title = "Band Sawing and Abrasive Cutoff Operations"

content = """
Sawing and cutoff operations separate metal stock into lengths for subsequent machining operations. At Ridgecrest Metalworks, efficient and accurate cutoff saves material, reduces machining time, and ensures proper stock preparation.

Band sawing uses a continuous loop of toothed blade running over two or three drive wheels. Horizontal band saws hold the stock in a vise and lower the blade head by gravity or hydraulic feed to cut through the cross-section. Vertical band saws position the blade vertically for contour cutting of flat plate. Band saws are used for cutting bar stock, structural shapes, plate, and tubing. Blade selection is critical: tooth pitch (teeth per inch, TPI) must be matched to material thickness so that at least two to three teeth are always in contact with the section. Too coarse a pitch causes tooth stripping; too fine a pitch causes chip packing. Blade materials include bi-metal blades (M42 HSS tooth tips on flexible carbon steel backing—the workhorse for production sawing), and carbide-tipped blades for very hard or abrasive materials.

Band saw parameters include blade speed (SFPM—surface feet per minute) and feed force. Blade speed and feed vary with material: mild steel typically at 100–200 SFPM, stainless at 50–100 SFPM, aluminum at 300–600 SFPM. Cutting fluid (flooding with water-soluble coolant or cutting oil) is essential for prolonging blade life and preventing work hardening in stainless steels.

Abrasive cutoff uses a thin abrasive wheel rotating at high speed (3,000–4,000 SFM peripheral speed) to slice through metal. Dry cutoff wheels (aluminum oxide for steel, silicon carbide for non-ferrous metals) are used for fast, inexpensive cutting but generate significant heat and a wide kerf. Wet abrasive cutoff (coolant-fed) is used where heat-affected zone width must be minimized. Abrasive cutoff is fast but leaves a rough, slightly burned cut face that requires clean-up.

Cold sawing uses a circular saw blade with tungsten carbide or HSS teeth. Cold saws run much slower than abrasive saws but cut without heat, producing a clean, dimensionally accurate cut face with minimal burr. They are used where cut quality is important for parts that will be face-turned or used as-cut.

Operators must check blade condition before long cuts, clamp workpiece firmly to prevent movement, and follow lockout/tagout procedures when clearing jams or changing blades.
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