[TheForge] cutting stainless (a little OT)

[ries]

how fast you going?
Slower is probably better.
tooth spacing?
3 teeth in the metal is the optimum- obviously, thats not always  
practical, but for 1/8" to about 3/4" thick material, I find the 10-14  
variable pitch lennox blades work pretty well. Thinner than 1/8", you  
need a finer blade, up past 1" or so, a coarser one.
Are you freehand cutting, or using a horizontal band saw?
freehand will eat saw blades the fastest, as its much easier to jam it  
in and break a tooth.
With bi-metal blades, once one tooth goes, the rest start ripping out  
in short order.
I find the Lennox blades last a month or so of cutting stainless, not  
all day, but a lot of cuts.
304 will not vary much in hardness, from annealed to fully hard, so  
its probably not a hardness/temper issue.
I use cool tool for a lube, just cause it works on most everything- I  
use it for drilling, milling, turning, sawing, and sometimes even  
tapping, and it is relatively non-toxic.
But cutting oil of most any type should help.

ries


On Jul 10, 2009, at 11:14 AM, Andy Gladish wrote:

Yikes!
This stainless bar is eating my saw blades!
I only use Lenox bi metal, assumed that it would be tough enough...any
suggestions?

Thanks!
Andy G.
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Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist
http://www.riesniemi.com/