[TheForge] Learn something new every day...

[Bruce Freeman]

Will a sawsall cut rail?
Chisels do particular damage, if sharp, "bruising" the
metal as they cut into it, and leaving a very sharp
clevis if they're sharp.  (Okay, guys, don't jump on
me for that colloquialism.)   I expect it's this that
makes the rail suseptable to breakage at that point. 
There are cases reported of failures in struck tools
at the point a number stamp "1" was used to mark the
tool.  Same idea.

Bruce
NJ
--- "Mark A. Pesetsky" <pesetsky at Princeton.EDU> wrote:

> Hmmmmmmm....What about a SAWZALL? I do have an air
> chisel 
> 
> Thanks Bruce
> Mark
> 
> Mark,
> 
> I'm presuming the technique Andy describes is
> equivalent to cutting
> glass or tile.  If so, the key is to make the
> thinnest, sharpest
> possible "scratch"
> on the surface (which may nonetheless go deep into
> the
> surface) to maximize the forces at the scratch when
> you clobber the rail
> (or glass or tile).
> 
> The angle grinder is a good notion, but I suggest
> you use a cut-off
> blade (~1/16" thick) instead of a grinder blade, and
> before using it,
> shape its blunt edge to a sharp edge by running it
> against something
> hard or abrasive at about a 45degree angle.  Renew
> this edge as it
> dulls.
> 
> If an angle like  45 degrees doesn't work well, then
> a true 90degree
> edge might.  The idea is not to let the edge of the
> grinder round off.
> A round cut would not induce the forces at the
> "scratch" that you need
> to effect the break.
> 
> An alternative is to use an air chisel - a labor
> saving direct
> modification of the original idea.  Use a very sharp
> chisel and keep it
> sharp.
> 
> Let us know what you end up trying, and how it
> works.
> 
> Bruce
> NJ
> 
> --- "Mark A. Pesetsky" <pesetsky at Princeton.EDU>
> wrote:
> 
> > I think I'll try using an angle grinder on edge to
> score...How deep? I
> 
> > have a section of rail that is probably 5-6'
> > 
> > 
> > I was speaking with an old railroad retiree the
> other day. When he 
> > started out, the method for cutting rails was to
> score them all the 
> > way around with a large helved chisel and then
> smack the rail on the 
> > side, resulting in a <poink>... one rail becomes
> two.
> > 
> > Thought that was pretty cool.
> > 
> > 	-Andy
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