Cutting Linear Motion Shaft Without Distorttion

If it is precision ground, it is probably hardened. In which case your options are limited.You could keep it cool with a water spray during the cutting process. Steve

linear shaft with something like a chop saw if I

hacksaw I suppose.

I suppose I could also just cut them a little bit

A "Thompson" shaft is case hardened so I grind a groove about 1/8" deep all around with a cut-off wheel on a bench grinder and bandsaw cut through the soft core. The HAZ is small enough that even a quick whack on a big chop saw won't hurt it.

Are you planning to run the bearings ALL the way to the end? You will not likely run into the very end that was cut off if you have any margin in the design.

I have plenty of room for margin. About an inch of both ends goes in the clamps, and I could always leave the HAZ beyond the clamps on the motor end. I have plenty of room between them for the motor mount.

--Wet abrasive cutoff saw will go thru it like butter and leave a mirror finish, no distortion. I've got one in Santa Rosa; there may be one in your neck of the woods?

Wrap both sides of the cut with really soaking rags, and it should limit the heating to right around the cut.

Jon

Sounds like Thompson rail. The ends will be held in mounts so nothing to worry about.

You can abrasive cut and not have HAZ, we cross section product every day to test case hardness profile parts we make.

We use a abrasive saw that is flooded with coolant and a light touch on the saw. Then after polishing slowly we check it with a micro indentor.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

Abrasive with coolant? I have seen plenty of cold cut saws with carbide or other tips. Tounrey blades are one that come to mind that work well at slow speeds with coolant, but didn't know there were abrasive blades that were designed to run with coolant. I wish I had a slow speed coolant bath saw, but I can't justify the cost just yet.

I am stuck with a variety of abrasive tools or a hack saw. Usually for medium size stuff I use the chop saw. I use a cheap circular saw on stuff that won't fit in the chop saw, and I use a hand piece with fiber disc mandrel for smaller stuff. Its very rare that I have to use a torch anymore, but once in a while I just can't get an abrasive saw in where I need it. My hacksaw gets used even less than the torch.

Back to my application, I have about decided to do the water soaked rag trick, and cut them an inch long leaving the HAZ on the outboard side of the clamps. That way I'll also be able to grind a tiny little chamfer on the end making transfering the slide onto them easier. If my rod ever gets here.

Brick/block/tile saws are abrasive saws with coolant, and many aren't especially expensive.

Hmmm... I do have a really nice overhead tile saw with a moving table. I had not thought of that since it spins as fast as most other saws. It's a diamond grit blade. You think it would do the trick? I got it to cut bricks when I made a walk between the shop and the house.

--FWIW there's one thing *my* wet abrasive saw isn't and that's slow. I turn a 6" dia blade at 5,000rpm which works out to 7,500sfm more or less. Kerf is pretty narrow: 1/16"; it's fun when the blades explode... ;-)

If it spins too fast, or there is too little water coolant, cutting ferrous metal will destroy the diamond blade.

Joe Gwinn

Its got a ton of water coolant, but it may spin too fast. After spending half a day cutting bricks with it you are soaked from the waist up due to incidental spray. Kind of a nice job to have on a hot day. LOL. I use diamond blades in my 4.5" angle grinder for my day job when I need to make a neat cut in stucco because it cuts the stucco fast and cuts the chicken wire, but it does go through blades if I have a lot of it to do. Its worht it though because of the speed and neatness of cut compared to other blades or, YEESH! hand tools.