8mm linear shaft

Hi guys, I have a quick questions and couldn't find the right thread to post it on so ill just leave it here in this one.

So, I bought a few of these 8mm linear shafts made of steel, or a variant of steel and have no clue how to cut this thing. I want to shorten it by a few inches and am clueless as to what I can use or buy. someone I know suggested a pipe cutter, but what blade would I use? others told me to use a dremel but again I don't know what disk to use. anyone here have any advice? or if you have cut some of these before (cause we all know that we all use these things).

if you can leave some links to some tools it would great, I will be cutting lots of these in the future and would like a sturdy and reliable way to do this. the quicker the better too if possible.

my budget can vary depending on the usefulness of the tool. thanks for the help!aaa

The best tool is a chop saw with a fiber blade. They are made for cutting metal like it's butter and would cut through an 8mm rod in seconds ( [www.harborfreight.com] ) Any machine shop, welding shop around you could do it (maybe free, maybe buy them a beer).

If you don't have access to one and can't afford one, then I suggest a good hacksaw though if the rod is hardened it's going to take quite some time and you need a vise and method to hold the rod in the vise without marring the surface. Seriously, use a chop saw.

I EFFIN LOVE YOU. Man I have been searching for a solution for about 2 weeks now and was a bit worried since I have quite A LOT of these to cut. thank you. What blades do you recommend. I am not sure if its hardened steel. but it is steel, that's for sure. im assuming this will also cut aluminum as well.

-Dave

davedavedave,

I'm currently building my first printer and as I wanted to keep things cheap I went with a hacksaw and a bi metal cutting blade from my local hardware store. I used a vice to clamp it to a table and with a little elbow grease I was able to cut the steel rods I got for my frame. If you've got a similar type steel it should be weak enough to cut manually. My only piece of advice is to keep rotating the piece while you cut it to avoid work hardening as you cut.

Cut-off wheels and abrasive blades on chop saws are not for cutting aluminum. Aluminum will melt and clog up the blade.

If you want to cut aluminum get a blade for non-ferrous metal or use a carbide blade on a table saw or a metal cutting blade on a jig saw.

Real hardened/chromed linear shaft will be harder than most saw blades and requires abrasives.

Most of the Chinese material can be cut with a bandsaw/hacksaw if necessary. I use an angle grinder with a cut-off disk as I do not have a chop saw. Wrap a wet paper towel around the shaft next to the cut to prevent heat from discoloring the metal.

Ok so I now bought and have a 10" drill press and a 14" chop saw, both craftsman. now I can finally get the blades and drill bits. what blade do you guys recommend for the 8mm shaft cutting? and what do you get for aluminum cutting on the chop saw?

for the drill press I read about carbide tips, I also bought a 5/16 cobalt drill bit. would that work on aluminum of 2 1 inch thickness? the drill press has an rpm guide. and places aluminum at around 3000 rpm. but ive heard that slower is better and using lubricant will help the hole curl instead of chip.

An abrasive chop saw with a 3/32 reinforced blade is what we use in the shop to cut hardened material. We use these blades [www.amazon.com] There are less expensive blades but they don't last as along but you'll be OK with a less expensive blade as long as you take your time. Go slow, don't force it, let the material cool if it starts to glow.

As noted by others, abrasive saws aren't suitable for aluminum. You might be able to get a few cuts out of it but the blade will clog quickly and the finish of the cuts isn't good. You could do it with a bandsaw or even a reciprocating saw if you are careful. We use either a bandsaw, dry saw or cold saw depending on the material and shape. Some use table saws with metal cutting blades but be advised the RPM on those are high for metal and could be dangerous to use. There are many that cut AL, particularly plate and flat or bar stock with a table saw or a hand held circular saw with the right blade.

