Excellent! Once again the lathe proves she is the Queen of the machine shop! I really like the elegant tooling you made. All the little tips on clearances and propping the cutter with another cutter is priceless info. Thank you for this lesson!
Thank you Mr. Pete. I just loved this video. I am a retired old guy with no machinist skills with a Logan lathe I got for Christmas from my son. I will use this method tomorrow on a pulley I enlarged the bore. Now I know I can increase the depth of the keyway slot thanks to your video.
Going to cut an internal 1/8" keyway tomorrow. This is the information I needed. Simple, easy to do and gets results quickly. Thanks again and keep on with the great videos.
Thanks for all the great videos! Used this method today to cut a .100 x 3" long keyway in a threaded 2.25" 1045 steel cylinder rod. Worked out great, took about 10 mins or so for both once the tool was ground and setup.
Just when I thought I needed a broach and bam...mrpete shows me how to get'er done! Thank you sir your wisdom is priceless. I learn something new with every video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks Mr.pete for such a useful channel. I've truly enjoyed watching your video's. This one was helpful last night. We have a ministry that helps folks that can't afford car repairs get a leg up by repairing their cars at cost or free depending on their needs. Well, we had a keyway blow out and I welded some metal back into it and used your technique to cut the new keyway. (At no cost for a new part.) I'm still learning, so I'll be tuned in. Thanks again, Jeff
Hi MrPete I've heard of this method but never had the privilege of seeing it performed. Thanks for another valuable addition to your library of videos.
Halligan142 did this a few years back using a Boring bar, you people certainly can think out of the box, many thanks for all the trouble you go to in order to upload your skills before they are lost forever.
Having learn about this technique when I was about 15 I finally got to use it a week ago (I'm 62 now!).It's known as "racking" in the UK.Excellent tutorial as usual.
Thanks for this video. This solves a problem I have had for about a year. I was going to use a similar method to cut a key-way in a drill press step pulley on my lathe. It needed a new motor which had a 5/8 inch shaft and the pulley had a ½ inch shaft. The motor has a key-way that I wanted to use once the pulley hole was enlarged for the new motor shaft. There are some very good points you included that I had not considered. So thanks for the additional tips.
This is a very helpful video for a very similar project I'm working on. The initial work done to turn the handwheel part to be gripable by the 3-jaw chuck gave me some ideas on how to turn a handwheel I'm working on as well.
Good to know, I need to do the same to a cast iron handwheel that I bought for the Craftsman 12 I'm fixing up, to replace the missing original. I was planning to use a 1/8" carbide cutting bit in a Dremel mounted on the tool post, but I may do this instead.
That grand kid of yours has got it made! I remember getting my start in my grandpas shop, also, but he didn't have nearly the amount of tools and cool-guy stuff you have. Pretty much just hand tools. Heck, even his grinder was one of the ones that you had to crank. That darn thing almost broke my arm one time when the handle slipped out of my hand and came back around to say hello. Good video, though! Keep up the good work! -Brandon
I've done a few keyways like this, even in steel. It's possible to cut splines and even internal gears if you can rig up suitable indexing and plans and kits for such are around (particularly for the Myford lathes). I used a boring bar holder and a jury rigged plunger operated by a lever, to make a slotting attatchment to avoid having to laboriously wind the saddle back and forth. A blind keyway can be done if a hole is drilled for the tool to run-out into. I've also used the quill on the mill as a slotting tool. The Mk1 Toyota MR2 has a plastic gear on it's electric window motors. These fit over an existing metal gear to enlarge it (changing a 10 tooth to a 22 tooth as I recall). They break and replacements were not available from Toyota. A friend brought the job to me and we ground up a form tool to cut the internal gear in an off the shelf blank mounted on a rotary table.
Excellent video and a very handy idea..! I am used to the metric system, but that doesn't matter..the principle is the same. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
,,, pencil me in,,,,, you may have not seen me in class today,, as someone had taken my regular seat,, but here is a note to let you know that I'm here,, back by the door,,, great lesson,,,,
Hi Jordan. I don't know if broaching is the proper word, but the technique has always reminded me of the old shapers. I'm sure you know the older shapers that shave off steel. Bye Jordan.
