MEP SL 350 MP.. high speed cold saw

montanawoodco · Jul 1, 2019

Iv posted a few times about this saw, I have been cleaning it and getting it up to snuff. The last issue I am having is described below:

When I engage the trigger and pull the saw head down, there is a slight wobble, its not as noticeable when the RPM is set to 3400 but I need to cut at 1700. I have been tinkering with it, cant find the cause. Any ideas why? Has anyone encountered an issue like this on an older high speed cold saw?

john.k · Jul 1, 2019

The warping is caused by heat.........a similar effect happens in the old 8' diameter sawmill saws made of carbon steel........an experienced saw doctor can peen the blade on a flat anvil and cure the buckle...........where to find such a person?........if the runout isnt great,live with it.Never apply coolant /water to the machine ,the blade will shatter from shrinkage forces........These saws are designed to be used by unskilled labour,the only caveat is dont apply excessive pressure ,the saw must cut free,with a shower of sparks pouring from the cut.Dont baby it either ,or the blade will wear excessively.The motor should nave plenty of power to run free without slowing in the cut.......And wear both earplugs,and earmuffs.

Dan from Oakland · Jul 2, 2019

"Sparks flying from the cut" ?????? Its a cold saw- usually used for non-ferrous materials. What did I miss?

john.k · Jul 2, 2019

You missed where it runs at 3400rpm,and its a friction saw.......nothing cold about it.........."Pay attention down the back"

montanawoodco · Jul 2, 2019

john.k said:
You missed where it runs at 3400rpm,and its a friction saw.......nothing cold about it.........."Pay attention down the back"

Runs at 1700/3400 RPM, it’s a non ferrous cold saw, confirmed by a guy who builds friction saws and knows everything there is to know about saws.

projectnut · Jul 2, 2019

Dan from Oakland said:
"Sparks flying from the cut" ?????? Its a cold saw- usually used for non-ferrous materials. What did I miss?

Dake-MEP did make a number of "high speed" industrial cold saws. The Cobra 350 series had a 2 speed spindle with speeds of 1700 and 3450 rpm. They also use a 14" blade for cutting materials up to 4" round stock or 3" square stock.

Here's a link to a Dake MEP brochure the larger automated saws start on page 7. I didn't see the exact model the OP was referring to in this brochure.

file:///C:/Users/fourm/Machine%20Shop%20Info/Black%20&%20Decker%20Chop%20Saw/dake-mep-cold-saws-brochure.pdf

Here's a listing for an Kalamazoo (MEP) SL350 on eBay:
14” KALAMAZOO (MEP) Cold Saw / Non Ferrous #SL350 | eBay

Dan from Oakland · Jul 2, 2019

Yup- we have the same saw, and know it quite well- great for aluminum and brass/bronze, but it's not (in my opinion) anywhere near rigid enough to try and use it for friction cutting.

gustafson · Jul 2, 2019

I have been running a Kalamazoo non ferrous cold saw for 25 years. I have also replaced the bearings twice.

If the wobble is minor I would throw a piece of aluminum in it and see what the cut looks like.

With a good blade, good bearings and good setup it should look like a nicely fly cut surface, and and be as square as the saw is.

montanawoodco · Jul 2, 2019

gustafson said:
I have been running a Kalamazoo non ferrous cold saw for 25 years. I have also replaced the bearings twice.

If the wobble is minor I would throw a piece of aluminum in it and see what the cut looks like.

With a good blade, good bearings and good setup it should look like a nicely fly cut surface, and and be as square as the saw is.

thx, where are the bearings located?

gustafson · Jul 2, 2019

C'mon, where do you think they are?

DDoug · Jul 2, 2019

gustafson said:
C'mon, where do you think they are?

Well, the good ones are sitting on the shelf, of the local bearing house.

guest · Jul 3, 2019

I have a Kalamazoo FA350, which is the automatic version.

I use it for aluminum extrusions, with a carbide tipped blade and a spray mister on each side of the blade. It's noisy as hell, but it makes beautiful square cuts.

I replaced bearings on it about 5 years ago because it was tripping the thermal overload. It's a standard bearing, I just ordered them from McMaster. It was about a 2 hour job, not complicated at all- I would probably do it in half that time if I had to do it again.

It's a great saw for aluminum and plastics, not at all practical to cut steel on one though. I have a Doringer D350 manual cold saw for cutting steel (or the band saw if it's too big for the cold saw).

gustafson · Jul 3, 2019

guest said:
I have a Kalamazoo FA350, which is the automatic version.

Have the same saw, bought new in 1994

Thought it was finally getting worn out but when we replaced the bearings found that the setscrew holding the bearing assembly in had disappeared

Oh, that's why it wanders......

Switched to flood years ago, mister would get clogged and you would come back to find the thing melted through a heatsink

guest · Jul 3, 2019

gustafson said:
...Switched to flood years ago, mister would get clogged and you would come back to find the thing melted through a heatsink

Haha, I know exactly what you're talking about.

If the OP wants to cut steel on his, tomorrow would be a good day to try it out...

montanawoodco · Jul 3, 2019

guest said:
Haha, I know exactly what you're talking about.

If the OP wants to cut steel on his, tomorrow would be a good day to try it out...

Been cutting steel with an abrasive wheel, 14", works but gets hot. Ordered a nice dry saw blade for steel rated at 1800 rpm's. I will give it a go, see what comes of it. If worst comes to worst, I will give the saw a nice cleaning and sell it. At the price I paid I should come out on top, given the pneumatic vise work great and after a half assed cleaning it already looks better than how it looked when I bought it.

gustafson · Jul 6, 2019

IF you are cutting steel then that is the best idea, a slow speed cold saw would be better

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