Saw Blade Airgun Target

Saw blade target

The past few days I've been suffering from maker's block.  A project I've been working on has been getting the best of me.  I needed a quick and easy project to break out of my funk.  A few months ago I lent my chop saw to a friend who was installing a laminate floor.  When I got it back, the 12" blade was as sharp as a wet noodle.  Rather than throw it away, I decided to save it for a future project.  Good saw blades use high quality steel.  I figured this blade would make a great airgun target.

dull chop saw blade

I grabbed some of my favorite curb-side steel; old bed frames.  I used a cut-off wheel on my grinder to cut the pieces.  I cut the top piece 19" long and the vertical pieces 25" long; 20" for the height and 5" for the ground spike.  I screwed up and cut the spike on the right side on the wrong end of the piece, making the face frame uneven on that side.  I thought about scrapping that piece and making a new one, but it is only an aesthetic problem.  It will function just fine as is.

pieces cut

I welded the pieces together and dressed the welds and sharp edges with the grinder.  I drilled two holes spaced 10" apart on the top of the frame to support the blade.  I cut some old chain to length and bolted it to the blade and frame with 10-24 screws.  Luckily the blade already had expansion slots in it that fit the hardware perfectly.  Drilling through good saw blades is an exercise in futility without carbide bits.  I finished off the frame with a little spray paint over the bare spots.

welded together

weld detail

The blade has a tantalizing hole right in the center; perfect for a bullseye.  In the future, I think I will have to mount some sort of bell behind it.  As I don't have one right now, some Daisy ShatterBlast targets will have to suffice.  I was going to add some sort of mount for the Daisy targets on the back of the blade, but duct tape will work just as well.

targets for bullseye

The blade makes a nice sound when you hit it and the ShatterBlast discs make for a nice challenge at longer distances.  I think I may add a horizontal piece under the blade to serve as a stepping point to drive the spikes into the ground and prevent the legs from twisting.  But for now, it's time to shoot and have some fun.