Looking For Cold Saw Blades

[projectnut]

As many of you already know i picked up a Baileigh CS-350EU cold saw earlier this year. The saw is up and running so now it's time to invest in a few blades. I'm looking for a blade to do mild steel flats, rounds and round & square tubing. I'm also looking for one to cut nonferrous materials mainly 6061 aluminum rounds, flats, and tubing. This saw won't be used in a production situation, but rather as needed to cut stock for fabricating repair parts and prototypes. As such I would guess it would be used 5 hours or less per week. Suggestions would be appreciated.

The one currently on the machine is for mild steel and is working well, but I have no idea when it was last sharpened. I'd like to buy a couple new blades and send the current one out for sharpening.

 

[memphisjed]

The best price we have found is scotchmans sales page. Demo blades come up often enough there. Your blade sharpener likely has a source they recommend. You need 4 blades minimum. 2 at sharpener, 2 in stock. Nothing breaks faster than lonely taps and blades.
Never got blades from them- user triplechip sells blades and has passed knowledge on here.

 

[Ries]

Quinn. Thats “triplechips” company. I have been using them for years, buying blades, having them sharpened mail order, and getting free advice.

 

[reggie_obe]

Forrest Saw blades, Clifton, NJ, makes, sells and resharpens.
I've had cold saw blades resharpened there, very economical.

Forrest Saw Blades: Quality Saw Blades & Dados

Serious woodworkers count on American-made Forrest saw blades for smooth, quiet cuts, every time... without splintering, scratching or tearouts.

www.forrestblades.com

 

[Bill D]

Diameter and bore?

 

[projectnut]

Diameter is 350mm. Bore is 32mm. Current blade is 2.5 mm thick.

 

[13engines]

Even though your saw may take a 350mm blade, you want to run the smallest blade you can that will fit the stock size you intend to cut. The big blades won't make as accurate a cut and they are also a lot noisier. I got this straight from the Scotchman rep, and he was right. I have a 2 speed Scotchman and run 315's almost exclusively. It's nice to have the size if you need it, but think small if you can. Besides, I believe the smaller blades are cheaper to buy and re-sharpen.

I find the Scotchman blades to be reasonably priced and their sharpening is reasonable with a fairly quick turnaround. And no... I don't work for them :-)

 

[projectnut]

Even though your saw may take a 350mm blade, you want to run the smallest blade you can that will fit the stock size you intend to cut. The big blades won't make as accurate a cut and they are also a lot noisier. I got this straight from the Scotchman rep, and he was right. I have a 2 speed Scotchman and run 315's almost exclusively. It's nice to have the size if you need it, but think small if you can. Besides, I believe the smaller blades are cheaper to buy and re-sharpen.

I find the Scotchman blades to be reasonably priced and their sharpening is reasonable with a fairly quick turnaround. And no... I don't work for them :-)

Thanks for the tip. This is my first experience with a cold saw. Until now I hadn't even measured the blade on the machine. I just went out to the shop and low and behold the blade on the machine is a 315 mm. When cutting some material, the last few days I thought it was far noisier than either the bandsaw or power hacksaw. It's right up there in volume with the chop saw. Fortunately, the cut is far superior.

I think the 315 mm blades should cover just about anything I plan to cut in the near future. If I run into the need to cut bigger stuff I can always go back to using the bandsaw. The bandsaw has always done a good job. It's a bit slower than the cold saw, but can handle bigger material. Anything that's too big for that saw will have to be done by someone else. I'm getting too old to jockey around stuff that won't fit in that saw.

 

[Bill D]

For woodworking circular saw blades my sharpener charges by the tooth. I am not aware of a diameter charge except a bigger blade of similar tooth spacing would have more teeth. So I do not agree that a bigger blade really costs more to sharpen for a given amount of cutting.
I was in no hurry so he waited for afternoon to switch over to bigger diameter work before doing my 15" blade. I think morning was 7" then 10" blades.
Bill D

 

[triplechip]

As many of you already know i picked up a Baileigh CS-350EU cold saw earlier this year. The saw is up and running so now it's time to invest in a few blades. I'm looking for a blade to do mild steel flats, rounds and round & square tubing. I'm also looking for one to cut nonferrous materials mainly 6061 aluminum rounds, flats, and tubing. This saw won't be used in a production situation, but rather as needed to cut stock for fabricating repair parts and prototypes. As such I would guess it would be used 5 hours or less per week. Suggestions would be appreciated.

The one currently on the machine is for mild steel and is working well, but I have no idea when it was last sharpened. I'd like to buy a couple new blades and send the current one out for sharpening.

