In sawing out dies of this nature, the angle at which the saw goes through the metal is extremely important. Any variation in the saw blade size or metal thickness, or even a poorly tensioned saw blade will cause the angle to change. The purpose of the angular cut is to provide a zero clearance cutting edge. While it is possible to saw the angular cut without using a precision saw guide, it is not easy, and the likelihood of losing the correct angle is enormous. A die of this type will take about one to two hours to saw out (the first time), and to wind up with a die that doesn't work correctly is extremely frustrating. This is a really valuable technique that deserves doing it right. A scroll saw can do this work, although they are pretty slow because the very short stroke wears out the teeth very quickly.

The pressure required to blank out parts using an interior cutting die is very high. A small screw press will not ordinarily be capable of generating enough pressure. A good quality (old, made in USA) 5 ton arbor press will work. Most of the cheap imports do not have the correct gear ratio on the rack and pinion to give the rated tonnage. I, of course, recommend using the hydraulic press method. I feel that it is the fastest and easiest to use and it truly is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment in the studio.