http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_TechCell.cfm The Sawing tech cell is packed with specific links to help you find product information, suppliers, technical articles, case studies, seminars and conferences, as well as books, software, and videos on metal fabricating-related topics. en-us http://www.thefabricator.com/RSS/images/thefabricator_rss.gif http://www.thefabricator.com Copyright 2007 FMA Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. official publication date Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:13:56 AM CDT Vicki Bell Laurie Harshbarger http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1680 Band saw cutting of tubes and structurals abuses the blades, especially when the teeth enter and exit the workpiece. Band saw cutting of square, rectangular, or round tubing in bundles allows you to cut a high number of parts per shift, resulting in increased production. This part volume efficiency, unfortunately, is offset by a 20 percent to 25 percent reduction in band life. Therefore, a thorough evaluation of your equipment, operator skills, and throughput is essential to en... Adam Popson Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1637 A quality, properly mixed and maintained sawing coolant helps increase cutting rates, improve the cut finish, and extend blade life. Nearly every metal sawing operation can be made more efficient with a quality sawing coolant that is properly mixed and maintained. Coolants also improve cutting rates by balancing the combination of evaporative cooling and lubrication of the blade, thus improving the cut finish and extending blade life. The sawing operation generates extreme ... Adam Popson Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1410 Many manufacturers that experience sawing problems might not realize that proper maintenance and appropriate sawing practices can help eliminate some of them. A frequent problem involves angle cutting on band saws. Most fabricators that make angle cuts are doing so on mild steel tubing and structurals. Challenges with sawing angles can be divided into five categories—the stock, machine setup, the blade, the cutting fluid, and the saw itself. The Stock When someone says that ... Al Terronez Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1359 Increasing knowledge and on-the-job experience regarding the uses of a circular saw blade has changed the way metal fabricators view the tool as well as uncovered expanding efficiencies gained through its use. Metal cutting circular saw blades are designed to boost productivity for professionals who cut common materials such as angle iron, sheet metal, pipe, and steel plate found at almost every job site. Dedicated saws engineered to run these blades are relatively new to the indus... Ken Hall Tue, 13 Jun 2006 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1217 Editor's Note: This is the second article in a two-part series on offline band saw cutting. Part I, which appeared in the September issue, focused mainly on material handling and included some related information on sawing. Part II focuses solely on saws and sawing. Answering a few of the most commonly asked questions can get you off to a good start in selecting the optimal saw, blade, and coolant system for maximizing cutting efficiency. What shapes am I going to cut—squa... Doug Harris Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1181 Editor's Note: This is the first article in a two-part series on offline band saw cutting. Part I focuses mainly on material handling and includes some related information on sawing. Part II, which will appear in the October/November issue, will focus solely on saws and sawing. This first step in setting up an offline band sawing system to cut tube or pipe is to analyze your manufacturing processes. A solid analysis requires answering dozens of questions about your specific operatio... Doug Harris Tue, 11 Oct 2005 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1099 Unlike large production cutting applications in which the same or similar material is cut in large quantities, diverse and small-quantity cutting orders can make it difficult for shops to establish the best combination of blade type and tooth size to achieve optimal cutting efficiency. Most fabricators would like to use a single blade to cut everything from thin-walled structures to large solids without changing the blade or altering machine settings. The following tips can help incre... Dave Burkhart Tue, 14 Jun 2005 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=1012 Practicing regularly scheduled preventive maintenance on band saws can help maximize sawing center productivity by lowering costs, downtime, and frustration. It also decreases the need to contract outsiders to finish jobs. With preventive maintenance, machine and blade life increase, and overtime emergency maintenance repairs become less frequent. Well-maintained machines make efficient, safe, quality cuts, helping to enhance a shop’s reputation. It is especially important for fabr... Dan Rhodes, Contributing Writer Tue, 07 Dec 2004 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=947 Fabrication, welding, and machine shops frequently use band saw blades to make just a few cuts in a variety of materials. Cuts are made as the need arises rather than based on a predetermined high-volume cutting schedule. Because this type of intermittent cutting can be hard on blades, you should find ways to increase blade productivity. The following tips may help you increase blade productivity, saving you time and money. Select the Right Tooth Size for the Job The tooth size i... Dave Burkhart, Contributing Writer Tue, 10 Aug 2004 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/Sawing/Sawing_Article.cfm?ID=940 As a structural steel fabricator, you may have operated a miter saw. The fact is, however, in many other shops the miter feature has rarely been used because, traditionally, most steel buildings—from the skyscraper to the humble warehouse—have been designed without miter cuts. Beam ends and clips have been obscured in finished buildings. After all, the steelwork really fulfilled only a perfunctory function as the skeleton that supported the “flesh” of the ... David D. McCorry, Contributing Writer Tue, 10 Aug 2004 12:00:00 AM CDT