Table Saw to Cut Brass Rifle Cases? 223 to Blackout

[Patrick Irish]

Another hobby of mine is to reload. I do so for 7 calibers one of which is the 300 blackout round. It's a pricey round to buy BUT can be made by cutting the top off a 223/5.56 case and then reforming the brass. I currently do this with a little harbor freight saw that takes forever. I don't want to spend $400+ for a press mounted trimmer yet and started thinking bout using my table saw.

What kind of blade would be good to cut brass shell cases? My plan is have about 20 cases stuffed inside a piece of wood which I would push along the fence and cut the top of the cases. Similar to the photo below. It would allow me to trim a lot at once.

I have a bosch 4100 jobsite by the way.

336909

[Adam Herman]

for this application, i would try an abrasive blade from a cut off saw with the correct rpm spec and such of course. I would also try to get the brass closer to the table than your current jig, also i would consider a piece of poly carb attached to the top as a guard. I think anything with a tooth would trash your brass. I have witnessed people using a carbide tip 84 tooth blade cutting sheet steel or thin aluminum with good results. make sure to wear the right safety gear, i would like to know how this turns out.

[Bill Space]

If I were to do it I would make a sacrificial holder for the brass, that would support it on both side as the cut was made.

Essentially what you have but with the wood wide enough that a slice of wood would be cut off along with the waste ends of the brass...

I would use the finest tooth carbide blade I had, or could afford...

I would cut slowly...and probably try it with only one or two cases first as proof of concept.

I have never done it, and never will so take my thoughts with a large grain of salt...:)

I think you can make it work though.

Bill

edit: You might try posting the question at a machinist site, like HSM (home shop machinist forum). They might have some valuable insight into a solution...

[James W Glenn]

I have cut steel with a sawblade mounted in reverse. In theory it would work but if nothing binds.

I would be looking at spinning the individual brass on the drill press and jigging up some sort of razor blade cutoff tool to press against the spinning case. My reloading knowledge is cursory, but maybe one of the specific shell holders could get chucked up to speed the process.

[Brett Luna]

I make .300 BLK brass, as well. I use a miniature Proxxon-like chop saw and it's laborious doing them one at a time like that, even with a jig to cradle the casing square to the blade and at the right length. I was considering making a jig for the band saw, similar to the one pictured. A fine-tooth metal cutting blade should work just fine since the brass needs to be trimmed and resized anyway. A table saw seems like overkill for the job, though. I'm not sure you can get a fine enough blade at that size, unless it's a cutoff wheel.

[Patrick Irish]

I plan on doing at least 1000 cases which would be a lot of blackout since each piece of brass can be used 3-4 times safely. I might have access to a bandsaw, that would be easiest and I wouldnt feel nervous after running 20 cases, leaving the bandsaw running as I dumped the cases and inserted 20 more. Having the table saw spinning while I 're-load' I dont know about.

Of course this company make an adapter to use a bosch router and an endmill. It trims down and sizes in one pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-pFVO3w3k

[Martin Wasner]

A buddy of mine built a 300BO SBR on an AR platform with a can on it. With a subsonic round, it is just stupid how quiet that thing is. Nail gun quiet. I was shocked.

[Jerry Thompson]

Would a plumbers tube cutter work? The ones used to cut copper tubing and pipe.

[Brett Luna]

Would a plumbers tube cutter work? The ones used to cut copper tubing and pipe.

Nope. The case wall is really too thin for the pressure required. It would deform before it cut. On top of that, the case isn't long nor straight-walled enough to register properly on the cutter's rollers. And it would be sloooooow.

[Wes Ramsey]

I plan on doing at least 1000 cases which would be a lot of blackout since each piece of brass can be used 3-4 times safely. I might have access to a bandsaw, that would be easiest and I wouldnt feel nervous after running 20 cases, leaving the bandsaw running as I dumped the cases and inserted 20 more. Having the table saw spinning while I 're-load' I dont know about.

