12-27-2012, 05:09 PM
OK, if I had to make a bullet point list of how to use a slitting saw, here is what it would look like:
1) Cutting speed - Calculate your cutting speed just like any other cutter, 4 X CS/DIA. Slitting saws are so large that they need to run deceivably slow. Example: A 3" diameter saw in mild steel should run at 4X100/3, or 133 rpm.
2) Climb mill, as in NEVER do it. Slitting saws are so large that they will easily climb up on your work when you least expect it, so always conventional mill and don't forget to lock the table AND remove the backlash from the leadscrew. Sometimes you need to get creative with odd shaped parts so the cutter can never climb onto the part. For instance, the last cut on that heat sink I made required a different technique. I conventional milled each fin to full depth except for the last one where I cranked the cutter in so it started cutting near the root of the fin rather than the tip. If I had cut the last, unsupported fin like the first 44, it would have grabbed and scrapped the part.
3) Use lots of cutting oil or coolant. There is so much cutter in contact with the work with a slitting saw that lubrication is critical. Lose it and the cutter will grab and break.
4) Be brave and bury the cutter in the work as soon as possible because the work helps to support the cutter. Sneaking in or taking a little at a time is inviting the cutter to wander (and consequently break or at least screw up the part).
5) Keep the feed rates low. In other words, don't force it. Give the cutter time to remove all those chips.
Probably the most important thing to remember when using a slitting saw is that it is out to screw you and will unless you stay one step ahead. Just think ahead and predict what the cutter will try to do before taking the cut and you'll be fine.
Tom
1) Cutting speed - Calculate your cutting speed just like any other cutter, 4 X CS/DIA. Slitting saws are so large that they need to run deceivably slow. Example: A 3" diameter saw in mild steel should run at 4X100/3, or 133 rpm.
2) Climb mill, as in NEVER do it. Slitting saws are so large that they will easily climb up on your work when you least expect it, so always conventional mill and don't forget to lock the table AND remove the backlash from the leadscrew. Sometimes you need to get creative with odd shaped parts so the cutter can never climb onto the part. For instance, the last cut on that heat sink I made required a different technique. I conventional milled each fin to full depth except for the last one where I cranked the cutter in so it started cutting near the root of the fin rather than the tip. If I had cut the last, unsupported fin like the first 44, it would have grabbed and scrapped the part.
3) Use lots of cutting oil or coolant. There is so much cutter in contact with the work with a slitting saw that lubrication is critical. Lose it and the cutter will grab and break.
4) Be brave and bury the cutter in the work as soon as possible because the work helps to support the cutter. Sneaking in or taking a little at a time is inviting the cutter to wander (and consequently break or at least screw up the part).
5) Keep the feed rates low. In other words, don't force it. Give the cutter time to remove all those chips.
Probably the most important thing to remember when using a slitting saw is that it is out to screw you and will unless you stay one step ahead. Just think ahead and predict what the cutter will try to do before taking the cut and you'll be fine.
Tom
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