Cutting Case Hardened Linear Rails

[widgitmaster]

I have read many questions from the CNCzone members regarding the cutting of Hardened and Case-Hardened steel rails, so here is a little post on how I do it!

First off, I have a 6x12 Surface Grinder in my shop. A necessity if I do say so! They have a magnetic chuck, which allows for easy holding of steel parts and tools. For this job I used my old grinding vise, which I have rigged up a stop that's nothing more than a piece of pipe with a 1/4-20 threaded rod inside. This holds a little metal plate at a solid point, so all the rails will get cut the same length!

The grinder has an abrasive cut-off wheel, which is around 3/32" thick. The grinder's RPM is around 3000+ and this will eat the steel really fast! For the sake of taking a movie, I have removed the safety guard from the grinder's spindle. Because the sparks and debris fly all over, I have safety goggles & a dust mask on!

After all the parts were cut, I took them out of a bucket of coolant which was used to cool them off, and loaded them into my lathe where I face off the burn squaring up the end and bringing it to my desired length.

Now, I know that the average bloke doesn't have a Surface Grinder, but an abrasive cut-off saw's are really inexpensive and come in a variety of sized. One person even mentioned that the local ACE Hardware store had one which they used to cut pipe!


VIDEO (15.2 MB)

[Switcher]

We have a linear dept. at work that supplies rails for cnc machines, most are about 10-15ft. long, we have a very large C/O saw to rough out the length, then turn/thread/chamfer to finish on the cnc. So it sounds like your doing what we do.

Are you also turning the threads?

I think the biggest thing for diy guys at home is they don't have a lathe.

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[widgitmaster]

Hey Switch!
Most of the rails I make are used out of the box, a few get blind holes drilled & tapped, and some get cut to length. All are 1/2" & 3/8" dia.
Cutting long pieces in my grinder is a bit of a problem, as it only has a throat depth of 10" or so. That requires I cut on an angle, and then cut again to make it square. It's OK for a hobby shop!

I agree most DIY people don't have lathes, I'd be lost without mine even if it is a Birmingham!

Widgit