Great demo Mr Pete. Most home shops would have no way to make a keyway and this method is easy and cheap to do. PS: Hasn't Mrs Pete noticed that red towel missing yet?? LOL Colin
Brilliant Mr Pete!!! I have a timing gear for a CNC mill conversion I'm doing, 10mm bore needs a 4mm key, can't make a broach bushing that size for a B1 broach. 5/32" parting tool, is about 1 thou smaller than 4mm, looks like I'm making a tool!!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
Richard Kicklighter I just did a 4mm key in cold rolled steel on a mini lathe (7 by 16 LMS) via this method. It worked. With harder materials you shave smaller amounts. It seemed happiest when the cut was 1.5 thousands or less. Because you won't be using the compound, it is best if it is set parallel with the work, and the gibs have been tightened up to avoid slop.
I was in the back of the class with Shopdog to. And would like to say to the class mates That The point in todays lesson is not the math but the alternate method of broaching if the proper size broach was not available. Thank you. Mr. Pete.
Mr Pete, What you did was actually a manual shaping operation. The device you mentioned that attaches to the back of a bridgeport is a "E" head. I obtained one of those before I obtained a 7" Atlas Shaper. Art
Excellent, I have a need for that very same process. Have been thinking about how I was going to pull it off and bingo, came across your video. My broaches are too big for my current intended application. Yup, it is my solution. Thank you for sharing.
I've done this many times, I've even cut whole gears this way. I needed a pair of 24 tooth change gears for my home lathe so I used the one old one I had as a pattern or index for making a pair of new ones with a tool I ground to produce involute teeth in cast iron.
That sound as the cutting starts... Love that. Zinc crystals twin when they are deformed, and when they do, the transition shoots across the crystal at the speed of sound, making a noise. So that if you bend a thin piece near your ear, that same sound is what you hear! Odds on, the cutting sound is because the cutting is making the zinc chips twin as they cut and deform...
No problem. (of course, it's entirely plausible that I'm wrong and it's just the sound of the cutting, but it sounds exactly the same. Seems like a logical deduction)
I didn't catch it if it was thrown; is the width of the parting tool the same as the required key way width? Or could one just reset the height of the tool and make multiple cuts? Also when using the second parting tool to try to level the cutting tool, I can see that the top surface of the tool becomes level but isn't the narrow face of the tool now tilting down same amount as it would have tilted if no spacer was used? i. e. it just tilts in the opposite direction? It still was close enough to do the job. In any case, it is an excellent video and taught me ĺot. Thanks for all your great videos.
Great Job as always Tubalcain !!!I I'm still working on getting my lathe moved and set up so haven't been in class for awhile ( I think I was having withdraw symptoms?lol) All these Great videos and I cant even get started yet lol Frustrating isn't a strong enough word for what I'm feeling But I'm getting closer every day (pictures soon to follow)
I think I've seen this done in books or magazine articles using a boring bar small enough to fit the hole and a bit ground to the right size for the slot.
That's much simpler than another method that I saw last week where a tiny tool was ground and fitted on the diameter of a small shaft mounted as your blade is.
There is another video related to this method but without any explanations. And It look so hard to do the job that I didn't even tested it.I believe that we can make such a tool from O1 or Silver tools steel. I'll give this a try. Thanks again for sharing your knowhow with us. Warm regards.
Nice technique for many lathes but potentially troublesome if you try this on any Atlas lathes The carriage left-right movement gears are housed in a Zamak casting. Over time, some Zamak casting made by Atlas have lost a lot of their original strength. The result is that old Zamak castings could break under a lot less stress then when they were new. I broke one on my Atlas lathe without subjecting it to a lot of stress. As a result, one creative CNC person has now begun to make these housings from aluminum and are selling them on eBay. The same problem goes for an Atlas shaper part that can be successively 3D printed in plastic - also available on eBay. I also have one of these on my shaper. This may be a Zamak flaw that has only affected old Atlas parts - I do not know. I believe Zamak is still being made and I suspect that the Atlas zamak problems have been identified and remedied in newly made zamak parts.
is the depth of the key way measured from the center line of the hole to the edge of the key way or is it from the shoulder of the key way where the cutter first touches the hole. thanks for the great videos
I just did a little more research on the old Zamak parts. It is described in great detail under the title "zink pest" in Wikipedia. It goes onto say items made "after 1960" are generally free of this problem.
