what temp did you temper to? also most forms of L6 will air harden , meaning that even though you edge quenched the spine is most likely hardened. L6 is pretty abrasion resistant so hand sanding it is.... entertaining...

MP

I did 375 for 2 hours. I didn't seem to help.

The trouble is that until you actually have the chemistry of your saw steel it can only be identified as saw blade steel. For many years folks have said that saw blades were L6, but in the vast majority of cases I have been witness to the steel behaved nothing like L6 and often turned out to be something more in the kin of 15n20 or 43XX series. In light of all this giving you advice on L6 could be taking you in entirely the wrong direction, and without specific chemistry the only reliable advice on heat treatment must be in a very general terms, e.g. heat to nonmagnetic quench in oil and temper until desired soft/hard level. Attempts to give specific temps or numbers would be shots in the dark at best. I would say keep bumping the tempering temperature up 25F. until your file bites to the desired level or your blade is holding the edge you want without brittleness, unless you can get access to a Rockwell tester.

But if the steel is not L6 that may be better for you since edge quenching L6 would be a rather bad idea; upper bainite stinks out loud in a blade.

Thank you Kevin. I was thinking it might not be L6. I had a chemistry done on a piece of saw blade steel and it turned out to be approximately 4150.

Brion

And some circular saw blade is what Alpha Knife Supply infrequently has and calls 1080+. I feel most of that is used in larger blades (like maybe 18" and larger) of the self-toothed variety. It's a steel that has 73 to 82 points of carbon (thinner more, thicker less), about 60 points of chrome, 42 to 60 points of manganese, 6 to 7 points of nickle and 17 to 18 points of vanadium. It's a steel that could be wedged into the ASM HTG's L2 category... a steel with a lot of possible variation... or the 80CrV (chrome vanadium) type.

I believe (I wish I knew it as fact) L6 saw blades were made with an integral hub (quite a bit thicker than the rim). That by the time self-hubbed circular saw blades went out, L6 had gone out, too. A person who would likely know more is Wayne Goddard... having both worked in a saw shop and having gotten "real L6" from same.

I've had a few self toothed, saw blades tested for chemistry. A few of them (the larger... as in feet) fit the 1080+/L2 range and they were older Simonds blades. A few (smaller self-toothed) fit 1075 (some with a little nickle, but not as much as 15N20, some without).

Still, a person never knows unless a chemistry test is done.

Mike