Watkins Saws

Watkins Manufacturing Inc.

Please see www.saw-lutions.com for more info in Watkins Manufacturing, Inc.

Watkins is the only commercial manufacturer of Rotary Saw Cutting Systems. Rotary Saw Cutting (RSC) is a superior chip cutting method for cutting off, grooving, milling, and forming on automatic screw machines or similar turning machines.

Watkins Mfg. produces systems for cross-drilling and straddle-milling. We also provide full technical support, attachment rebuilding services, new saw blades, and saw blade regrinding and resharpening.

Straddle Milling

Watkins has designed an improved, cost-effective, straddle-milling attachment for use on multi-spindle turning machines. The attachment is more powerful, more reliable, and more flexible than other milling attachments. The motorized attachment provides 18 cutter speeds (212-1700 rpm) independent of the work spindle rpm. Two distinct cutter heads allow for greater separations of the cutters to accomodate workpieces of various diameters. This feature also eliminates the need for precisely matched cutters.

Davenport Models D5BG & D5B

Design Features

rigid cutoff arm (additionally aided by sawing off) assures repeatability and squareness of cut
guarded saw and drive shaft protect operator and environment
easy "on and off" allows flexibility and portability if needed
compact design allows operation with most other Davenport attachments
quick saw changes

KC Models - KCB4, KCI612 & KCH812

Design Benefits

the Locating Key is designed to simplify aligning of the Cutter Head to the workpiece
the Saw Arbor utilizes a draw bolt for quick tool changes and clockwise or counterclockwise rotation
the Saw Arbor can be assembled for mounting the saw on either side of the Cutter Head
the Change Gear Box can be rotated in 30° increments to either side of center to fit within the restrictions of the tooling area
the Mounting Mechanisms offer flexibility and speedy, two axes screw adjustments
a rugged 4:1 Worm Gear Drive and Timken Roller Bearings assure reliability and precision

Saw Features

Cutoff and slotting saws are totally ground (hole, sides, teeth) to assure free chip flow, optimum bonding of surface treatments, even tooth wear and longer saw life
Hollow ground sides improve finish and squareness of cut and extend saw life
Cutoff angles reduce burr and cutoff nib
Relieved land increases saw life on steel, cast iron, and deep cut applications
Surface treatments increase sawlife to 10-fold or more and improve surface finishes

A Watkins Mfg. Inc. SAW-lution System consists of an attachment, mounting mechanisms, operating specifications for your job, on-site start-up assistance, and ongoing technical support. The attachment is a self-contained motorized attachment which mounts to a cross slide of the "host" machine to replace the conventional cutoff tooling with a rotating saw. The attachment is wired directly into the host machine so that the rotation of the saw is switched on and off with the main spindle of the host. The saw blades (also available from Watkins) average .045" in thickness with a variety of saw geometries and surface treatments for the optimum cutoff condition.

Although SAW-lution Systems upgrade an automatic turning machine and should ideally remain on the same machine for various jobs, they are relatively portable. The modular design concept of the Kerf Cutter Style permits easy adaptation to a variety of host machines or jobs simply by changing the radial orientation of motor to gear box or cutter head, by reversing the saw spindle, or by changing mounting devices or saws.

Standardized attachments and parts are available to fit most multi spindle automatic screw machines: Acme Gridley, New Britain, Conomatic, Wickman, Gildemeister, Warner & Swasey, Bardons & Oliver, Modern, Traub, Schuette, Euroturn, Brown & Sharpe, Davenports, Index, etc. Additionally, specialized attachments can usually be designed.

And finally, so that there is no need to reinvent the saw, Watkins provides on-site start-up assistance, operating specifications, and on-going technical assistance with all SAW-lutions Systems. This is imperative because new RSC users often make the mistake of assuming that problems are related to the RSC equipment and, therefore, do not bother troubleshooting the host machine and its environment. Most common problems can be avoided if the machine operator is properly trained. Also, troubleshooting RSC follows all the fundamentals of troubleshooting any chip cutting operation.