These are readily available off the shelf of a company I know of... they will also make the tooling suit the lead angle of a worm or a spiral bevel gear but these are for CNC really...
Pete, interesting how you have the rear toolholder set screw hanging half a diameter off the rear of the tool bit. It does appear it would hold better axially that way. You essentially have a shaper there - I guess that in some instances it might help to have a clapper, but certainly not for cutting buttery zinc! It occurs to me that you could cut gear teeth in that manner if you could grind a cutter with the proper profile - much simpler than buying a cutter which are expensive and come in so many varieties. Just grind the cutter to match the cutter with one of its less-worn mates. Or can you buy inserts ready made? Hard to stop writing and look it up youtube is quite prone to lock up if I go to my browser on my iPad - requires a hard reboot to work properly and that also erases what I’ve written.
Hi, Any chance for a "walk through" on the making of a Gib strip. I am currently restoring an Elliott Juniormil I would like to undertake the project by scraping it in. Great video as always. keep 'em commin.
I recently saw a video from someone doing the same but it was bouncing away while broaching. Your video results in a working key connection, so... Why doesn't the cutter bounce back while going deeper in the key hole when you do the job?
Hmm, how did Pete face the handwheel end when he had put washers and a nut on that side to hold it in place? He must have removed them but how did he hold the wheel in place then? Cant get that into my head....
+Wooley689 Band saw? often on non aircraft it is acceptable to use even a .06 wide saw blade when the print says .08. Many designs of food machinery, custom prototype stuff is designed with a standard where an engineer uses as a type of default width for slitting clamps and things. often is ok to change a little to get the job done. just get an ok first to cover you backside if you think about deviating. As said though. No deviation for Aerospace.
This video is 10 years old and i'm still learning stuff from your videos. you have left a wonderful time capsule of your skills and work.
Wow, thanks!
Excellent! Once again the lathe proves she is the Queen of the machine shop! I really like the elegant tooling you made. All the little tips on clearances and propping the cutter with another cutter is priceless info. Thank you for this lesson!
You are amazing sir, camerawork, naming parts, faces, workmanship, creativity everything superb. Thank you
Thank you very much
Thank you Mr. Pete. I just loved this video. I am a retired old guy with no machinist skills with a Logan lathe I got for Christmas from my son. I will use this method tomorrow on a pulley I enlarged the bore. Now I know I can increase the depth of the keyway slot thanks to your video.
👍👍👍
Going to cut an internal 1/8" keyway tomorrow. This is the information I needed. Simple, easy to do and gets results quickly. Thanks again and keep on with the great videos.
Thanks for all the great videos! Used this method today to cut a .100 x 3" long keyway in a threaded 2.25" 1045 steel cylinder rod. Worked out great, took about 10 mins or so for both once the tool was ground and setup.
Jay Cee Glad it worked for you
I really like your videos. The machining process has been something that I've always like. We need to start calling you Professor.
I never get tired of watching you helpful ideas and videos, thanks very much and keep it up Mr. Pete.
Glad you like them!
Just when I thought I needed a broach and bam...mrpete shows me how to get'er done! Thank you sir your wisdom is priceless. I learn something new with every video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I'm glad you liked it
Thanks Mr.pete for such a useful channel. I've truly enjoyed watching your video's. This one was helpful last night. We have a ministry that helps folks that can't afford car repairs get a leg up by repairing their cars at cost or free depending on their needs. Well, we had a keyway blow out and I welded some metal back into it and used your technique to cut the new keyway. (At no cost for a new part.) I'm still learning, so I'll be tuned in.
Thanks again,
Jeff
Hi MrPete
I've heard of this method but never had the privilege of seeing it performed. Thanks for another valuable addition to your library of videos.
Halligan142 did this a few years back using a Boring bar, you people certainly can think out of the box, many thanks for all the trouble you go to in order to upload your skills before they are lost forever.
+binness thank for watching
This newby is truly grateful to you for showing how to cut a keyway on a lathe. Looking forward to putting into practice all I have learned.
Thank you for watching
I absolutely love this video! You cut an internal keyway BY HAND! You didn't even use the power feed. Bravo! Thanks for sharing this.
+Foothills Trail Hiker glad you liked it, thank you for watching
Thank you Sir, always learning new tips and tricks from your years of experience
Absolutely the most informative videos I have seen. Thanks for posting these.
