TPT May 2013

Cutting

A new generation of sawsmithing toTru-Cut Saw

(where the owners of Tru-Cut Saw are from) in the manufacture of swords, knives, silverware and tools. The tradition has been kept alive at Tru-Cut and will be passed on to Thomas. Every circular saw blade requires some type of straightening to create a level, even plate. Instead of blacksmithing – working with hot metal – sawsmiths hammer cold metal, using hammers with different weights. During this process, each saw is then straightened to minimise side run out – assuring longer life and smoother cuts. There are no mechanical substitutes for the acute human senses of touch, sight and sound as the smith responds to the peen and cymbalic tone of the saw blade during the smithing process. You will not see many newcomers like Thomas entering the pro- fession. Smithing is a dying art – a highly specialised art that is very demanding physically and mentally. Sawsmithing skills, attention to quality and family tradition will continue with Thomas Otter at Tru- Cut Saw, Inc.

He will be starting on thicker saw blades and eventually learn the full spectrum of blade types. His training is based upon guidelines originally developed by the English Sawsmith Society, and will be under the close direction of David Otter, president, and Alan Otter, production supervisor (Thomas’s father), both master sawsmiths. Smithing skills originated in places like Birmingham and Sheffield, England,

THERE are only a few remaining master sawsmiths in the US, and perhaps 500 in the world who practice the art. Tru-Cut Saw, in Brunswick, Ohio, (near Cleveland) has two of them. Now there is another generation of sawsmiths in the making. Thomas Otter, aged 24, will be following in his family’s footsteps in a five-year apprenticeship programme and will work towards becoming a master sawsmith.

Tru-Cut president David Otter (centre), with Alan and Thomas

Tru-Cut Saw, Inc – USA Website: www.trucutsaw.com

Performance, efficiency and precision at the cutting point

GS minimises the breaking-in behaviour and the typical sickle pattern. The small kerf loss and the optimal surface enable a smaller allowance at the sections to be cut for further production steps. In practice this means a higher output per bar, which brings advantages when cutting high class and expensive materials.

Selekta GS bi-metal band saw blade to meet these requirements for various cutting tasks. The tooth geometry developed for Selekta GS, in connection with the proven M42 and X3000 HSS-cutting materials, allows operators the optimal use for their applications or materials to be cut. The combination of a ground guide tooth, performance and surface teeth in one interval is claimed to provide higher cutting performance. The special geometry of the Selekta

THEnewWikus bimetal bladegeneration Selekta GS is designed to increase efficiency and cutting performance on steels as well as on nickel-base and titanium alloys. As the material range in the metal- working industry becomes more complex, innovative cutting tools become necessary, corresponding to the requirements of the market with regards to efficiency and process reliability. The product developers and application engineers at Wikus- Sägenfabrik have created the new

Wikus-Sägenfabrik – Germany Fax: +49 5663 50057 Email: info@wikus.com Website: www.wikus.com

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M ay 2013