AL is relatively soft, even tempered and as such is easy to cut and drill. We use cobalt drills, Norseman brand specifically but any quality drill will work. Your speed will ultimately depend on how steady and how much torque your drill press has. I've got a 10" benchtop drill press and drill AL on the lowest RPM setting, 620 rpm (bottom set of pulleys). For larger holes drill a pilot hole with something like an 1/8" drill. The pilot hole is so your larger drill doesn't wander when you drill the bigger hole. We use Relton A9 aluminum cutting fluid because it won't stain raw aluminum. Some fluids made for cutting ferrous material may stain AL but if you are going to finish the piece, powercoat, paint, etc you don't need to use an AL specific fluid. Go slow, don't force it and use good tooling and you'll get good results.

If you are looking for fabrication tips Practical Machinist is a great site with plenty of pros where most don't mind helping a DIY or hobby guy. [www.practicalmachinist.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2015 03:18PM by vegasloki.

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Dave
Roaddog Labs Ltd
Las Vegas USA
roaddoglabs.io

So for the chop saw, the blades can cut steel and the cobalt is good for drilling aluminum then. Also i wanted to buy a bandsaw and looked around but couldnt find any that cut metal for under 200. I know they can be altered but usually its a lot of work or very tricky at the least

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davedavedave
So for the chop saw, the blades can cut steel and the cobalt is good for drilling aluminum then. Also i wanted to buy a bandsaw and looked around but couldnt find any that cut metal for under 200. I know they can be altered but usually its a lot of work or very tricky at the least

The least expensive way to a decent, small band saw that has the capablitiy to cut metal properly is a mount for a portable bandsaw. The portaband can be had as cheap as a hundred bucks or so at Harbor Freight [www.harborfreight.com] with the stand another $60 or so on the low end vise mounted stand. There are other stands for other saws [www.swagoffroad.com] . If you have the funds one of the Milwaukee saws on a factory refurb sale [www.cpomilwaukee.com] and the v4 of the SWAG stand and you've got an excellent quality, small bandsaw suitable for most materials with the proper blades for under $400.

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Dave
Roaddog Labs Ltd
Las Vegas USA
roaddoglabs.io

I have used a dremel with a cutoff wheel. clamp the dremel down and then rotate the rod on the cutting wheel.

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madmike8
I have used a dremel with a cutoff wheel. clamp the dremel down and then rotate the rod on the cutting wheel.

never thought of doing it that way. If I had not bought the chop saw I would have done this. I own a cheap vise, but it would have probably gotten the job done. thanks for the input though. it might help others

@Vegasloki

Hey man thanks for the info, much appreciated, I will def buy a good bandsaw once I get the funds. its necessary for me to have my own tools now. also, for the link you posted above with the 3/32 chop saw blades, just to make sure. do they cut the 8 mil steel shafts? or are those for the aluminum? if theyre for steel then that's what im going to get per your recommendation. if you do know about blades that can deal with Al then send me a link if you have the time. thanks again.

-Dave

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davedavedave
@Vegasloki

Hey man thanks for the info, much appreciated, I will def buy a good bandsaw once I get the funds. its necessary for me to have my own tools now. also, for the link you posted above with the 3/32 chop saw blades, just to make sure. do they cut the 8 mil steel shafts? or are those for the aluminum? if theyre for steel then that's what im going to get per your recommendation. if you do know about blades that can deal with Al then send me a link if you have the time. thanks again.

-Dave

My pleasure. The blade in the link is what we use on steel on the chop. Using an abrasive chop isn't going to work well (pretty much not at all, or at least really poorly) for AL. Some cut AL with carbide blades in a chop saw but it can be dangerous due to the RPM of the chop saw. You'd use something called a "dry saw" that is like an abrasive chop but lower RPM and different blade. They're also more expensive for both the saw and blade. Depending on the thickness of the AL you might be able to use a jig saw, carefully but it's still dangerous as the saw could buck out during cut if you aren't careful.

I haven't used one but some are saying good things about this type of saw. [www.harborfreight.com] There are several manufacturers out there. Might make sense to use the Google and see what others are doing with this type of saw and if it will work for your app.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2015 11:19PM by vegasloki.

Great, thanks again. I will look into that as well. I really need to cut some aluminum as well. I will most likely save up some money and invest into a more expensive bandsaw that can cut metal. but the jigsaw will be my go to if I don't manage to get the funds in time.