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Saw for metal cutting

fly_sd

Aluminum
Joined
May 20, 2006
Location
San Diego,US
I would like to buy a saw for making decent cuts in metal. In the past I have used a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade for making rough cuts and this has worked well but I find even with a fine blade it is hard to keep the cuts stright and also the cuts end up being a bit jagged. I guess I need to think about purchasing some kind of fixed benchtop saw and was looking for suggestions on the best kind of saw for doing this.
 
Well, there's always the cold saw. Wilton makes a tiny coldsaw called a Willy 225 that will produce a near-milled finish in soft materials (not hardened steel). It doesn't like annealed drill rod that much but will make it through.

It is a fixed benchtop saw and has a small coolant reservoir.

I mostly use it with the length-stop on a short-run production part I do a couple times a year.

The tradeoff...it isn't cheap, nor is any other cold-saw for that matter.

Other than that, for general purpose work a horizontal bandsaw you can swing vertical from time to time will do a very decent job with a little bit of tuning and tweaking.

A portaband is useful for whacking small pieces off a long bar but forget about getting a straight cut
 
I see a new type of saw in Horrible Freight for cutting wood, metal and plastics. It's a handheld circular saw with twin counter rotating blades. It will cut(according to the ad) 1-1/2" in wood, 3/16" in plastic and 1/8" in metal (including stainless).This doesn't seem viable to me. If the carbide tipped blades turn in opposite directions then there has to be a space between them and although a saw blade is supposed to cut on it's periphery, with no material on one side, the two blades will have a tendency to be pushed somewhat together which could cause a hell of a racket. Besides they want $160.00 for it.

Why don't you buy one and let us know how it works out. :D

Jim W.
 
I don't expect to cut anything too big or thick - some form of benchtop saw has been on my "to get list" for a while. On this occasion the specific project in mind is to modify a flight yoke clip to accomodate the cheapo timer I picked up at Walmart that has a magnetic base. The clip of course has the timer platform made of aluminum so the magnetic clamp will not work. I was planning to cut and bend a piece of galvanized steel to swap the aluminum piece out. It will only be about 1" X 4" by 1/8" think. Most people I think use Velcro to attach the timer so the magnetic arranegemnt would be cool I think.

I will stop by good old Horrible and see what they have to offer.
 
Sorry I guess my original post was not too clear - what I ws getting at was what would be the best benchtop saw to give relatively clean and straight cuts in metal - ie hopefully no need for further grinding or finishing - and metal in this instance meaning typically Al or steel no greater than about 3/16" thick.
 
Milwaukee sells a metal cutting saw that is great. I have one and it cuts extremely smooth to a near milled finish. Cutting through I beams, angle iron, and aluminum plate is a snap. While the blades are pricey; they are cheaper per cut than anything else I can find. Satisfaction is ripping ten inch I beams without a burn permit. The cut edge is as smooth as many hog mills and it beats the cut of a band saw, in both speed and finish.

The saw turns rpms about half of a wood cutting saw. It is also well guarded and has a built in chip catcher. I have been putting wood cutting blades on this saw and it is great for hardwoods too. It will cut Lexan without melt and it makes easy work of two inch nylon plate. Normally nylon melts and grabs the blade. The slower speeds are really a big advantage.

I have given up on torches and almost forget to use the sawzall. My biggest problem is keeping the mitts of my fellow workers off my toy.

Charlie Biler
www.molineparts.com
 
If you are wanting something economical for cutting all sorts of odd things, eg not suitable for a saw, one thing to try is a very thin cutting disc in a 4 1/2" angle grinder.

We use discs about 0.8mm (say .030" or 1/32") thick (maybe even thinner). These things are really amazing - if you are used to the old thick cut off discs (or sabre saws, jigsaws etc), you have got a very pleasant surprise in store.

You can do surgery with these, they don't even harm paint when cutting sheetmetal there is so little heat produced. Will handle thicker, say 5mm (3/16") steel like a dream. Truly a very handy tool. The secret is the thinness - don't even bother if its thicker than the size above.

BTW, you can get simple little gadgets that hold a 4 1/2" angle grinder and turn it into a cut off saw - we have one permanently set up for cutting key steel to length.
 