Of course this company make an adapter to use a bosch router and an endmill. It trims down and sizes in one pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-pFVO3w3k

I like Bill's idea best - support the case on both sides and cut with a high-count tooth blade. Doesn't matter if it leaves a jagged edge as you'll be sizing and trimming to final length anyway, just don't cut them too short. Also, .300 BLK is pretty much a straight walled case and not particularly a high-pressure one, especially for suppressed loads. If you anneal before you resize them you should get way more than 3-4 shots out of each one.

[Jim Dwight]

If I did this right, this is a link to a table saw blade sold by Amana that says it works for brass:

http://www.toolstoday.com/c-422-aluminum-cutting-carbide-tipped-saw-blades.aspx

I am not familiar with your saw but if it uses a universal motor - if it has brushes - you may want to try slowing it down with a speed control sold for routers. I've used mine on my dust collector (when hand sanding with a Festool sander) and it worked fine. Should work on any universal motor.

I think the main things are to use an appropriate blade (I would agree with other comments that a negative hook angle is appropriate - could get rather exciting with a regular blade if it pulls the saw into the case as expected), slow the saw if you can, and use a jig that keeps your fingers away from the blade. Also I would have a fire extinguisher handy. The little pieces of brass will be hot and could start a fire.

I also have hand loaded but not recently. I've never made my own cases, however.

[Jerrimy Snook]

Because the case is so thin, you would want a high speed steel blade like these http://www.blademfg.com/high-speed-steel-saw-blades-m-2-hss-dm05/

[Ron Lindner]

Patric I use the harbor freight saw to cut arrow shafts. I replaced the 2 inch saw with a 3 inch Aluminum oxide blade. Makes safety cover useless. But it cuts threw hard aluminum shafts quickly.

[Mac Cambra]

I wonder if the brass could be cut on a lathe, the shells could be secured in a chuck and the cuts would be perpendicular to the central axis.

[Brian W Smith]

Air die grinder with cutoff wheel.

Reload here as well.BR cast boolit shooter.We have indoor and outdoor ranges.Good luck with your project.

[David Linnabary]

It just seems that a table saw or band saw for that matter would leave a finish so rough that you'd make more work for yourself cleaning up the end of the trimmed casing.



David

[Keith Pleas]

I haven't done brass, but I've cut off a lot of metal with a Milwaukee portaband configured with a Swagg Offroad portaband table (http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Portaband-Tables-Accessories_c_35.html) and a metal cutting blade.

Here's a crummy video I shot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLyt7EBmxw4)doing this with a steel strap hinge. It seems slow but it gives a pretty clean edge and, of course, it would go through the brass like butter in comparison.

I'm using one hand for the work and the other for my iPhone - I've configured the portband with a clamp on the trigger and the power running through a common floor treadle switch.

[michael langman]

I would look at a rotary case trimmer with the idea of using a small parting tool to trim the cases one at a time. Slower, but much neater and more accurate job.
Shouldn't take more then 30 seconds to do one casing.

[Art Mann]

If someone tries to use an abrasive cutoff wheel, he will quickly find just how soft and gummy brass can get. A table saw or band saw blade designed for cutting non-ferrous metals is what is called for.

[Keith Pleas]

If someone tries to use an abrasive cutoff wheel, he will quickly find just how soft and gummy brass can get. A table saw or band saw blade designed for cutting non-ferrous metals is what is called for. Well...you also want much lower blade speed than is common in woodworking machinery. And then there's the swarf which is also not good for things like bandsaw tires. This brass wouldn't require lubrication, but that's something to keep in mind cutting metal. For me a portaband (under $100 used on Craigslist) was the best option, and the table I mentioned is clamped in my vice to become a mini-metal bandsaw for under $200. Cleanup is a quick vacuum since the portaband doesn't have hidden areas.

[Brett Luna]

It just seems that a table saw or band saw for that matter would leave a finish so rough that you'd make more work for yourself cleaning up the end of the trimmed casing.

