There are many ways to cut metal. This way is called the Dry Cut Metal Saw which is exactly what it is. A big saw blade with carbide teeth that cuts through steel with no coolant or lubricant. It’s loud. Really loud, and it throws showers of hot burning metal shavings everywhere. It’s the less offensive sibling to abrasive saw cutting, although the metal shavings it makes are much larger, so they carry more heat, so they do a much better job of burning areas of carelessly exposed skin, and are also very effective at getting caught in socks and pockets. What it doesn’t do is fill the air with resin, aluminum oxide and fiberglass dust, which the abrasive saw does quite well. Let’s be clear. I do NOT like this saw. I also don’t like abrasive cutting either, but for really hard materials, sometimes an abrasive blade is the only way to go. For the most part, I’d much rather just use a nice horizontal band saw with coolant. It’s way more humane to the people around it, and they produce better cuts too. BUT when you’re in the middle of a parking lot, sometimes you just have to suck it up.
Today, I’m making blanks that will be machined and tapped to hold shoulder bolts and bronze bushings for a VR experience platform. Photos of that part of the job to follow.
1 year ago