You can have the most expensive equipment and the highest quality blade, but if you don’t have a
high-quality saw arbor and apply the proper fluid as you cut with the correct feed and speed rates then you aren't going to end up with a clean cut.
Cutting with a Slitting Saw is Different
The internet is loaded with CNC’ers posting, complaining, and asking about problems with slitting saw cuts. If it can possibly go wrong with machining, it will probably go wrong when you try to make a cut with a slitting saw. Broken blades, broken arbors, ruined work are all woes associated with slitting saw cuts gone wrong.
Slitting Saw Advantages. Let's face it, if you need a very thin cut, a slitting saw is the tool for the job. They really aren't designed for thick cuts, you can make a thin cut fairly deep. It’s also much easier to get a thin cut with a slitting saw than trying to do it with an end mill.
Slitting Saw Disadvantages. Most slitting saw cuts require slow speeds. This is particularly true if the blade is large. So while the feed speed needs to be slow, you run the risk of letting the blade dwell if you run too slow. Slitting saws requir lots of cutting oil or lubricant. It can also be very hard to get the cutting fluid to the slit, especially if the slit is particularly thin or deep.
Let the River Flow
It doesn’t matter the material you are working or the blade you are using, making a slitting cut requires a flood of lubricant. This is because slitting saws are very thin by nature. As far as saw blades are concerned, they are fragile as well.
Your slitting saw blade has been heat treated to make it hard and keep it sharp. As the blade makes contact with the material and begins to cut, friction is created. Everyone knows that friction creates heat. This heat will ruin the slitting saw blade treatment and as a result the blade will dull quickly. Heat can also cause chips and/or the work material to fuse to the blade. That’s a recipe for ruined work and ruined blades.
By flooding the work with plenty of cutting oil or lubricant you keep the work area cool and flush away chips.
A Superior Saw Arbor is Necessary if you Want Superior Cuts
So you have a great machine, a killer blade, and loads of coolant. Don’t ruin your perfect set-up with an under performing saw arbor.
There are plenty of cheap, imported arbors for sale. But like most things in life, you get what you pay for. That means if you don’t pay very much, you probably won’t get very much. Foreign arbors are rarely very true. If you need to make a horizontal cut, this causes very true problems. You aren't going to get a quality cut if the saw arbor allows the blade to wander like a drunken sailor.
Slitting Saw Arbors and Precision Arbors
Whether you need a general purpose saw arbor,
a slitting saw arbor, or a
precision arbor get your arbors from The Tool Company.
The Tool Company carries slitting saw arbors made to handle blades from ¼” to 1 ¼”. No mater the size, each saw arbor features a deep, low profile cap for reduced slippage. The arbors from The Tool Company also all have an extra long reach to go where other arbors can't.
All of our saw arbors are stable as well. Your saw won't turn into a drunken sailor when
you use a saw arbor from The Tool Company.
Each saw arbor is carefully made in the USA. The Tool Company will never sell you a cheap import that doesn't cut true.
For your best quality slitting saw cut, use a quality saw arbor from The Tool Company. Order today!