Submitted ByEdit Dates
Date Uploaded: March 12, 2008, 1:46 am Last Edited: August 7, 2012, 9:52 pm |
 Add toSite Favourites Print this Article |
Cutting Coils Flush and Easy
Article © MAIL User: stargrazer
Years ago I learned a phrase that has stuck with me. I learned it from a Disney cartoon character: Old Scrooge McDuck. He said that he believes in working smarter, not harder. Hence what I'm about to do is show an easy way to cut coils fast and easy and also get a flush cut on your rings.
My setup is inexpensive and easy to build. The only part that costs the most is the drill motor. I got my idea from seeing others with the same basic setup, but they were using drill presses laying on their sides. Well I don't have a drill press or the space to put one, so I came up with this idea. My hope is for other maillers to see how easy and affordable it is to put something like this together and see how much better their pieces look with flush cut rings.
With my setup I used some lumber I had laying around and constructed a place to hold the drill and then added more to hold the coil so I could slide it down through the hole to be cut. Someday I will improve on this rig.
Here you see the drill motor that I use. It is a Skill Variable speed reversible drill. Leaning on the drill and attached to the arbor is an HSS Jewler's Saw, 2 inch Dia., 152 teeth, and a thickness of 0.020".
This is the speed dial that I plug my drill into so as to control the speed of the drill more easily. Believe it or not but the slower the speed the better the saw cuts.
Here you see a close-up of the arbor in the saw and you can also see some of the filings from the cut.
This is a view of the slot that the coil goes into and you can see that the saw is in the hole just a little for cutting. You only want it in just enough to cut the side of the coil that needs cutting. Not to less either or you will get burrs on your rings. [i.e. not too far in, not too far out -- ed.]
You will want different sized holes for different sized coils. Try and get the hole just big enough for the coil to fit loose and snug at the same time. With the coil just snug you will be able to cut faster and easier.
This is an end view to help you get a better idea of this setup.
And this is the candle wax that I use to cool down the saw and to lube it wile cutting. Sounds wierd but when I cut and apply the wax it cuts faster. [that would be the point of wax -- ed.]
This is a close-up of the saw and some wire that it has cut. The copper is AWG #6 and it clearly shows the flush cut. The red one is coated copper wire with the coating still on. I been having fun weaving this stuff. To the upper left of the quarter is a 14 gauge galvy 5/16 id ring and the rest is 12 gauge aluminum, 3/8 and 1/4 id and the piece is a Jap. 4 in 1 with the aluminum 3/8 and 1/4 id stuff.
I do hope that this will help any and all who are looking for an easier way to cut coils and achieve flush cuts on their rings. And believe me when I say that it's easier to work smarter, not harder.
You can find the Arbor at this link:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/N2DRVSH?SISHNO=1607684&SISRCH=1&SIS0NO=317453&SIT4NO=9498606
And you can find the saw blade at this link:
http://www.jtsmach.com/jtswebshop/saws/S057.asp
The arbor runs around at $4.50 each and the saw blade runs around $2.50 to $5.00 each, depending on wich blade you choose.
Stargrazer
My setup is inexpensive and easy to build. The only part that costs the most is the drill motor. I got my idea from seeing others with the same basic setup, but they were using drill presses laying on their sides. Well I don't have a drill press or the space to put one, so I came up with this idea. My hope is for other maillers to see how easy and affordable it is to put something like this together and see how much better their pieces look with flush cut rings.
With my setup I used some lumber I had laying around and constructed a place to hold the drill and then added more to hold the coil so I could slide it down through the hole to be cut. Someday I will improve on this rig.
Here you see the drill motor that I use. It is a Skill Variable speed reversible drill. Leaning on the drill and attached to the arbor is an HSS Jewler's Saw, 2 inch Dia., 152 teeth, and a thickness of 0.020".
This is the speed dial that I plug my drill into so as to control the speed of the drill more easily. Believe it or not but the slower the speed the better the saw cuts.
Here you see a close-up of the arbor in the saw and you can also see some of the filings from the cut.
This is a view of the slot that the coil goes into and you can see that the saw is in the hole just a little for cutting. You only want it in just enough to cut the side of the coil that needs cutting. Not to less either or you will get burrs on your rings. [i.e. not too far in, not too far out -- ed.]
You will want different sized holes for different sized coils. Try and get the hole just big enough for the coil to fit loose and snug at the same time. With the coil just snug you will be able to cut faster and easier.
This is an end view to help you get a better idea of this setup.
And this is the candle wax that I use to cool down the saw and to lube it wile cutting. Sounds wierd but when I cut and apply the wax it cuts faster. [that would be the point of wax -- ed.]
This is a close-up of the saw and some wire that it has cut. The copper is AWG #6 and it clearly shows the flush cut. The red one is coated copper wire with the coating still on. I been having fun weaving this stuff. To the upper left of the quarter is a 14 gauge galvy 5/16 id ring and the rest is 12 gauge aluminum, 3/8 and 1/4 id and the piece is a Jap. 4 in 1 with the aluminum 3/8 and 1/4 id stuff.
I do hope that this will help any and all who are looking for an easier way to cut coils and achieve flush cuts on their rings. And believe me when I say that it's easier to work smarter, not harder.
You can find the Arbor at this link:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/N2DRVSH?SISHNO=1607684&SISRCH=1&SIS0NO=317453&SIT4NO=9498606
And you can find the saw blade at this link:
http://www.jtsmach.com/jtswebshop/saws/S057.asp
The arbor runs around at $4.50 each and the saw blade runs around $2.50 to $5.00 each, depending on wich blade you choose.
Stargrazer
Original URL: http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.php?key=201