Hi projectnut,
My company stocks cold saw blades in blanks. We can custom grind for most cold saw applications. Give me a call at the shop and I can help you out.
Bill
www.quinnsaw.com

 

[DrHook]

Another thumbs up for Scotchman. That is where I send mine for re-sharp, which only happens if I do something foolish...
I do not work for them, either, but I do live only 70 miles away...

 

[M. Moore]

No one has yet mentioned tooth pitch? You will need different pitch blades for different sized material.
I run two cold saws, an 11” and a 16” machine.
For steel solid stock 5/8” thick to 1” thick a 10mm pitch blade is what you need.
I cut mostly 3/4” x 4” flat bar on edge on my 16” machine and I use a 10mm pitch blade. The Eisele machines have a pitch chart on every machine. It is very handy to refer to when changing material sizes often.
On my 11” machine I have about 10 blades in five different pitches. 3mm pitch is for anything under 1/8” wall thickness, 6mm does up to 3” square x 1/8 wall thickness etc. So look up the pitch you need for each size of material you want to cut and get the right blade.

I think the sales rep was apologizing for a crappy machine? There is no logical reason why a larger blade should cut poorly if it is the correct pitch for the material.
I cut four inch stock on edge and butt joint weld the parts together given that the cuts are perfectly square in both directions it is a pleasure to do the assembly.
My saws purr through the material and I don’t consider them to be noisy machines. Sometimes thin ERW material will ring a bit but that is the material not the machine.
Find a copy of the Eisele /Walter tooth pitch chart and print it out for your machine as it is very handy.
The company I use is in Canada and their blades are very good but probably not helpful for you in your location.
Good luck,
Michael

 

[projectnut]

Over the last few weeks, I've contacted several companies that make and sell cold saw blades. I purchased my first blade from Grand Blanc Industries in Grand Blanc Michigan. It's a 350 mm diameter 100 tooth HSS blade ground for cutting aluminum. I used it last week on some 1 3/4" solid round stock and so far, am pleased with the performance. No excessive noise and great finish. At this point I'm feeding at a slower rate to make sure the blade is broken in properly. Even at the slower feed rate it's as fast as the bandsaw and slightly more accurate. After the break in period, I would expect it to be noticeably faster than the bandsaw. If things work out as planned this will be the go-to saw for aluminum. It will minimize the need for changing blades on both machines.

I can see I'm going to have to find a better way to deal with the swarf. Currently it is just washed from the kerf area by the flood coolant. It tends to pile up around the vise and eventually flow into the coolant return trough. The trough drain has a screen and a filter to keep it out of the coolant tank, so it just piles up. After about a dozen cuts there were piles of swarf at the base of the vise and in the coolant trough. At the rate it piles up I would think it would have to be manually removed multiple times an hour. To this point I'm just dedicating a wet/dry shop vac to do the job. It's quick and clean, but I'm sure there is some coolant loss. Time will tell if the coolant loss is substantial.

I talked to the salesman last Wednesday about purchasing a couple more blades and sharpening the ones I have. Through our conversation I learned they are the primary supplier for Baileigh cold saws. I was going to ask where Baileigh ranked in the hierarchy of cold saws (my guess is they are on the lower end) but after seeing they not only supply blades but also sell their machines I thought the reply might be slightly biased.

 

[triplechip]

projectnut,
Check out a Unist system for your cold saw. https://unist.com/product.html?prod=sbl

It might be a little less maintenance, and easier to clean the swarf.

Bill

 

[63steward]

As many of you already know i picked up a Baileigh CS-350EU cold saw earlier this year. The saw is up and running so now it's time to invest in a few blades. I'm looking for a blade to do mild steel flats, rounds and round & square tubing. I'm also looking for one to cut nonferrous materials mainly 6061 aluminum rounds, flats, and tubing. This saw won't be used in a production situation, but rather as needed to cut stock for fabricating repair parts and prototypes. As such I would guess it would be used 5 hours or less per week. Suggestions would be appreciated.

The one currently on the machine is for mild steel and is working well, but I have no idea when it was last sharpened. I'd like to buy a couple new blades and send the current one out for sharpening.

 

[63steward]

Hi Projectnut,
I recently picked up a Doringer model 300 for ridiculously cheap, and I restored it. I don’t know about the arbor fit on your machine vs the Doringer. My model has two locating pins on hub. Doringer offers CNC sharpening service for a reasonable cost ( compared to cost if new blades). They are located in Los Angeles area, and answer the phone. Going to send some of mine in as they are all worn. They will sharpen one for free, then like $26 and up per, depending on tooth count.
As several have stated in this thread, tooth count matters based on material being cut. This is based on my current limited knowledge and review of literature on cold saws.