What To Do With Old Circular Saw Blades? – Best Upcycling

Last Updated On February 10, 2023

Circular sawblades aren’t worth much when sold as scraps. In fact, they are sold for as little as $3 per thousand pounds. That being said, if you want to get a circular blade off your hands, recycling it at a scrapyard is best.

However, for the creative souls who love starting metal & woodwork projects, this is a golden opportunity too fun to pass down.

Some of our ideas require metalwork and woodwork knowledge, while others are less challenging. Hopefully, you will find an idea that suits your skillset. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.

What To Do With Old Circular Saw Blades – 5 Best Ideas

The easiest way that we can think of to deal with old circular sawblades is to take them to a scrapyard, give it to someone who loves metal work or donate it to schools for woodshop classes.

But if you want to put in more effort and exercise your creativity, there are so many artsy ways of upcycling your circular saw blade and making them into decorative pieces. Moreover, you can also transform them to other tools that can be used for another few years. By getting prolonged use out of the blade, you help the environment out as well.

Here are some of the ideas that we loved the most.

Make A Knife

Although a fairly common idea, its execution takes some skills. However, it is rudimentary enough that anyone with some knowledge of metal work can make a good enough knife. Here are the steps of making a kitchen knife from an old circular saw blade.

Step 1:

To begin, scope out the usable part of the circular saw blade. Avoid spots with heavy rusting & weakened or broken metal. Keeping the available area in mind, make a knife design and sketch it onto a paper. You can make the knife as big or little as you want as long as there is enough usable portion in the old circular saw blade.

Step 2:

Stick the paper onto the circular saw where you want to cut it. Following the pattern, use a circular saw to cut your blade. You now need to smoothen the rough edges with a file or grinder.

Step 3:

Now, the handle. Grab two chunks of wood with at least ¼ inches depth. After placing the blade between the wood pieces, trace the desired pattern on them for the handle. Using a scroll saw, carve out the pieces. Make three holes at convenient spots that pierce through both pieces of wood and the blade.

Step 4:

Time to fix the blade and handle. However, it is important to clear off any rust or dirt, so sand the blade thoroughly to restore it to its old shiny self. Sharpen the edge again with a grinder. It is a good idea to apply rust-proof solutions like Ferric Chloride on the blade.

Step 5:

Finally, Lock the handle and blade in place with screws and glue. Let it dry and strengthen. You should then have a brand new knife made from an old circular saw blade.

Make An Ax

Here’s how you make an ax from an old circular saw blade.

Step 1:

Cut the circular blade in the shape of an ax blade. You can first trace it on paper and use the paper as a guide while using a powered circular saw to cut through the old blade. The pictures below will give you an idea of how to make the ax blade pattern.

Ax Blade Shape

Step 2:

After cutting the blade you need to get rid of the jagged edges. Again take the circular saw to cut a smooth curved edge for the ax blade. With a grinder, smoothen the blade to perfection.

Step 3:

Now, for the handle, grab two chunks of wood with at least 1 inch depth. Make any pattern or design on them you want to. You need to drill 3 to 4 holes into the handle pieces and the blade where you will attach them together.

Step 4:

It is important to clear off any rust or dirt, so sand the blade thoroughly to restore it to its old shiny self. Sharpen the edge again with a grinder. It is a good idea to apply rust-proof solutions like Ferric Chloride on the blade. Use adhesive and screws to attach the handle to the blade. As the glue dries, your ax will be ready.

You can add small details to the handle with leather or suede to enhance the look. 

Draw A Painting

If you have good painting skills, making circular saw blade art is going to be a breeze.

Step 1:

To begin you must restore the blade first. Use sandpaper or grinder to rub the surface of the blade on which you will be painting. Continue till it is perfectly smooth. Apply a coat of zinc chromate primer if your metal blade is rusted. This will help resist rusting. Make sure you are ready to apply regular primer immediately after a coat of this rust-resistant material.

Step 2:

Using a primer is necessary as it allows the acrylic paint to adhere better to the metal as well as even out the texture and color of the blade surface. Choose an oil based primer that goes well with acrylic paint & metal. You need to apply two coats of the primer of choice. Let it dry completely.

Step 3:

Now, get to work with acrylic paint & brushes.  You can even get acrylic paint in spray cans. This paint has a glossy finish that looks beautiful. You can take saw blade art ideas inspiration from Pinterest. If you don’t have any great painting abilities yourself, get a friend to help.

Circular Analogue Clock

The blade can be transformed into a clock without much effort on your part. The process is fairly simple and you don’t really need much dexterity with metal to do this.

Step 1:

First, you need to restore the blade to some of its old luster. Grind the side of the blade that you want to use as the face of the clock till any rust and scratches on it is smoothened.

Step 2:

The next is to make the hour markings. Take a piece of paper and draw a 30° angle and then cut out a cone shape of that angular measurement. Using that as a reference, mark 12 spots on the blade that are equidistant from the center and to their adjacent spots.

Step 3:

This part really comes down to your design skills and ideas. You can use stickers to mark the hour hands or make carvings using  a drill and scroll saw. You can also use color on the blade to give it your own unique spin. Apply an anti-rust formula to seal the deal.

Step 4:

Clock hands and clock mechanism are easily available. You can order from Amazon or buy them at your local shop. You just need to fit it to your blade by making a drilled hole at the center. You should have a fully functional clock at your hand after this. Once you have placed the batteries in.

Wind Chime

To make a wind chime you need to do the following.

Step 1:

Grab the circular saw and restore it by using a grinder or sanding it. When it is smooth, you can apply a rust repellent spray or coating that will protect it from the elements if you decide to hang the wind chime on your porch.

Step 2:

Cut the blade into bits and pieces of your choice. You can use a rotary grinding disc to cut through the blade to make smaller chunks. A circular saw won’t offer the same control.

Step 3:

Prime and color the metal chunks if you feel like it. This part is totally up to you. Choose the strings you want to use to hang the pieces of metal. Grab a circular wood piece to form the base of your wind chime from which to hang the bits.

Step 4:

Mark where you want to make holes in the wood plate. We recommend you mark the positions with a carpenter’s pencil after measuring that the drills will be equidistant. Make the drills.

Step 5:

Attach the pieces of metal on the end of the string  and pass the other end through the holes. Once all the strings are passed through the plate. Tie the strings up on the opposite side of the wood plate from the metal pieces. You use this tie to hook the wind chime to something so it will hang. You are all done.

Note: This below mentioned video might help you to more understand.

Final Words

There are plenty of things that you can do with your old circular saw blade. Although the above ideas take some effort, they are fun and well worth the time. Repurposing something like an old blade is great for the environment. At the same time you get the chance to make use of your woodwork and metalwork skills.

However, if you aren’t in the mood to pick up any projects, you can easily donate your old circular saw blades to schools with woodshop classes or recycle it at a scrapyard. Either way, it is better to at least recycle the blades than leaving them in your garage.