Thread: how do you shorten a blade?

I have a special project where I need to shorten a blade by 1/4". I have a good blade that has some chips in the tip end so I figured that was the perfect one to use.
What type of tools/technique would you use to cut the tip end of the blade off? I was thinking of a Dremel with a cut off wheel. Ideas?

That should work well enough.
First I think I would wrap the blade with several layers of tape right behind the cut to help dampen vibration so that the blade doesn't fracture while you ae cutting.
A very slow cut and frequent cooling with a wet paper towel will make things safer.
Good luck with your project.

In the past I have taken a square point and a round point with chips/chunks in the toe and used a Dremel with a grinding wheel to grind down and shorten the blade. Be very, very careful not to get the blade too hot. I keep a glass of water handy; I grind a little bit then dip in water to cool the metal, grind some more and dip blade in water. Try keeping a finger near the area you are grinding to help judge the temp of the metal; if it starts to feel warm, dip the blade in water to cool. Don't rush the process! Take your time. Please keep in mind the narrow part of the blade toward the edge is considerable thinner than the spine area and will get hot faster plus it grinds away faster.

I don't know about using a cut off wheel as I have never tried it. Maybe a more experienced member can chime in on the subject or have another suggestion on fixing the problem. Good luck with whatever method you try.

I had to shorted this one recently after a nasty crack.



I used a dremel with the diamond saw cutter. I started at the spine and worked down to the edge stopping every few seconds to dip the blade in cold water (remember its not a race and these things can get pretty hot very quickly best not to risk the temper for a few mins IMO). The result is below, in the picture is a 5/8 king cutter for scale.



take your time with it and its an easy job to do

I use a bench grinder, running like a banshee, with a fine grit 6 inch stone. A coffee cup of water to cool the blade on occasion.
Gently get it into the shape I like. Bit of spinning wire brush downward to smooth it out. Some 600 greasless on a 1 inch Dremel felt buff. To the buffer. Usually!

I just shortened this one using a slow belt grinder, a sharp 80 grit belt and water to cool it.

I have shortened/reground a few.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...d-spanish.html

That is from long ago. The main issue is keeping heat out of the blade. I used a diamond cutting wheel in a rotary tool set on its lowest speed and had a constant water drip running on it to not only cool but lubricate the wheel during the cutting. Once that is finished, you just sand/grind it to shape but again, you have to keep it cool or you will burn the temper out of the blade and it is trash at that point. One or two seconds on the sanding belt or wheel, then into cold water, repeat. Takes a while but you end up with a good blade in the end.