of the cut manually.

This is the general procedure of using a portable pneumatic hacksaw. Be safe and don't cut corners!

Hacksaws are one of the most common hand tools. Nearly everyone owns one, and if you don't have one, you need to buy one. Hacksaws are inexpensive and very economical to use. But most of you never use it because the one time you tried to use it things didn't go well. You broke the hacksaw blade, the blade kept falling out of the handle, or it kept getting stuck in the piece you were trying to cut. If you did manage to get the piece cut, it took forever and the cut ended up crooked.

I will cover each of these difficulties as you and I go through this article.

Hacksaws and hacksaw blades are designed to cut metal (I will tell you how to use it to cut wood and plastic) and most people find cutting metal very difficult and frustrating. The reason, most of the time, is that they don't really know how to use the metal hacksaw.

What is a Hacksaw? Junior Hacksaw

A hacksaw is a metal frame designed to hold a tempered metal blade. The blade is typically 1/2 inch high and the majority of them are 12 inches long. The blade has a hole on each end that fits into pins on the hacksaw. Hacksaws are designed to cut on the push stroke. The handle (grip) on a properly designed saw is angled just right so you put a little pressure on the blade when you push it through the material you are cutting. Even though some so-called "experts" will tell you that you can put the blade in the other way a hacksaw does not work well if you have the blade in backwards.

Do you need a Hacksaw? Mini Hacksaw

You can cut almost anything with a hacksaw. Although it was designed to cut metal, you can use it to cut plastic, wood, metal tubing, aluminum, copper, and brass. It works very well to cut electrical tubing (conduit), BMX (flexible metal tubing), plastic water pipe, (PVT & CVT) and even nuts and bolts. You can use it to cut a 2X4 in a pinch and with the right blade porcelain tile.

Setting up the Hacksaw to Cut.

Step 1. Determine which blade you will use to cut the material. Use a 32 t.p.i. blade for conduit, an 18 tooth blade for cutting off a bolt or plastic pipe and an 8 tooth for wood. In practice you want at least three teeth in contact with the material at any time. If you are cutting deeper than the depth of the blade use a blade that has wavy teeth. The wavy blade leaves a wider slot (kerf) that keeps the blade from sticking in the groove you are cutting. Heavy duty hacksaw

You can use it to cut wood. It will cut a lot slower than a wood saw, but it works if you don't have anything else. Use a 8 or 10 tooth blade and mark the cut line on the board both horizontally and vertically. Use the horizontal mark to make you initial cut (groove) and the vertical mark to keep your cut straight. Take your time and don't put a lot of pressure on the hacksaw.

Step 2. Insert the blade so that the teeth are pointing forward. If you can't see this, rub your finger gently over the teeth of the blade.

You will feel the teeth "grip" your finger. Put the blade so it grips when you push the saw. The holes of the blade go into the pins on the bottom of the frame. Many hacksaws are designed to take different length blades so if you have an adjustable frame you may have to shorten or lengthen the frame to fit your blade.

The teeth should try to "grab" your finger when pushed. If they don't feel sharp, the blade is dull and should be replaced. Blades are inexpensive so don't be afraid to replace it.

Step 3. Tighten the thumbscrew until you can't turn it with your hand (Hand tight).This amount of tension on the blade should keep the blade from bowing as you cut. Sometimes when I am have problems with the blade falling off, I will tighten it another 1/4 turn with a pliers.