Subject: Re: Torches

From: Dave B <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 07:26:24 -0500

At 22:28 5/8/96 -0500, you wrote:
>At 06:47 PM 5/8/96 -0500, you wrote:
>
>>Thanks for the explanation.  Makes a lot of sense put that way.  Think I'll
>>get a plasma torch.  I need to do quite a bit of cutting on sheet steel but
>>not enough of one thing to pay a pro to do it for me. 
>
>If you are planning on cutting sheet metal a much cheaper and almost as fast
>way was recently demonstrated at the Bemidji conference by Jerry Biesch,
>Lincoln. MT.  He used a wood verticle band saw he converted to metal by
>putting the smallest pulley possible on the motor and the largest pulley
>possible on the drive, used a .025 10/14 tooth x 1/4" wide metal blade.  He
>was cutting free hand and drawings at a lightning pace.  He also recomended
>Do-all too saver (wax lubracant) on the blade, it greatly extends the blace
>life.  I have a small plasma I wont part with but also converted an extra
>saw for metal use.
>Roger R Degner
>Minnesota
>
>
>
Roger - 

What thicknesses was Jerry cutting on that saw?  Is there a point where the
plasma cutter may be better to have than the saw, simply due to the
thickness of the metal?

Dave B

---

From: "Andy V." <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 12:03:05 -0400

> plasma cutter may be better to have than the saw, simply due to the

	In any sawing operation the rule of thumb I was taught for minimum stock
	thickness is 1.5 times the blade pitch.  So if you are using a blade with
	a 0.05" pitch (20tpi), minimum thickness should be in the area of 0.75".

	Not that this is not a hard and fast rule.  This figure can be played with
	depending largely on the material to be cut and  to a lesser extent on the
	feed.  The closer your stock thickness comes to the pitch of the blade,
	the more gently you must feed lest you break the blade and risk injury 
	(broken bandsaw blades can do *wild* things, even on machines with automatic
	braking mechanisms).

	Have fun.

	-Andy V.