I have two Japanese Z saws and I am about to remove the old blades. The new ones are in the post. How do I remove the old blades. One has a short back support and the other is long. Both have a circular depression near the handle, The short backed one also has a notch just above the circular bit with a curved arrow stamped in it
Hand Tools - General
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The blades have a hook on the tang end which fits around the rivet in the the metal support and the support pinches the back edge of the blade when its correctly inserted. To remove this type of blade, you strike the back edge of the blade on a flat piece of wood (cutting edge up aiming to make contact with the last third or so of blade for most leverage). Strike so the blade hits flat along the back and not just at the very end or one point along its length, if you follow what I mean.
The force you are applying will move the blade in the direction of the arrow (which shows a rotation toward the cutting edge around the rivet) which will unseat it from the pinch of the metal support. Once free, it will rotate until the hook is free of the rivet and it will detach.
To install a new blade, you pretty well reverse the operation except strike the back of the metal support on a piece of wood so the force drives the blade into the pinch of the support.
Or, just give the end away from the rivet a yank and out it comes, you could also put it in a vice and just pivot the handle too.