doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Screw Slotting

I recently got frustrated when trying to find a slitting saw of the correct thickness in my friend's shop. So, I ordered all the saws that I thought I'd ever need for making screws and the arbor too.

Saws from .020 to .064". That should do it!

Chuck:
They look fine. What's your source and cost per saw?

That is an impressive spread of slotting saws!!! Are you turning the saw in a mill or drill press (with an X-Y table) with a screw holding fixture on the table?

Kensal,
These are likely imports as they are not marked USA. They came from Drills and Cutters in Long Beach, NY. They have a website.

Don,
I'd be using them in a vertical mill. Likely a Bridgeport, which is barely a mill, but good enough for about everything a gunsmith would do. Holding the screws is makeshift for me. I've used a collett on sizes that would fit. Other sizes, I've taken a few pieces of aluminum, a thin piece in the middle and drilled it to the shank size, then remove the middle thin piece and use the two outer pieces in a mill vice to hold the screw.

Brownells sells a nice screw slotting fixture, item #80-000-082, at a pretty reasonable price. Would likely make your job easier.

Jewelers Saw, a couple of packets of blades in different thicknesses and your bench vise can do the trick.
Easy & quick to do. Worked for me for the last 40yrs.
You can easily cut the ultra thin Euro type up to approx .020".

The wide road ditch slots as on some guns aren't doable as I don't think they make blades that wide for the saw I use!
But if you're making new screws, the guns worth it to make them look nice (and thin). ,,and it's not a great trick to use the saw to cut a wider slot if necessary. Takes a little practice but what doesn't.

Interesting...I fancy some of these...what do you use them with? Lathe of some sort?

Tony, you can get the Jeweller's saw from the jewellery quarter in Brum. The slot saws from Graham Engineering, Roebuck Lane, West Bromwich. Just down the road from the Laser Welders.
Jewellers saw is the better option for the occasional one off.

OK cheers Peter.
T

Tony,

I have bought a dozen or two slitting saws from Ebay here in England. All have been English made and they seldom cost me more than 50p each (US $0.75 cents) The Arbour came from Axminster Tools U/K and will accomodate a range of different centre hole sizes. I use them in my small bench mill. The screw head to be slotted fits into a 'V' shaped channel on the end of the mill vice jaws so you can slit dozens of screws without adjustment once you have it set up.

Harry