Thread: Neat backsaw handle.

Stewie,
What Derek said, I’m very intrigued.

Cheers Matt.

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Stewie, thanks for the photos of your sawing set up. This is the first one I have seen on a router table (rather than a drill press). Makes sense.

What is the blade, how is it set up, and what speed do you run the router?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Hi Derek; I'm using a 3/4 HP variable speed router and run the router at its lowest speed setting. Too high a speed generates too much heat build up.

The Slitting Saw Holder has a 1/2" arbor and takes different sized I.D blades. A search on ebay will find them. Weldon Shank Slitting Saw Holder 1/2" Arbor Shank - Takes different bore sizes 600154536068 | eBay

THe Slitting Blades can also be found on ebay in different sized O.Ds. https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_...&_sacat=258221

hope it helps, regards Stewie;

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Stewie,
What Derek said, I’m very intrigued.

Cheers Matt.

Hi Matt; you'll find the info in my reply to Derek.

regards Stewie;

Derek & Matt. If your keen to follow suit on using a table router, make sure you make yourself a dedicated clamping set up for the hardback. Without one your fingers will get too close to the spinning blade.

regards Stewie;

Originally Posted by planemaker

Derek & Matt. If your keen to follow suit on using a table router, make sure you make yourself a dedicated clamping set up for the hardback. Without one your fingers will get too close to the spinning blade.

regards Stewie;

Thanks for the links Stewie,

An absolutely would be making a dedicated sled of sorts, if I was to follow in your lead.
I was bitten once by my router table, lesson learned,

Cheers Matt

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Thanks for the links Stewie,

An absolutely would be making a dedicated sled of sorts, if I was to follow in your lead.
I was bitten once by my router table, lesson learned,

Cheers Matt

Matt; the slitting blades are ideally designed for milling machines that can fial the running speed to a slower speed than I can likewise do with the router. The cutting teeth on these slitting blades dont have any set, so it doesnt take too long before friction heat starts to build up as the brass back is being worked. The clamping system I made is aluminum which provides some level of heat sink but it stilll requires the router at its slowest speed. What also helps with lubrication is to spray the blade with WD-40 prior to turning on the router.

An ability to fine tune the depth height adjuster and lock it off is also handy to have.

regards Stewie;

Originally Posted by planemaker

Matt; the slitting blades are ideally designed for milling machines that can fial the running speed to a slower speed than I can likewise do with the router. The cutting teeth on these slitting blades dont have any set, so it doesnt take too long before friction heat starts to build up as the brass back is being worked. The clamping system I made is aluminum which provides some level of heat sink but it stilll requires the router at its slowest speed. What also helps with lubrication is to spray the blade with WD-40 prior to turning on the router.

An ability to fine tune the depth height adjuster and lock it off is also handy to have.

regards Stewie;

Stewie

Reading your posts it has made me realise I have one of those arbours and some slitting blades. I will have to dig them out of their hiding place and see what I've got. Trouble is they are in a hiding place . I had not considered using the router for this purpose.

IanW has often made reference to brass having a disturbing tendency to grab, usually at a really bad moment. I wondered how you have found your set up in this regard. I am guessing you take multiple, light passes to minimise the problem. Large, variable speed routers can be dialled down to about 8000rpm, but this would be still several time the speed available in a drill press for example.

Regards
Paul

Hi Paul ; having no set on these slitting blades can cause the blade to grab in the brass as its being worked. Due care with keeping the fingers well away from the spinning blade is essential, and thats why a dedicated system of clamping is well advised.

regards Stewie;

I've been away for a couple of days so slow to respond..

Pedder, those little saws are essentially very elegant "razor saws". I've made something similar for myself, but with 0.010" (0.25mm) plate. I use it for very small jobs like model-making.

I wondered how you used a saw to make "lambs' tongues" but fortunately, you included the picture & I see you make make a straight groove, so that made sense. I make my grooves curved, & I have a very simple way of doing that: I choose a gouge of the right sweep and chop the groove in two cuts. Swamp oak handle.jpg B_eye Maple.jpg

Well, sometimes it takes two cuts - I have a propensity for choosing rather hard woods for handle material, so it often takes several whacks each side of the groove to get the chip to come out cleanly. Once or twice I've had the whole piece split away, but I tell myself the wood must have been faulty, or I'd aligned the grain badly, so it was lucky that handle never went to a customer....