Here's the thing: you have to trim it anyway. We're talking about cutting a 5.56mm casing down from a nominal 45mm to 35mm OAL. No saw blade or cutting wheel is going to give you a clean final cut to the SAAMI spec of 34.75mm ±0.51mm that's ready for loading. And most case trimmers just aren't made to take off 10mm of length...not efficiently, anyway. I have an electric trimmer (Dillon RT1200) that mounts in my press. It's quick and darned spiffy but even it's not rated for that much removal.

Think of it this way, you get it close on the saw and the case trimmer is analogous to a shooting board and plane.

[Patrick Irish]

It just seems that a table saw or band saw for that matter would leave a finish so rough that you'd make more work for yourself cleaning up the end of the trimmed casing.


David


It's certainly a process and an initial rough cut it totally fine. After being cut off at the shoulder then it needs to be sized and then trimmed to within correct specs. The finally trimming I do on a drill press with a caliber specific carbide trimmer. It's tedious but gets the job done. I'm trying to not have to touch each piece of brass multiple times. Best option are the powered trimmers mentioned above but it's a $400+ setup. I can buy formed brass for $80 per thousand. 4000 formed and read to load pieces of brass would last a looooonnng time for me, like years if not decades.

I do like tools and that press mounted trimmer would also work on the other rifle calibers I reload for.

Being an adult with expensive hobbies sucks. I want to upgrade from a bosch 4100 to sawstop too :eek:

[Wes Ramsey]

It's certainly a process and an initial rough cut it totally fine. After being cut off at the shoulder then it needs to be sized and then trimmed to within correct specs. The finally trimming I do on a drill press with a caliber specific carbide trimmer. It's tedious but gets the job done. I'm trying to not have to touch each piece of brass multiple times. Best option are the powered trimmers mentioned above but it's a $400+ setup. I can buy formed brass for $80 per thousand. 4000 formed and read to load pieces of brass would last a looooonnng time for me, like years if not decades.

I do like tools and that press mounted trimmer would also work on the other rifle calibers I reload for.

Being an adult with expensive hobbies sucks. I want to upgrade from a bosch 4100 to sawstop too :eek:

Don't mean to take this thread in a different direction, but have you considered a Wilson trimmer with drill attachment? It essentially is a micro lathe setup with a large shell holder that holds the entire body of the shell. The depth of cut is set by a screw that butts up against the head. Clamp the trimmer body in a bench vise, chuck up the carbide cutter/drill adapter, and just trim once. It will cleanly and squarely take off as much material as you have it set for. I used to be really big into reloading for my big guns, but alas, children help to rearrange priorities. Just sold all my reloading gear last year and reinvested it in a Grizzly planer to consolidate hobbies. I still hunt and shoot and so do my boys, but shop time is not as frequent as it once was.

And I wouldn't have it any other way :)

[Martin Wasner]

What about a carbide straight cutter in a drill press? Or even something like a forestner bit? Make a holder, set the depth of stroke on the drill press, drop the case in the holder, plunge the handle? More or less treating it like a mill? I'm not sure you could get the average drill press spun up fast enough though?

Might be a good experiment on a empty that has been cycled too many times



I feel like the tablesaw is a lot of screwing around, for a so so result.

[Mac Cambra]

Here's a product that does what you want to do.

http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-300-Blackout-Case-Trimming/dp/B00H27XAAG/ref=pd_sim_200_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=41TmsHPXKbL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR320%2C320_&refRID=1V2C2MMVC9MQTECFRJEH

There is an inexpensive saw that appears in the reference as well.

[Mike Clarke]

Lee case holder and lock stud in a vise on a drill press. Use a piloted counter bore bit or the Lee shell cutter and modify the length of the Lee length gauge. You just need to locate the case safely and keep it from spinning. You can add a lever to the case holder to turn it that 1/4 turn to get the case in and out.

You can also locate the case by using a shortened case gauge or die body if saw cutting. Locate off the shoulders.

Lee has some good options for inexpensive case trimmers. Their quick trim setup can be had for under $30 or $40.