# Slitting saw depth of cut



## Jude (Feb 18, 2015)

I need to cut 3/8" deep slots in 360 brass.  Can I cut the slots in one pass?  Do slitting saws have have a wider kerf at the tooth similar to a wood saw?
Thanks


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## mikey (Feb 18, 2015)

Some saws have offset teeth to produce a kerf wider than the body. Most of these are slotting saws. Slitting saws generally do not have offset teeth but many high quality saws have a hollow ground body for clearance. 

Slitting saws are intended to take a full-depth cut and should handle a 3/8" cut in brass with no problem. You do need to pay attention to speeds and feeds, though. This is a very useful guide:

http://martindaleco.com/HTML/MetalWorkingMicaSaws/Helpful_Hints_MetalWorkingSaws.htm


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## janvanruth (Feb 19, 2015)

it mainly depends upon the length of cut for each individual tooth
the chip a tooth makes needs  a place to go untill it can be dropped when the tooth leaves the piece
smaller teeth therefore can only make smaller cuts


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## chips&more (Feb 19, 2015)

Depending on how thick the slitting saw is. It can wander (not cut straight) as it cuts. I have found for the last 50 years climbing milling the thinner blades decreases the chance of a wandering blade. I suppose a good machine and a little savvy would be in order if you decided to climb mill…Good Luck, Dave.


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## mikey (Feb 19, 2015)

chips&more said:


> Depending on how thick the slitting saw is. It can wander (not cut straight) as it cuts. I have found for the last 50 years climbing milling the thinner blades decreases the chance of a wandering blade. I suppose a good machine and a little savvy would be in order if you decided to climb mill…Good Luck, Dave.



Dave, I've seen this advice before and tried it on my little Sherline mill ... it wasn't pretty! I assume you need a somewhat stouter milling machine to climb cut with a saw, and it crossed my mind just about the time that blade snapped, but I will try it again when I get a bigger machine. This advice usually comes from very experienced machinists so I know it has to be my set up - I'll remember it.

Jude, one more thing to keep in mind about these saws, as with most saws. Coarser blades will work better but you need to have at least 3 teeth in the cut at all times. I use the coarsest blade I can use that adheres to this rule but sometimes you have the right blade, sometimes you don't. Using a finer-toothed blade won't hurt; you just need to slow down your feed, use a lot of coolant and brush off the chips if you can.


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## Andre (Feb 20, 2015)

Get a coarse tooth saw!!! I was cutting 3/16" alu plate with a jewelers slitting saw, teeth kept clogging and almost broke the blade on many occasions. Swapped to a coarse blade and all my problems went away.
Should be no problem in 3/8" brass if there is chip clearance in the gullet. I can't stress that enough.


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