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Ripping round stock
- Thread starter autonoz
- Start date
How long of a piece do you need to rip?
The trick is going to be clamping it well enough so that it doesn't roll/veer/pinch/bind/make you sad. If it's a short section, you can grab it in a drill press vice if you have one to give you something to hold onto, and keep it from spinning. If it it's a longer piece, you will probably have to set up a jig to get a decent cut. Maybe a couple 2x4s with 1"holes through. Put one on either side of the blade, and clamp to the table?
At one point I recall seeing a jig for doing this for wooden dowels, but I can't seem to find it on youtube.
DMS
The trick is going to be clamping it well enough so that it doesn't roll/veer/pinch/bind/make you sad. If it's a short section, you can grab it in a drill press vice if you have one to give you something to hold onto, and keep it from spinning. If it it's a longer piece, you will probably have to set up a jig to get a decent cut. Maybe a couple 2x4s with 1"holes through. Put one on either side of the blade, and clamp to the table?
At one point I recall seeing a jig for doing this for wooden dowels, but I can't seem to find it on youtube.
DMS
It is about three inches long. There is a hole drilled in the center, so I was thinking about drilling a hole of the same diameter in a wooden cross slide and putting a dowel in it. I can then slide the round stock onto the dowel. This will keep it from rolling and then use something to keep it square. Once halfway through I can flip it around and cut the other side. Make sense?
How accurate does the cut need to be and do you have any other machines available, such as a mill? If so this would be the more precise way using a slitting saw. Of course being aluminum, you could clamp it in a vice and have at it with a hand held hack saw for a 3 inch long piece.
This is easy to do - getting the 2 pieces run thru the saw - the trick is getting a nice straight cut. Holding & guiding is probably the first thing to be addressed. Find a method to hold onto it so you can have the best way to guide it thru the blade straight. Next is the blade - Ideally this would be done on a wood cutting bandsaw with a rather coarse blade, 4-6 tpi - or better yet rig up a wood sled and run it thru a table saw.
The best way I have found to hold and cut round stock like this is to hit the top with Dykem and scribe an accurate line on the center. Orient the line and place the stock flat on the bandsaw table, invert a 3 inch machinist vise and clamp the stock flat on the table top.
The vise makes a great holder for sawing or grinding operations on small stock and also prevents the stock from rolling when making a cross cut.