I used this method to rehab a keyway on an antique DC generator shaft. It was a little more work on steel than zinc.
MR. Pete is the man. Wish he was my shop teacher as a kid.
as an absolute novice, you are opening my eyes to how simple things can be done, thank you
Thank you for watching
Great video. Does your grandson realize how lucky he is to have a front seat in the classroom and the knowledge you have to offer. Luck young man. Guy
Well explained and i found the video just in time to save me a lot of money on a set of broaches to do 1 job, thanks for sharing as always.
Having learn about this technique when I was about 15 I finally got to use it a week ago (I'm 62 now!).It's known as "racking" in the UK.Excellent tutorial as usual.
Thank you mrpete! Now I know how to make things doable with a shaper. This expands the possibilities of my home shop.
I just came across this video. 4 years after initial posting it is still providing great teaching input.
Thanks for this video. This solves a problem I have had for about a year. I was going to use a similar method to cut a key-way in a drill press step pulley on my lathe. It needed a new motor which had a 5/8 inch shaft and the pulley had a ½ inch shaft. The motor has a key-way that I wanted to use once the pulley hole was enlarged for the new motor shaft. There are some very good points you included that I had not considered. So thanks for the additional tips.
This is a very helpful video for a very similar project I'm working on. The initial work done to turn the handwheel part to be gripable by the 3-jaw chuck gave me some ideas on how to turn a handwheel I'm working on as well.
Glad it was helpful!
Been following many of your videos. I learnt alot from you sir. Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge with all of us.
👍👍👍
Thanks Mr. Pete! I learn something new with every video you post. Keep them coming.
I always enjoy your videos. You are a great teacher!
It is said that grey hair is a sign of wisdom and you have proven that once again-fine video.
I've had white hair now for over 10 years....but I don't seem any smarter or wiser....
Always a pleasure to watch your videos Mr. Pete !
Nicely done
Well detailed, very comprehensive, call it a new ''abroach'' to broaching.
I've seen lots of your videos, another excellent one...
Thanks
That's a good one.With your permission, I'm going to sdd that to the title.
Sure, go ahead it will fun.
Cheers,
Pierre
Good to know, I need to do the same to a cast iron handwheel that I bought for the Craftsman 12 I'm fixing up, to replace the missing original.
I was planning to use a 1/8" carbide cutting bit in a Dremel mounted on the tool post, but I may do this instead.
That grand kid of yours has got it made! I remember getting my start in my grandpas shop, also, but he didn't have nearly the amount of tools and cool-guy stuff you have. Pretty much just hand tools. Heck, even his grinder was one of the ones that you had to crank. That darn thing almost broke my arm one time when the handle slipped out of my hand and came back around to say hello. Good video, though! Keep up the good work! -Brandon
Thanks for broaching the subject.
This was brilliant and a way better way than i have been doing it, sometimes the simple ideas work when you can't afford broaching tools
👍
I usually only subscribe to channels that I can learn from. So now I am your newest subscriber thanks.
Thank you, and welcome aboard
I've done a few keyways like this, even in steel. It's possible to cut splines and even internal gears if you can rig up suitable indexing and plans and kits for such are around (particularly for the Myford lathes). I used a boring bar holder and a jury rigged plunger operated by a lever, to make a slotting attatchment to avoid having to laboriously wind the saddle back and forth. A blind keyway can be done if a hole is drilled for the tool to run-out into.
I've also used the quill on the mill as a slotting tool. The Mk1 Toyota MR2 has a plastic gear on it's electric window motors. These fit over an existing metal gear to enlarge it (changing a 10 tooth to a 22 tooth as I recall). They break and replacements were not available from Toyota. A friend brought the job to me and we ground up a form tool to cut the internal gear in an off the shelf blank mounted on a rotary table.
Excellent video and a very handy idea..! I am used to the metric system, but that doesn't matter..the principle is the same. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
excellent idea! I never thought of doing that
Hi, Jordan! Nice hearing from you again.
Another great vid! Searching for those secrets that were lost, recovered some here!
Very clear. I learned from this and found it useful
Thank for taking your time making this video
👍
I love your videos and teaching style
I applaud you Sir!!
Thank you for your wonderful videos!!
+mauritz coetzee thanks for watching
Great video , from different angles, thanks mrpete.
