Need some advice

[Shogun]

Hi everyone, I need a little advice. I'm in the process of making a personalized hammer for a guy that did some welding on my Delta POS a while back. I don't know what kind of wood this handle is (It's a Stanley 13 0z.) but it is so hard that I went thru 3 blades just cutting out the M and they still burned the wood real bad. I double checked that the blade was right side up and all that stuff and was good to go. I actually considered trying a jeweler's blade, lol. The letters are 3/4" and I'm using my preferred blade, an FDUR #5. Those are the only two blades I have on hand. Any way, I would appreciate any suggestions as to what blade might do better. Thanks in advance.

[daveo]

not sure on the blade , but most hammer shafts are mostly hickory HTH
Dave

[dgman]

I would try a FD polar #5 or#7. The polar blades have a slight set to the teeth to help clear the sawdust and help prevent burning. To help lubericate the blade, apply some blue painters tape first, then the pattern and finally, some clear packing tape. Hickory is a very tough wood to cut, but using these steps should work for you.

[EIEIO]

This listing http://www.amazon.com/home-improvement/dp/B00002X1XA describes it as a hickory handle. Besides lubrication with tape, you might try slowing down the saw speed to get more time for the blade steel to transfer the heat away from the wood, and take some break time (maybe cut along the 3/4" side of a letter then pause 5 seconds with the saw running) between cuts.

[Shogun]

Thanks guys, I already did the double tape thing before I started so I'll try pausing more as my saw is not variable, if that doesn't work I may need to order some blades. Any more thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

[GrayBeard]

Get in touch with Mike! He will have the answer....

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/index.htm

~~~GB~~~

[Shogun]

I just want to say thanks for the help. I got home from work tonight and got the "personalized hammer" done. I think it was a combination of the wrong blade and trying to cut too fast. All I have on hand is the #5 blades I mentioned before, and I was already cutting slow, but, I cut that speed in half and did ok. I had never cut hickory before and this was mf first hammer project so here is what I learned; 1, use the largest blade possible, with the fewest teeth possible, 2, cut slow...and I mean slow, sometimes as your cutting there is a raspy hum just under the sound of your motor, that's the sound of your blade cutting the wood, if you can't hear that your cutting too fast, 3, if you don't see any saw dust or if it's darker than the wood you're cutting, you're cutting too fast, 4 the harder the wood the slower you need to cut. Especially if you're like me and your saw is not variable speed.
If it wasn't for you guys this would have been wasted effort. Thank you.

[EIEIO]

Did you get a picture of the finished hammer? I'd like to see what it was you were doing.

[Rapid Roger]

This is what he is doing.
Steve did a video on it back in 2010 or so. It requires making a jig to cut the handle but, it is fun to do. However, the hammer is not of much use and very uncomfortable to the hand. 





Rog

[dgman]

These hammers would be for presentation only, to hang on the wall of your Man Cave.

[BilltheDiver]

I did the same thing a few years ago on some hatchet handles for gifts.

[Gary Morris]

here in Birmingham, UK we call them 'Brummy Screwdrivers' 

[dirob]

If available try the Pegas modified geomentry #5 it is great on hard wood espically if used in conjunction with clear tape on the work

[Keefie]

Gary, In Cornwall we call them a "Fine Tuning Instrument" 

[GrayBeard]

On my jobsites we used to call them "U A T"s...

Universal Adjustment Tool!!!!

~~~GB~~~