Yaw have been a big help,it gets me in the ballpark if anything bad happens it will be on me.
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Slitting saw blade
- Thread starter boodogboo
- Start date
With a slitting saw, it is best to cut to full depth whenever possible. If the cut gets long enough that the tooth spaces might fill up with chips, then reduce the feed per tooth.
Have a look at the attached file for some guidelines. From my personal notes, I have found the recommended speeds to be a bit on the slow side for aluminum. I prefer sulferized oil to WD-40 for slitting saw use in aluminum; it still slings but not as bad as WD-40 and the cut is cleaner. Put up a guard or wear a plastic apron!
A slitting saw is intended to take full depth cuts. Sneaking up on final depth just wears the saw prematurely. Your speeds and feeds depend on how the saw cuts. I generally start near the recommended speed and feed manually. I want the saw to cut freely when I use a positive feed. I mean the saw cuts readily when I can feel a slight positive resistance to the feed that I am using. If it feels like there is too much resistance to the feed then I increase speed. Once I can get the right feed for the speed I'm using, I make the cut non-stop.
You need to keep the blade wet or it will bind. I drip coolant on the rim of the blade so there is a constant layer of oil on it at all times. This cools and lubes the cut but it also helps clear chips (they are suspended in oil and sling off). Its messy but it works well for me.
I've saw cut a lot of aluminum and have tried all kinds of things to improve the cut; the above is what works for me. One thing I highly recommend is to use a good arbor. I now use a Sierra American arbor and it is quite good - solid, accurate, never slipped on me.
Don't worry too much about this. A slitting/slotting saw in aluminum is easy to use. Just keep up with the feed and you'll do fine.
A slitting saw is intended to take full depth cuts. Sneaking up on final depth just wears the saw prematurely. Your speeds and feeds depend on how the saw cuts. I generally start near the recommended speed and feed manually. I want the saw to cut freely when I use a positive feed. I mean the saw cuts readily when I can feel a slight positive resistance to the feed that I am using. If it feels like there is too much resistance to the feed then I increase speed. Once I can get the right feed for the speed I'm using, I make the cut non-stop.
You need to keep the blade wet or it will bind. I drip coolant on the rim of the blade so there is a constant layer of oil on it at all times. This cools and lubes the cut but it also helps clear chips (they are suspended in oil and sling off). Its messy but it works well for me.
I've saw cut a lot of aluminum and have tried all kinds of things to improve the cut; the above is what works for me. One thing I highly recommend is to use a good arbor. I now use a Sierra American arbor and it is quite good - solid, accurate, never slipped on me.
Don't worry too much about this. A slitting/slotting saw in aluminum is easy to use. Just keep up with the feed and you'll do fine.
That is an aggressive saw, .314" between teeth. Plenty of chip room (-:
It's hard to beat good old kerosene in a spray bottle for a lubricant for aluminum if you don't mind the odor. As long as the blade is wet with lubricant/coolant it will clear chips. I use hollow ground blades and cut full depth, usually along the slot vs plunging if I can. RPM and feed rate will be faster than you think it should be.