There is no one saw that will cut everything- much like a professional chef will have a half dozen knives, or a woodworker will have chisels, planes, and saws, a metalworker will end up with a wide variety of ways to cut things, each suited to particular shapes, materials, speeds and finish qualities.

I have a whole arsenal of cutting devices, including 4 bandsaws, a cold saw, an ironworker, plasma cutters, a scroll saw, a panel saw, a table saw, and a shelf full of hand power tools.

However, if I only had to have one metal cutting device, that I would use in the most widely varied set of circumstances, it would have to be the lowly 4x6 horizontal bandsaw from taiwan.
It will cut round, square, pipe, flat bar, and tubing up to about 3" in diameter, and tilted up, you can cut small pieces of sheet and plate. You can notch, slit, and bevel with it if your are careful and patient. I sit on mine and cut 1/2" plate, or shapes from 16 ga.
Its pretty cheap- $150 to $300, depending on quality and vendor.
Its pretty small, its on wheels, and you can sit on it.

Nope, it wont do everything- throat depth is only 6", so creative tactic are sometimes called for- mark both sides of the sheet, cut 1/4 of the way, flip it, cut another quarter, turn it around, and so on.

But for a first "bench" saw, its what I would buy.
Personally, I like the Jet- better parts availability, and they usually run right out of the box, and the motors are generally (but not always) better.

I also agree with Peter that a cut disc in a 4 1/2" grinder is handy, if a bit sketchy in terms of safety. There have been many times, especially on jobsites, where one has saved my bacon.
 
Any thoughts on getting a cut off saw. It seems like it would be easy to use by clamping the work and then bringing the wheel down. Any obvious disadvatages?
 
If by "cut off saw" you mean a small abrasive chop saw, yeah, they are easy to use- for one thing- cutting small sections to length.

That is, they can cut up to about 2" square, round, angle, flat, and so on.

They are a quick cheap solution if that is what you need to do- cut shorter pieces from 20 foot or 12 foot lengths.

They are also noisy, throw sparks and grit, and leave a burr, but these are all compromises many people are willing to make for the low price.

Lots of people use em.

They will not cut sheet, wider than a couple of inches, or cut shapes or notches, like a small bandsaw will.

Ideally, you need both. Start with a cheap abrasive chop saw, and then get a cheap bandsaw, and you will be able to do a lot.

You have to remember, some of us have this disease in its advanced stages. My metal cutting equipment alone cost more than a small house would, in many rural parts of the midwest.
 
fly_sd, the abrasive cut off saw is an excellent thing to have if you are say cutting up lengths of steel on site away from the workshop, but they are pretty obnoxious things if you are working with others, ie noise and dust. Generally they are lightweight with no real vise, not intended for accurate work.

A cold saw uses the same basic layout, but with slow speed HSS toothed blade, decent vise, excellent cuts - but expensive and the blades are expensive to replace when someone finally breaks it....My first choice, but limited to the sizes they will handle, you still need a reciprocater or band saw for large stuff.

The 4"x6" bandsaw that Ries mentions are alot better than you may think. They look like crap, are crap, yet work very well, there is nothing like them for the price as far as I can see.

ps, I mentioned the thin cut off discs in post above, not to replace a decent saw, but because I think you mentioned workpieces that wouldn't fit in the saw. Could be all you need for these occasional jobs that won't fit the saw you already have.
 
OK thanks - all good information - I guess I will go with the 4"X6" bandsaw as suggested. HF has one for around the $180 mark - that probably looks like a good bet. Went and had a look at one today.
 
I have one of the Porter Cable carbide blade metal cuting saws. I really like it for aluminum but it makes a lot of noise on steel and is not a lot of fun to be around - even with ear plugs and muffs. For steel I have switched over to a 7x12 Jet bandsaw. I have fought three of the little 4x6 monsters over the years and the 7x12 is just so much nicer to use. The blade stays on and the cuts don't wanter nearly as much in larger stock. I got mine off of Craigslist for not much more than a Hf 4x6. It took a while for an affordable one to show up, but it was worth the wait.
 








 
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