,,, pencil me in,,,,, you may have not seen me in class today,, as someone had taken my regular seat,, but here is a note to let you know that I'm here,, back by the door,,, great lesson,,,,
And I am sitting off to the right. Thanks again!
good video, i really like your tip on setting the center height on the cutting tool.
Hi Jordan. I don't know if broaching is the proper word, but the technique has always reminded me of the old shapers. I'm sure you know the older shapers that shave off steel. Bye Jordan.
That was great, I need to do several key ways on new lathe handles for a lathe I’m rebuilding. Thank you.
👍👍
Thank you for sharing this sir, I've been pondering how to do just this operation!
👍
Great demo Mr Pete. Most home shops would have no way to make a keyway and this method is easy and cheap to do.
PS: Hasn't Mrs Pete noticed that red towel missing yet?? LOL
Colin
Nice catch Colin.. LMAO!
Brilliant Mr Pete!!! I have a timing gear for a CNC mill conversion I'm doing, 10mm bore needs a 4mm key, can't make a broach bushing that size for a B1 broach. 5/32" parting tool, is about 1 thou smaller than 4mm, looks like I'm making a tool!!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
👍
Richard Kicklighter I just did a 4mm key in cold rolled steel on a mini lathe (7 by 16 LMS) via this method. It worked. With harder materials you shave smaller amounts. It seemed happiest when the cut was 1.5 thousands or less. Because you won't be using the compound, it is best if it is set parallel with the work, and the gibs have been tightened up to avoid slop.
What width keyway?
I was in the back of the class with Shopdog to. And would like to say to the class mates That The point in todays lesson is not the math but the alternate method of broaching if the proper size broach was not available.
Thank you. Mr. Pete.
Mr Pete,
What you did was actually a manual shaping operation. The device you mentioned that attaches to the back of a bridgeport is a "E" head. I obtained one of those before I obtained a 7" Atlas Shaper.
Art
Excellent, I have a need for that very same process. Have been thinking about how I was going to pull it off and bingo, came across your video. My broaches are too big for my current intended application. Yup, it is my solution. Thank you for sharing.
Great explanation, very clear, thank you :)
Super! You just saved me a few hundred dollars on not buying a broaching set just to do the odd key slot now and then!
🤙
Good idea. I like that stop you rigged up too.
James Riding
I've done this many times, I've even cut whole gears this way. I needed a pair of 24 tooth change gears for my home lathe so I used the one old one I had as a pattern or index for making a pair of new ones with a tool I ground to produce involute teeth in cast iron.
That sound as the cutting starts... Love that.
Zinc crystals twin when they are deformed, and when they do, the transition shoots across the crystal at the speed of sound, making a noise. So that if you bend a thin piece near your ear, that same sound is what you hear!
Odds on, the cutting sound is because the cutting is making the zinc chips twin as they cut and deform...
Thank you very much--I did not know any of that..
No problem.
(of course, it's entirely plausible that I'm wrong and it's just the sound of the cutting, but it sounds exactly the same. Seems like a logical deduction)
Excellent as always, thank you
how did this gem of suggestion evade me for so long, staring me in the face; doh!.
Excellent video...as usual!!! 👍
Thanks
I didn't catch it if it was thrown; is the width of the parting tool the same as the required key way width? Or could one just reset the height of the tool and make multiple cuts?
Also when using the second parting tool to try to level the cutting tool, I can see that the top surface of the tool becomes level but isn't the narrow face of the tool now tilting down same amount as it would have tilted if no spacer was used? i. e. it just tilts in the opposite direction? It still was close enough to do the job. In any case, it is an excellent video and taught me ĺot. Thanks for all your great videos.
Very smart. As always I enjoyed.
Great Job as always Tubalcain !!!I I'm still working on getting my lathe moved and set up so haven't been in class for awhile ( I think I was having withdraw symptoms?lol) All these Great videos and I cant even get started yet lol Frustrating isn't a strong enough word for what I'm feeling But I'm getting closer every day (pictures soon to follow)
I'm definitely checking out your other videos.
Great work. Thank you for sharing.
I think I've seen this done in books or magazine articles using a boring bar small enough to fit the hole and a bit ground to the right size for the slot.
That's much simpler than another method that I saw last week where a tiny tool was ground and fitted on the diameter of a small shaft mounted as your blade is.
you r a very smart man, thanx for the video
+Mike Bates I don't know about that, but thank you very much
Just what i was looking for!