Cgcc - Yes, I'm aware that my prices would result in bankruptcy if I were trying to run a business, but it's essentially a hobby for me. I did think seriously of going "commercial" when I first retired, but very quickly rejected that idea, after all being retired means you don't have deadlines and commitments any more, doesn't it?

Cheers,
Ian

Originally Posted by planemaker

Hi Paul ; having no set on these slitting blades can cause the blade to grab in the brass as its being worked. Due care with keeping the fingers well away from the spinning blade is essential, and thats why a dedicated system of clamping is well advised.

regards Stewie;

Stewie, you are absolutely wise to use a holder. That is a given. On the other hand, I wonder if there is a better blade for cutting brass?

Standard drill bits will cause a brass plate to twist at the end of a drilled hole. This is due to the cutting angle of the drill bit. Advise is to add a back bevel to the cutting edge. I do this, and it stops the drill bit twisting the plate. I wonder if something similar would work for a saw blade?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Stewie, you are absolutely wise to use a holder. That is a given. On the other hand, I wonder if there is a better blade for cutting brass?

Standard drill bits will cause a brass plate to twist at the end of a drilled hole. This is due to the cutting angle of the drill bit. Advise is to add a back bevel to the cutting edge. I do this, and it stops the drill bit twisting the plate. I wonder if something similar would work for a saw blade?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek; your likely on the right track with the idea that there is a better type blade for reducing friction heat when cutting brass. Attached is an online discussion on this very subject.

Slitting Brass Help

regards Stewie;

Interesting how many opinions you get on a topic even with metal work!

In the link Stewie pointed to the first explanation of the bloke's troubles gets to one of the problems (disregarding the not very apt comparison of dirt not going back in the same hole - one is due to de-compaction of the material, the other to thermal expansion). The other & probably more important explanation for the problem comes in much further down, too slow a feed rate so the teeth are not getting a decent bite at the brass.

Slitting brass in long lengths even with a horizontal mill setup & flooding with coolant still needs care - we had some done by a professional for a saw workshop & every length had a curve in the slit, which is certainly not a good thing in a saw spine. I encountered the curving problem when I started, and decided it was due to overheating & warping of the slitting blade. Whether my diagnosis was correct or not, by taking no more than about 2mm per pass, the slots remain nice & straight. I hand-feed, so I can feel the blade cutting and keep up a steady feed rate that produces very clear chips, not dust, and also feel, very smartly, if things are getting hot!

Derek, it's not a dangerous operation to do by hand, fingers can be kept well away from the bitey bits. The saw is well covered during each pass. You might be able to gash the tip of a finger if you really tried, but you would still have the finger. After each pass the fence is slid back a bit & the next pass made: Slitting jig 2.jpg

This is not a setup suitable for a commercial operation! It generally takes about 8-9 passes to cut a slot 15-16mm deep. I have the saw running at about 600rpm, and with my gutless DP, a jam would stall the quill rather than fling the brass across the room (can't say for sure because it hasn't happened [yet!]). Brass has a tendency to self-feed, as you alluded to, which in this case is a positive as it makes it easier to feed the brass through the saw. The most difficult part is setting the darned saw to cut exactly in the centre of the bar. If I happen to have an unused spine from a previous batch, it's easy, I just loosen the chuck, slide the saw blade into the cut spine & tighten the chuck, otherwise it takes much fiddling & checking & adjusting & some choice expletives...

Stewie, I was going to ask how you limit the depth of cut with your setup, & what speed you run the saw at? I couldn't slow my Triton down enough for my likings, otherwise I think it would be a better system than using the DP to drive the saw.

Cheers,

Stewie, I was going to ask how you limit the depth of cut with your setup, & what speed you run the saw at? I couldn't slow my Triton down enough for my likings, otherwise I think it would be a better system than using the DP to drive the saw.

Cheers,

Hi IanW; I can limit the cut om my router table to take 3 to 4 passes to achieve full depth with the slot. As far as running speed with the Trition, I run it at its lowest speed setting. According to Bushmiliier thats around 8000 rpm .

regards Stewie;

Saw plates been cut to size. The carcass & Dovetail Saws will both be at 0.020" in saw plate thickness.

Later during the week I will focus on preparing the stock for the backsaw handles.

regards Stewie;