Stainless steel is a pig to cut with hand tools, especially if the cut has to be tidy. An angle grinder with a cutting disk will make pretty quick work of it, but it’s not accurate, and there’s a good chance you’ll chew up your work piece… or your fingers.

Solution

I tried lots of different sorts and brands of hacksaw blade, and then came across IRWIN “Cobalt HSS All Hard” blades. They are a standard 12″/300mm blade, and can be bought in 18 TPI or 24 TPI versions. I bought 10 of the 24TPI ones from Screwfix and I’m still using the first one. I’m sure other manufacturers make ‘Cobalt’ blades too.

Irwin Cobalt blades

By the way, using a drilling, cutting and tapping fluid really lengthens the life of your drills, blades and taps/dies. This can also be found on Screwfix, or elsewhere, and costs a few quid for an aerosol can. Well worth it!