What saw blades are you cutting up to use as new blades? I ordered a couple different ryoba (not ryobi) replacement blades from lee valley- cut them up, drilled a hole, but did not get the cut I was hoping for. What should I be using ?
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Right now ( and I mean right now!!!, just came in for a break) I am making some MM blades. I am using a Tajima blade. Will let you know how it turns out. This is the first time for me making some so we'll see how that goes.
Hey! That stud finder you sent for the Christmas exchange? (I call it the stud-sticker) That thing is the BOMB! I'm working a kitchen/bath/sunroom remodel, and had to run a ton of base over old drywall, with walls prepped and painted. That thing worked great. Never took out any other stud-finder.
Thanks again.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Glad you like it. Ive been really able to use it recently. If you unscrew the cap on it, there are a couple of replacement pins in the handle. Have you used the sanding discs yet? I havent, suppose I should just go sand a scrap piece of wood to see how they work.
Live by the sword, die by the sword....choose your sword wisely.
Nick, please tell me brand/mod. I'm due for a good one and could use a recommendation. thanks.
The pen-looking thing on the left. It uses a thin needle that leaves an almost invisible hole. If the needle goes all the way in, no stud. If the needle only goes 1/2" and stops, stud. Simple, but effective. I had an ice pick that utilizes the same principal, but left a bigger hole, and was more dificult to push thru the dw.
http://www.garrettwade.com/shopping/msearch/search_results.jsp?freeText=stud+finder&Search.x=21&Search.y=17"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Great, thanks, i did not know this thing existed. I've been using a similar method, using a 1/32 " drill, slow speed.
I use a small drill bit in a srewdriver to find the studs.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
ok......What are MM blades??
Fein MultiMaster.Apparently the neatest toy around, but I haven't ponied up the dough yet.Damned pricey blades.
Edited 3/2/2008 9:45 pm ET by Biff_Loman
So far I've only made a handful from the blade from a cheaper Sandvik handsaw intended for cutting plastic. They perform along the lines of the E-Cut blades from Fein. I'd think that given the overall cutting stroke of a MM's oscillations would be too short for the blade of most ryoba blades, however a nice fine blade would probably work nicely.
would hacksaw blades work???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
What I realized in my freshman effort to make em is that they HAVE to be long so that the stroke is long enough to make a cut.Short blades don't do a helluva lot.Or maybe it was just a crappy blade (it was).Use a stepped drill bit - works great and clean hole.JT
I'm talking an M42 blade or matrix type.. maybe even a vari-pitch bi-metal...
the tooth count can be as few as 3-4TPI and all the way to 36TPI...
stock blades can be up to 3" ish wide... after that the tooth count and pitch gets pretty agressive... 2-2.5' wide blades would be thinner and the tooth count more to yur liking...
run them thru the shear and use a hydraulic punch to place the hole...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I picked up a feather file used for sharpening Japenese pull saws. And have had good luck resharpening (really just touching up) MM blades. I can at least keep them lasting longer anyway. If I can double their life I can save $20...Once they are really shot I go after them with a little Dermel cut-off wheel and a some more filing. They end up kind of nasty looking, but work good on drywall cut-outs, etc., which I do alot of...Anyone else have any luck resharpening MM blades...If so how?
I do pretty much the same, and for homemade blades the last I made were from a cheap "sharksaw" pull saw.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
japanese pull saw blades work well.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
that is what I was using, a ryoba, which is a crosscutting blade. WHat about a dozuki (ripping)?
what kind of cut are you looking for? The japanse blades are pretty agressive, much more coarse than a fine toothed blade similar in pitch to the round MM blades.
It also might be that the blades you are trying to use are too thin and flex more than they should. MM blades are fairly thick. The japanese blades I've been using are on the thick side.
Others have been getting good results with hand powered miter box saw blades, or even a fine toothed crosscut saw.
I'd love to find a jewler's saw blade equivelent to the MM round blades. They are cheap and available in all sizes and thicknesses, but the arbor is too large. Perhaps a wider washer would be worth while to use those blades off the shelf. $10 for a 3" hss blade! The 1" arbor is awfully large, but I'll try a fitted washer and let everyone know how it works. Check out the selection of these blades: http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=110&PARTPG=INLMK3&PMITEM=319-2376
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Hey, you just sparked a lightbulb in my head. We had arbors that took .023 thick fret slotting saw blades..for guitar finger boards. I'llbet they are the same.
But the arbor issue is a problem..I have the old style MM, actually, never was a MM, just a Fien sander with the blade option. And somehow the special washer got lost for the sawblade..but I have found a neoprene washer head screw washer w/0 the rubber worked well.
In reality tho, any hunk of steel and a minute with either a featherfile, a cant saw file ( 90/45/45 I think) or a triangle file (60/60/60) and one could tooth anything..and no set is a good thing, just can get warm and warp, and cut slow.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I'll bet we're making this too hard and a slotting blade would fit securely between two hardened washers or old blade tangs, especially if it's a thin blade with little with little moving mass to it.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Well I ran into problems when I lost that washer. Even the factory blade would loosen too easily or spin. My homemade blades will too, I didn't think to mic either of them for like thickness.
The sander has a small raised donut on the backing plate/arbor , and that can interfere with snugging down the bolt washer combo, thats why I had to use a cupped type washer.
Methinks a thicker blade is better than a thinner one due to that raised nub. Similar to the backer on an angle grinder that makes the arbor size correct one way and flip it for a "pinch grab" the other way. Depending on the grinding wheel's thickness or cut off disc's thiness.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
So it only took a week to get back to you. The blades that I used was the Tajima Rapid Pull Blade 250 ( 19p-18 th). It seemed to cut o.k., but I dont have anything to really compare to ( all my MM blades are toast).
I had the hardest time trying to drill a hole in these blades, like close to impossible. What I ended up doing was cutting the old MM blades off of their holder with my angle grinder and than attaching the blades that I made to the holder with some JB-weld. So far, the JB weld has held up, but Im a little leary.
What are other people doing for mounting their home made blades to the Fein MM?
It's possible to get a carbide metal drill bit for $20 for drilling hard steel.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.