Slitting saw

[John Hasler]

The slit is to be perpendicular to the axis of the piece? That will leave with a .5" support .2" wide at its thickest. I think I'd want to support that on both sides of the cut.

[spro]

I think this is one of those projects where we assume what seems logical as keying an arbor.But A very deep, thin "slot" is on the axis. Maybe for a snap ring or device. Steve mentions he would have to tilt the vertical head 90* and even then, the quill and head width would be in the way.
There are plenty of the Bridgeport RA head attachments for sale now. There are certain things a small horizontal can do easier.

[stephenc]

I think I am going to try a cut off wheel first .. it's simple , logical and cheap
And if it doesn't work I'm only out of pocket a couple bucks .
A semi local weld shop has 8 " .035 Norton wheels that will fit the arbor on my surface grinder for $9.50

If this doesn't work I'll go back with a slitting saw

[spro]

Please StephenC. I didn't mean to get in the way of the issue.

[John Hasler]

The cutoff wheel on the surface grinder seems like a good approach.

[Harold_V]

That's well dispensed advice Harold!

Other than I'd like to know your thoughts on why you shouldn't climb cut with the saw? In my mind the blade thickness he wants to use would be rigid enough and wouldn't it labour and dull faster conventional cutting?

There's an increased risk of the cutter pulling the part. That has a way of ruining your day, to say nothing of ruining the part and breaking the saw.

There are times when you can climb cut. Each case is its own. Also, the condition of the machine plays a huge role. A loose slide is asking for trouble. You avoid that by not climb cutting.

H

[Harold_V]

I once tried to do a deep cut with a screw slitting blade. The blade now has a rounded top edge, and is garbage.

Don't blame the depth of cut. That has little to do with the problem. Blame your lack of understanding of proper surface speed, which I mentioned. Large diameter cutters burn real easily if you disregard speed. Corners are the first to go, as they can't dissipate heat fast enough.

H

[stephenc]

You didn't get in the way spro. .. you understood what I was doing and the possible issues even with my less then clear explanation

Harold
You have a way of explaining things that makes it very easy to understand and I for one can't thank you enough for that .

[WJH]

I once tried to do a deep cut with a screw slitting blade. The blade now has a rounded top edge, and is garbage.

Don't blame the depth of cut. That has little to do with the problem. Blame your lack of understanding of proper surface speed, which I mentioned. Large diameter cutters burn real easily if you disregard speed. Corners are the first to go, as they can't dissipate heat fast enough.

H

This was back when I had my Sieg X3 mill. Lack of a back gear and a DC motor made it very hard to get the torque needed and slow enough speed. Not to mention that the tram wasn’t perfect either. I bet the tram was the biggest factor with the deep cut, causing rubbing.

[earlgo]

stephenc: If you use the cutoff blade in your grinder please be aware that you do not want to 'climb cut' with that either unless your feed mechanism is in great shape. A grinding wheel will pull into things just as a milling cutter will, but it spins faster, and the broken wheel pieces fly further. 'Nuff said?
--earlgo

[John Hasler]

Another factor that may come into play is runout. I've watched videos where you can easily hear the runout as the saw goes wowwowwow... The author says "Not all the teeth are cutting. They all do that". Well, mine doesn't. My arbor is built directly on a taper and I paid extra attention to runout when I made it. If not all the teeth are cutting some are rubbing. You can get away with that in mild steel and aluminum.

[Harold_V]

Harold
You have a way of explaining things that makes it very easy to understand and I for one can't thank you enough for that .

I do not seek praise, but it's very helpful to hear if I'm providing acceptable guidance, or not. (Continue the course, or shut my mouth?)

Some folks appreciate step by step, while others find it insulting. As we all know, it's impossible to make everyone happy.

I try to address issues as if the reader is a total stranger to the subject, and must be informed of what might be obvious to others. I can understand why that might be insulting if a person is well versed on the topic at hand, but I find "talking down" is of value, because we have a wide and varied readership on this board. In the end, I expect to reach those who are in need, and hope those who need no guidance will tolerate my ravings.

Mean time, know that I appreciate your proclamation, so thanks!

H