Choosing slitting saw

[Dunc]

Besides using what you have on hand what are some guidelines for selecting a saw blade? Number of teeth/blade thickness/blade speed/depth of cut/etc vs the type of material, its thickness? How do you choose a blade that is rigid enough to resist deflection but not too thick that it requires more power than necessary?

[gizmo2]

No answers yet? I get whatever width I need. Or the closest one under. I have run into the dilemna of having one too small in diameter to get to the bottom of things. Also, sometimes a set-up could use a little more reach. That's a little tougher to plan for. I'll probably get blasted for this, but I don't get much life out of them. Perhaps I need to change my evil ways.

[flathead4]

Number of teeth/blade thickness/blade speed/depth of cut/etc vs the type of material, its thickness?

Yes, to all that. Having a horizontal mill with a max spindle speed of 575 rpm, I have to have a saw (or cutter) at least 3 inches in diameter just to get into the lower range for aluminum.

Machinery's handbook has tables for doing what-if's and there are several on-line speed-feed calculators where you can plug in your known values and get the rest.

Tom