# Band saw blades - hardness in HRC? (body of blade, not teeth) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545 "2020-02-06T16:35:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/1 "2020-02-06T16:35:14Z")
I have old band saw blades that I need to repurpose in a project. I want to know how hard is the “body” of bandsaw blades typically, in Rockwell scale (HRC)? Googling seems to only give the hardnesses of the teeth of various band saw blade types, as expected, given the ordinary use of the blades. However, I’m not interested in the teeth, but how the blade bodies fare, especially in relation to typical tool blade (knives, chisels, axes etc.) hardnesses. Bandsaw blades certainly need to be flexible and tough, but how soft are they? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/2 "2020-02-06T17:58:00Z")
They are probably pretty soft. Most blades have heat-treated teeth, or bonded cutters. Why not take some and scratch or indent them with a file or chisel or drill bit to give you some idea? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/3 "2020-02-06T23:31:38Z")
Most bandsaw blades I’ve seen are all the same metal so wouldn’t a heat treat drive up the hardness the same as the teeth? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/4 "2020-02-06T23:37:37Z")
I know a lot of guys use the very large band saw blades for knife making and wood scrapers so they must be fairly hard. I use the 1/2" size, the metal itself does seem hard. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/5 "2020-02-06T23:38:20Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > Most bandsaw blades I’ve seen are all the same metal so wouldn’t a heat treat drive up the hardness the same as the teeth? The teeth are selectively heat-treated. [Like so.](https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D4708-BANDSAW-Blade/dp/B075V7BHLB) Also, many blades are bi- or tri- metal, so that the backing is much more flexible than the teeth. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/6 "2020-02-07T00:42:58Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > I have old band saw blades that I need to repurpose in a project. I want to know how hard is the “body” of bandsaw blades typically, in Rockwell scale (HRC)? Amateur knife maker here. Most good quality band saw blades I have seen are bimetallic, so I am not sure why the other posters are questioning the OP. For example this Milwaukee bandsaw blade at homedepot is bimetallic: 44-7/8 in. 14 TPI Bi-Metal Deep Cut Portable Band Saw Blade (2-Pack) [https://www.homedepot.com/p/100574262](https://www.homedepot.com/p/100574262) The blade body HRC is about 45-50 while the tip HRC is about 65. I just lucked out once in a workshop and did those measurements. Couldn’t find the specs at Milwaukee, but Here is a cite from a commercially made band saw blade. Please look at Page 6. [https://www.plankos.com/katalog/2/arntz\_-\_factbook\_en\_20161.pdf](https://www.plankos.com/katalog/2/arntz_-_factbook_en_20161.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/7 "2020-02-07T02:40:22Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > The teeth are selectively heat-treated. > [Like so.](https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D4708-BANDSAW-Blade/dp/B075V7BHLB) > > Also, many blades are bi- or tri- metal, so that the backing is much more flexible than the teeth. Learnt something new, Thanks Beowulff. It seems that the wood blades are single metal and the steel cutting blades are bi-metal. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/8 "2020-02-07T02:50:18Z")
Am I the only one who thought this thread was going to be about a band called saw blades? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-saw-blades-hardness-in-hrc-body-of-blade-not-teeth/847545/9 "2020-02-07T15:07:55Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > Learnt something new, Thanks Beowulff. It seems that the wood blades are single metal and the steel cutting blades are bi-metal. Same here. Most of my band saw use is for guitars so I don’t use them on metal.