Tanks. Gona try your idea this weekend :)
There is another video related to this method but without any explanations. And It look so hard to do the job that I didn't even tested it.I believe that we can make such a tool from O1 or Silver tools steel. I'll give this a try. Thanks again for sharing your knowhow with us.
Warm regards.
This is an awesome method for a lathe with good v type ways. Flat ways like an Atlas and it doesn't work as well.
Thank You. I will be doing this today.
Wonderful segment Mr. Pete. Jordan is a man of few words! ;^)
Nice technique for many lathes but potentially troublesome if you try this on any Atlas lathes
The carriage left-right movement gears are housed in a Zamak casting. Over time, some Zamak casting made by Atlas have lost a lot of their original strength. The result is that old Zamak castings could break under a lot less stress then when they were new. I broke one on my Atlas lathe without subjecting it to a lot of stress. As a result, one creative CNC person has now begun to make these housings from aluminum and are selling them on eBay. The same problem goes for an Atlas shaper part that can be successively 3D printed in plastic - also available on eBay. I also have one of these on my shaper. This may be a Zamak flaw that has only affected old Atlas parts - I do not know.
I believe Zamak is still being made and I suspect that the Atlas zamak problems have been identified and remedied in newly made zamak parts.
It is called zamak pest
Very Clever. Keep 'em coming. That tip is an excellent lesson. I wonder how well that would work on cold rolled stock?
is the depth of the key way measured from the center line of the hole to the edge of the key way or is it from the shoulder of the key way where the cutter first touches the hole.
thanks for the great videos
What a slick was to make the keyway
I just did a little more research on the old Zamak parts. It is described in great detail under the title "zink pest" in Wikipedia. It goes onto say items made "after 1960" are generally free of this problem.
Thanks
That's funny,I just did the same thing this week on my Cnc Lathe.It was 2 keyways though,180 degrees apart.
These are readily available off the shelf of a company I know of... they will also make the tooling suit the lead angle of a worm or a spiral bevel gear but these are for CNC really...
Martin Altria thanks--did not know that
It's all about the angle... ie tangency to the line of cut....
www.revtool.eu/en/contacts.html
I speak to Daniela Greco
Great tip, Thank You.
Great video!!!!
Pete, interesting how you have the rear toolholder set screw hanging half a diameter off the rear of the tool bit. It does appear it would hold better axially that way. You essentially have a shaper there - I guess that in some instances it might help to have a clapper, but certainly not for cutting buttery zinc!
It occurs to me that you could cut gear teeth in that manner if you could grind a cutter with the proper profile - much simpler than buying a cutter which are expensive and come in so many varieties. Just grind the cutter to match the cutter with one of its less-worn mates. Or can you buy inserts ready made? Hard to stop writing and look it up youtube is quite prone to lock up if I go to my browser on my iPad - requires a hard reboot to work properly and that also erases what I’ve written.
Excellent Video!
If you don’t have the broach tool, you can just drill and tap the hand wheel so the correct size grub screw acts like a key . both ways are good.
Hi, Any chance for a "walk through" on the making of a Gib strip. I am currently restoring an Elliott Juniormil I would like to undertake the project by scraping it in. Great video as always. keep 'em commin.
Good job done thanks for the tips!
Thank you for watching
I just successfully did this, saved me buying a broach for a one-off!
👍
Thank you Sir.. great content
I recently saw a video from someone doing the same but it was bouncing away while broaching.
Your video results in a working key connection, so...
Why doesn't the cutter bounce back while going deeper in the key hole when you do the job?
Hmm, how did Pete face the handwheel end when he had put washers and a nut on that side to hold it in place? He must have removed them but how did he hold the wheel in place then? Cant get that into my head....
This is good can this achieve .00003 tolerance on the key way? I always wondered...I machine in EDM this stuff all the time...
Fantastic, I need to cut a slot and don't have a slitting saw, this will be perfect I do think.
+Wooley689 Band saw? often on non aircraft it is acceptable to use even a .06 wide saw blade when the print says .08. Many designs of food machinery, custom prototype stuff is designed with a standard where an engineer uses as a type of default width for slitting clamps and things. often is ok to change a little to get the job done. just get an ok first to cover you backside if you think about deviating. As said though. No deviation for Aerospace.