So I was cleaning out the garage, now that we’ve moved into the new house, and all those boxes of crap are finally out of storage. And there, in with some stuff, was a gem I had to save. My father taught me a valuable lesson – don’t waste money on cheap tools. That’s all he ever bought, and I learned by watching him struggle.
When he bought a B and D circular saw of some description, the blade that came with it was, I swear to God, stamped out of sheet metal; the set on the teeth comes from the fact that they’re bent slightly. Looks like it would cut butter for a day or two before losing its edge. And the manual said, if I recall, that the warranty was void if any other blade was used.
Anyone remember something like this? What a piece of crap.
Replies
Cairo
I remember those blades, my ex-FIL would buy those stupid things 50 to 100 at a time, thought he was getting a great deal, paid $.50 to $1.00 per.
Doug
I think I worked for him years ago :)
Dave
Easy, fella. I'm only 40 and I've got a pile of them. For my first 5 years, it's all we used. Have you ever seen a hollow ground planer blade ? Damn cool looking thing......
carpenter in transition
Sounds like a handsaw blade design.
Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Don't think of them as blades- Think of them as 5/8 fender washers.
Don't think of them as blades- Think of them as 5/8 fender washers.
Or, for the true psychotic, as 7.25" shuriken... :-)
Regards,
Tim
I wonder how many people using those cheapo blades ever figured out that saving a couple bucks on a blade was likely costing them their saw ?
Live, Love, Forgive and Forget
Quittin' Time
The guy I worked for was so tight we called him "squeaky". He once bought a wet cut diamond blade for the walk behind concrete saw, but wouldn't let us use it except on green concrete. Then we had to take it off and put in his truck. He bought those stamped out circular saw blade by the dozens, and we had to give him the old dull ones to get a new "el cheapo".
Took him ten years, but he finally managed to go broke.
Dave
Well worded Dave,
I had to zoom in on this thread after today. I was there to set some tile for a wood stove installation so I didn't have my Circ saw. But I needed to sharpen a stake to drivew to mark a spot he wanted some diggging done. I knew he had a B&D in his storage shed so I grabbed it and
"Wow, That thing sure makes pretty coloured smoke!"
But I was able to whip out my pocket knife and do a faster job. Gotta get the guy a decent blade for Christmass...
Maybe the blade designers should think of making an aluminum blade so it would be lightweight and not work the saw so hard.
Or lead so it would have a flywheel effect for efficiency.
Or maybe an AL body and lead teeth for compromise....
LOL.
Excellence is its own reward!
I looked but could only find a regular planer blade. Yes, that does say "Novelty" on the side of the blade. Along with a bit of rust.....
You guys can laugh about these, but the non-carbides were actually pretty nice to work with. Those planer blades were wonderful to trim with because when scribing with them, they only threw off fine dust, not big chunks. White pine was the norm. Lots of oak would slow them down, eventually.
remember the Black and Decker Pirhana ?
carpenter in transition
Edited 11/15/2003 12:36:18 AM ET by TIM_KLINE
That piranha was a very good blade for the time.
Looks to me like a lot of the good blades today get their roots from the piranha.
Live, Love, Forgive and Forget
Quittin' Time
how old- or should i say, young- are you? i'm "only" 43 and i remember when there was no carbide circ saw blades- or at least it was not commonly available. then when they started becoming more available in the early to mid 70's(?), they were $$$.
m
I remember when the carbide blade was comming to hardware stores near you and me . They were high and most of all carps were critical of them doing nice work. I remember sharpening our blades at dinner . 16 penny nail through a small piece of plywood and the blade in question nailed to a jamb nearest the lunch pail. I remember the hardest part for me was getting the set correct . I got fast at sharpening the blade till it needed set. Carps then realized that the art of sharpening blades would be forgotten. Real carps sharpen their own blades they said back then.
You are right about the piranna. That was the first animal of its kind that wouls make a big saw out of a little one . So smooth . Now the tooth is common place . I wonder what the theft of copying cost them????
Tim Mooney
What is the arbor size on that Novelty ?
I have an old B&D 8" sidewinder that uses a similar blade with a 1" arbor. I have three blades for it, and sharpen them myself. It is my "loner" saw when some relative or friend ask. Weighs a ton, and I always get it back in a few days:)
Dave
geez, i dunno, whatever the current standard is for 7" and 8" saws. they definitely are not 1" sorry dude. you can get blades made or modified by some of the blade people like Forrest. i know that might be a little pricey for a beater saw.
carpenter in transition