cutoff saw?

I don't like cutting anything over 1/4 inch thick with the chop saw (loud and dirty) generally, but sometimes a Damascus billet even hot I wouldn't subject the bandsaw to the heat or scale. I usually cut my 15n20 on it also since I feel it's hard on blades considering it's hardness. I think that saw looks like it would work fine I have the Harbor freight.
 
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I bought a Ridgid chop saw last year after researching reviews and warranty’s. I don’t plan on using it often and probably not much on blade steels but if you have room I think there a nice addition to a shop. The one thing I’m going to do is mount a shield to the stand and up behind the saw to deflect the sparks and chaf down to the ground right behind it. As for Ridgid, I have cut quite a bit on it so far and I’m happy with it. As for thick stuff, years ago at work we got some rail road track off a job site and cut some up, from what I remember it took about a hour or so and more than one blade, I’d never do that again. I still got that piece of track.
 
Thanks again to all for comments. Ya'll have given me more things to think about in making the decision. The $120 for the Porter-Cable isn't too bad, even if I didn't use it all that much. BUT - the better saws at $250+ is sorta getting on the expensive side. At this time I'm doing pretty good with the 4-1/2" handheld grinder with abrasive blades. Maybe I'll stay with that awhile, long enough to recover from the cost of the dust collection setup I'm putting in.
 
KenH said:
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 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>
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I have an older model and had poor luck cutting anything wide or thick. Thin metal cut vertically it does ok, not terribly straight. Anything boxed or flat it struggles.

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tomang07 said:
I have an older model and had poor luck cutting anything wide or thick. Thin metal cut vertically it does ok, not terribly straight. Anything boxed or flat it struggles.

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Sounds like your hinge has some wear in it. That or it's out of alignment somewhere.

If it IS wear, you can buy shim washers and tighten it up. They're usually called "ring shims" or "wide-rim ring shims". Wide ring shims are the ring shim equivalent of a fender washer - same ID, larger OD.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
KenH said:
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>
Click to expand...
I've had an Evolution cold cut off saw for over a decade and love it. I initially got it to do a bunch of light tubular fabrication and now use it almost on a daily basis. However, it seems to me that in a knife making shop an abrasive or cold cut off saw has less priority than other knife-focused equipment (e.g. 2x72 / HT oven, etc) BUT, a cut off saw helps making knife making equipment easier (tables, stands, jigs, etc)
Pros: Cleaner than abrasive, no showers of sparks (no fire issue), cuts clean & more accurate than abrasive, does not burn the metal to cut, somewhat less noisier than an abrasive saw'
Cons: Somewhat limited in cutting thickness / size (though I've routinely cut 3/4" material & 3" diameter steel - blade travel speed is critical), blades are expensive
Like so many pieces of shop equipment a cut off saw has it's place and limitations. It won't take the place of either a vertical or horizontal bandsaw. And, yes, the metal chards are mess - though added chip shielding plus a magnetic floor sweeper minimizes the cleanup (certainly a worthwhile tradeoff compared to the abrasive grit all over the shop).
And, FWIW, the use of an unshieldded angle grinder as a substitute for a cut off saw is dancing with the devil IMHO. Those angle grinder cut off wheels are notorious for exploding. Check out youtube videos, pretty sobering.
 
I mean a hacksaw like the ones that hold a thin blade in a rigid steel frame that you hold in your hand. I think that they cut on the forward stroke. Works fine if you are not trying to cut a stack of bars or something really thick. You don't need a power tool for everything.

Doug
 
MTBob, you talking about something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083Y5W9YS - even the blades are expensive for those things. I don't do anywhere near enough work for that type of capital investment.

Doug: Yep, I got one of those type hacksaws, and have used them for many years. "Back in the day", the IBEW would only allow that type of saw for cutting conduit less than 2" I think it was. A power portaband was only allowed for larger conduit - anyway they could think to slow project down.

I like my power tools, when I can use them. I did a lot of woodwork using mostly hand tools back in '90s when living up a river in Guatemala, dugout canoe and all.
 
Back in 1990 my wife and I decided to do a bunch of remodeling on the boat (we'd lived on a 40 ft sailboat since 1980) and was looking for a place to do the work that would be less expensive than USA. We had a buddy living in Costa Rica and encouraged us to come there. We spent a month traveling around Costa Rica and decided that wasn't the place - no decent anchorages on east coast. Traveling back a friend put us in touch with a Houston OIlers football player who had a boat in Guatemala. We had a long talk, he gave us a phone number on a marina up the Rio Dulce river. Called the owner of mariana and talked a while with him, it sounded good. A couple weeks later we called him again and he told us pretty much the same story about how great it was to have work done. OK, we'll see you in a couple of months. Oct, 1990 we left Mobile, AL heading South. Really bad northern caught us on the Yunatan so we put into Isla Mujeres and due to weather got stuck there a month. In Dec we finally got to Guatemala, cleared customs and headed up the river to the marina.

We wound up spending almost a yr 'n half living up the river. Neat life there. The village we lived at had only got electric power the year before. There was still a bit of guerrilla war going on, but nothing really. When traveling you'd go thru government road blocks (complete with machine gun emplacements around) where you'd have to show ID and paperwork. A power line would get blown up sometimes and we'd be out of power for a few days.

One of the interesting things was the ghost stories they told in the hill country there, several were almost the same as the ghost stories I grew up with in the north Alabama hill country. Remember the phrase "flat raining" to describe a heavy rain? They used the same phrase - in Spanish of course.

I don't wish to clog up the forum with my tales, if interested send me a email. I've got a couple of "stories" written up. My last trip I flew to Thailand in 2005 and bummed around a month. Now, that was an interesting trip!

Later
 
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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Definitely agree with the Evolution saw. I bought one and absolutely love it. Totally worth the money.
 
Here is my cutoff saw setup. The swing / extension table helps with long stuff. The saw frame is heavy, with a chunk of thick plate as ballast. The handles are simple swingout rods that allow me to position the saw where necessary, with a kick foot height adjuster for irregularities in the concrete floor. The blades last a long time. I'm careful with the cut rate and pressure. Typically I'll get a couple of years service from one blade in my light duty shop.

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https://photos.google.com/u/0/photo/AF1QipOi1xRv9BZDtv-7kQNtf9WQZEKydxYqlWmAKEIU
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I keep some of the chips from spreading by adding a chip deflector. Most of the chips end up in a disposal bin under the saw frame. A magnetic floor sweeper is a must with this saw.
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The swingout handles are great for positioning the saw
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