cutoff saw?

K

KenH

Well-Known Member
Hello all, I don't have a cutoff saw and thinking about getting one to cut metal stuff with. How good are they? I'm sure they'd do good on small stuff <1/4", but what about cutting a 3/4"X6" bar - do they handle that type of cut very well?

What about this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NI2CF28/

I've not made up my mind yet on ordering, just wanted some input for the folks here.

Ken H>
 
Shouldn't be a problem cutting 3/4"X6". The only two things I don't like about abrasive chop saws are that they're loud and they make a lot of mess. I think the main things to check out on them before you buy one is the quality of the vise and the hinge (if it has slop in it). The carbide "dry cut" saws that are the same formfactor are nice, but pretty pricey compared to the abrasive saws. The abrasive saws CANNOT run carbide. They spin too fast. I think carbide 14' saws run sub-2000RPM and abrasive 14's run over 4000RPM.

short answer - if you don't have one, it's probably worth getting it. Just keep in mind they're messy. I'd try to cut outside or in a dedicated grinding area if possible.
 
Mine has paid for itself 100 times over. I open the garage door and let the shower go outdoors when I'm doing bigger projects. I've chopped things bigger than I should've.

FWIW, I almost despise the carbide metal saws. They put sharp, pokey shavings on everything.
 
3/4 thick x 6" wide? Would rather use a horizontal bandsaw....

That's gonna be loud, slow, gritty...and you'll end up with a much hotter piece than you wanted...lol. Bandsaw you can walk away from...and do something else whilst sawing...

I am sure I am over reacting....but only a bit.
 
I think I agree with everything that's been said (written?). I've been using 4-1/2" abrasive disks with handheld grinder and they work good. I just got to thinking the chop saw might be better. Now thinking more about it with the comments made, I'm thinking maybe I don't really "need" one?

I've got a good 4X6" bandsaw that does a good job on metal, and Ted is right, clamp a 1"X4" bar of steel in saw and walk away. Not so noisy or messy.

Thank you all for comments.

Ken H>
 
KenH said:
I'm thinking maybe I don't really "need" one?
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I've got one and don't use it much, preferring an angle grinder and cutoff discs for most of what I do. It's good for cutting larger quantities of larger stock, and really good at cutting hot stock while forging, but I don't use mine much. As mentioned above, too loud, too much mess.
 
KenH said:
I think I agree with everything that's been said (written?). I've been using 4-1/2" abrasive disks with handheld grinder and they work good. I just got to thinking the chop saw might be better. Now thinking more about it with the comments made, I'm thinking maybe I don't really "need" one?

I've got a good 4X6" bandsaw that does a good job on metal, and Ted is right, clamp a 1"X4" bar of steel in saw and walk away. Not so noisy or messy.

Thank you all for comments.

Ken H>
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Throw the stock in the forge and hot cut it. WAY quicker.

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OR get a big Iron Worker and shear the 3/4X6 bar to size.

Thatd be cool.

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I dont know what kind of budget your on but you might want to check out the Evolution Saw. Low RPM Carbide tipped saw blade. Cleaner cuts and a lot cooler cut also. I have a Abrasive saw and like it has been said loud and Dirty! But they do work!
 
Gliden07 said:
I dont know what kind of budget your on but you might want to check out the Evolution Saw. Low RPM Carbide tipped saw blade. Cleaner cuts and a lot cooler cut also. I have a Abrasive saw and like it has been said loud and Dirty! But they do work!
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Thats what I was looking at, personally. I have an old cast iron miter saw I'm thinking about making into a carbide chop saw. Needs a slower motor, a vise, and a bigger guard.

Plus it'd give me an excuse to buy another wood cutting miter saw.

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Gliden07 said:
I dont know what kind of budget your on but you might want to check out the Evolution Saw. Low RPM Carbide tipped saw blade. Cleaner cuts and a lot cooler cut also. I have a Abrasive saw and like it has been said loud and Dirty! But they do work!
Click to expand...

