More about Sawing Services

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Sawing is among the most efficient machining services available. In the machine sawing process, a mechanically driven blade of cutting teeth is passed across a part. Each tooth cuts a tiny chip free from the part and carries it until it reaches the end of the surface. There, the chip is released, sometimes as a spark. The majority of machine sawing is performed to resize stock material or to shape specific pieces.

Machine saws are available in an incredible variety of designs and configurations. However, there are characteristics common to all saws. The first is the saw blade. There are three general types of blades. A circular blade looks exactly like it sounds; it is a disk edged by a circular row of cutting teeth. A hacksaw blade, perhaps the most familiar type, is a straight surface with cutting teeth on a single side. The final type is a bandsaw blade. A bandsaw blade is typically an interconnected, bendable chain with cutting teeth on one edge. Oils and other cutting fluids are typically used in bandsawing, although machinists cut cast iron dry.

Also common to all saws is the general tooth configuration. This factor is very important to the project at hand, as each material and job may require different configurations. The standard configuration is used for general cutting applications. In these tooth arrangements, the teeth are uniformly spaced without gaps. Skip tooth configuration allows wider spaces between teeth for better cutting of soft, nonferrous metals. A variety of other tooth arrangements, such as raker tooth (used for steel) and wave-set tooth (used for thin sheets), facilitate other cutting operations.

Among the types of sawing services available is jigsawing, which is done to cut irregular shapes. Another reciprocating saw, the power hacksaw, is capable of the same cuts, but with far more power. In most cases, hacksaws have been replaced by bandsaws, which are easier to maneuver and more efficient. Cut-off work of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood and other materials is also a common machining procedure. Machinists often use circular blade machine saws for this work, as they are perfectly suited to the task. Additional cutting services are also available as alternatives to sawing. These include flame cutting, abrasive cutting (occasionally done on smaller work-pieces) and water jet cutting.