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Tkroenlein...nailed when talking about the chips from those cold saws....Like lettin' a porkypine loose with the lights off...yer gonna find some alright...like glass shards...lol. But...some of those have a feed mechanism and you can walk away also...good for ganging parts if you have a lot of work....and a million bucks to buy blades...lol

(my experience is from 30 yrs ago with these so...grain o' salt...)
 
Smallshop said:

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Tkroenlein...nailed when talking about the chips from those cold saws....Like lettin' a porkypine loose with the lights off...yer gonna find some alright...like glass shards...lol. But...some of those have a feed mechanism and you can walk away also...good for ganging parts if you have a lot of work....and a million bucks to buy blades...lol

(my experience is from 30 yrs ago with these so...grain o' salt...)
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Not quite a million for a blade.... still near 200 a piece.

Bad thing is, that isn't the "Grainger" price. That's the actual price.

I reckon you could rig up a feed system for a saw pretty quick. Put a weight on an arm. More weight for bigger cuts.

Could also have an air cylinder with a valve to slow the feed rate and have a fixed amount of weight.

The old Marvel roll-in saws used a sliding weight - like an old balance beam scale - to adjust feed pressure. More weight mean't more pressure on a clutch disc that was connected to the feed mechanism.

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I've cut 1/2" x 12" plate with an old Sears angle grinder. It took me a while and I went through several cutting discs. It wouldn't be fun, but I think you could cut what you have with an angle grinder.
 
Oh, another thing regarding cutting the an angle grinder... Diamond wheels! They last WAYYYYY longer than regular wheels. They don't cut quite as fast, but you can also get basically a full depth of cut for the entire life of the blade.

LENOX® | Hand Tools & Power Tool Accessories

Eat metal for breakfast with the new LENOX® hole saw and reciprocating saw blades. Now available at a retailer near you.
www.lenoxtools.com www.lenoxtools.com

AND you can get em for chop saws

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What ever you do don't buy a used chop saw off Ebay or Criags List, especially if they are saying that the sale is as is. I got a used one once and the nut that held the blade one kept unscrewing. I've used an angle grinder with cutting discs and a hack saw with a good blade does well for 1/4" stock.

Doug
 
Doug Lester said:
What ever you do don't buy a used chop saw off Ebay or Criags List, especially if they are saying that the sale is as is. I got a used one once and the nut that held the blade one kept unscrewing. I've used an angle grinder with cutting discs and a hack saw with a good blade does well for 1/4" stock.

Doug
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Hacksaw? Like one of those old timey manual bandsaw things?

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Bruce McLeish said:
Are you making fun of the way I make KSO's?
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That's "Knife Shaped Object", right? LOL

If that's that case, I'm an avid KSO maker... no so much knives, though.

I'll be honest, I got my first portable bandsaw years ago. I literally didn't pick up my hacksaw for about 5 years and I still haven't used one in years. Can't say the same for the coping saw, though - I had to cope some trim in the house, recently.

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Yeah...the chop saw isn't a replacement for or comparable to even a not that great bandsaw. Especially for solid stock over an inch where heat becomes an issue. But, 1) if you have a welder 2) a metal pile and 3) an inclination to build stuff, an abrasive chop saw is a tool that very little buy in does a lot of work and will wait patiently under the bench until you need it again. Also, your chop saw and $10 dollar blades don't care if you cut hard or tough material. Try chopping a bearing race down on your bandsaw.
 
I have one very similar to that, e.g. cheap Chinese import.
It cuts well enough, but it has issues.
The base can flex easily as it is plate metal, mot a cast body.
Mine has plastic feet that are not very rigid either. They are held with basic screws and mine has come off.
The blade can flex in operation, especially if you put a little pressure on the lever pressing down that can cause a curved cut. This last comment related to the blade, so it is true of both low cost and upper cost industrial machines.
 
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