Metal cutting saws -- too many options...

[klieber]

So I was all set to buy a used chop saw off CL until I decided to do a little research here. Now my head is swimming with options.

What I want: something that will cleanly and easily cut steel. Mostly 1/4" thick or less. Occasionally thicker (like a small I-beam for a gantry crane I want to make, though I could use the torch I just bought for that) Usually 2" square tube or smaller. Occasionally 4" square tube. I may eventually want to cut aluminum, but not right away. Occasionally iron pipe.

From what I've read here, chop saws are adequate, but noisy, tons of sparks and leave rough edges. So, I don't think I want one of those.

But I'm confused between the pros/cons of cold cut saws, cold saws and band saws.

Space is not an issue and I don't need anything portable. I have a 230V plug for my welder, along with regular 110V ones.

I'd like to spend $500 or less, but could go a smidge higher if it was worth it and, given a choice between lower price or higher quality, I'll pick higher quality.

So, with all that, what saw do I want?

 

[PCO6]

A 4"x6" bandsaw should be able to handle what you want to do and at a reasonable cost.

 

[canuckian]

I've seen the Evolution Rage2 saw recommended here a couple times. Did a bit of research on it myself and pretty sure that's the route I'm taking.

 

[klieber]

I've seen the rage2 recommended on here as well, but then others have said band saws are better and that's where I started to get confused.

 

[mossyboy6]

I have a rage 2, I also have a 4x6 bandsaw.

I use the drycut primarily.

 

[kyrbz]

For the uses you listed, I'd definitely go bandsaw. A cold saw would be best, but you're not going to find one in the price range you mentioned. If you're doing a lot of cutting of the stuff you mentioned with an dry cut evolution style saw, I think you'll spend a small fortune in blade sharpening. IMO the dry cut saws are best for thin wall materials.

http://grizzly.com/products/5-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw-w-Swivel-Head/G9742

http://grizzly.com/products/4-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw/G0622

One of the most used tools in my shop. I was one happy guy when I finally got a cold saw.

BZ

 

[txvwnut]

I've got a Evolution Rage2 and love it. Make a cut and you can pick the piece without buring your hand like with an abraisve saw. The blades are kinda expensive to replace but if you watch how you make your cut and what you cut you can get a good amount of cuts out a blade. I also have the Evolution hand held circular saw for cutting metal, its a heavy little ******* but is just the ticket if you are needing to cut sheet or anything else that you can't get with a chop type saw.

 

[redmondjp]

Here's what I'm buying, thanks to another thread on here - I just picked up a used Dewalt DWM120 that I'm going to use with it:

http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Portaband-Tables-Accessories_c_35.html

This will meet 99% of my metal-cutting needs. I already have a cutting torch and an abrasive disc saw, and my brother has two horizontal band saws if I want to drive an hour to his place.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

With the bandsaw you can walk away and do something else while it's cutting.

 

[RivennHewn]

Cutting the abrasive chop saw out is a good start.

One thing to consider is what type cuts are you looking to do.

I'm not sure how well the Rage cut miters, but a mitering bandsaw is the option I'm considering.

I want clean cuts, but need accurate angle cuts.

 

[klieber]

So what makes a bandsaw better than other options? Smoother cut? Longer lasting blade? All of the above?

 

[BD1]

The Rage or DEWALT Multi-Cutter Saw — 15 Amp, Model# DW872 has good reviews. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000302QS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-15-Amp-14-in-355mm-Multi-Cutter-Saw-DW872/203164101

It depends on what you plan on doing with it and if you have room for a band saw on a floor stand. I have a HF band saw that is 5 years old and used every week on mild steel. It's the 4x6 one and is still going. I bought it when it was really cheap in price, $115.00. The band saw is nice because you can set material in it ,turn on, and walk away. It's kind of a fielders choice but both would do well in any shop.

 

[zkling]

If you are doing mostly tubing, fab shop type work with thinner (~.25") structural pieces the evolution will be a good choice. Now if you plan on machine shop type diet of solid bar stock and 1"+ thick sections a horizontal bandsaw or professional cold saw would be better.

 

[Ign]

So what makes a bandsaw better than other options? Smoother cut? Longer lasting blade? All of the above?

Yes and yes. Plus works while you walk away, far less noise, blades way cheaper.

 

[EZH]

Went through the same decision just last month. In the end, I went with the Makita LC1230 metal cutting saw. Picked it up during the Zoro 30% off sale.

This is a heavy duty saw that comes with a 15 amp motor and a carbide tipped blade. I think it's a step up from the cheaper abrasive saws. A lot of good reviews on Amazon.

Check it out here >>>>>http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004YOLV/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Hope it helps.

Eric

 

[txvwnut]

I'd suggest a Roll-O-Matic band saw but those are just about out of every bodies price range. Got one at work and it's pretty damn awesome, clamp your material in flip the switch lift the handle and walk away. They also take up less space than a horizontal band saw but then again the price is just a little over the budget.

 

[454ragtop]

Where are you located? I still have the horizontal band saw listed here in the classifieds, nice American made (Johnson) saw, ready to go.
Jim

 

[klieber]

Where are you located?

I'm in Arizona, so MA would be a bit far for me.

I appreciate all the replies. At this point, I'm leaning towards the HF horizontal bandsaw. It gets surprisingly good reviews from other folks on the board (with the right blade) and, at $200-$250, it's cheap enough that I can use it for a year or two and decide if I want to upgrade to a "real" saw.

I especially like the "walk away and let it do its thing" option. I don't care about making quick cuts and there's always other things I can be doing in my garage while I'm waiting for a cut to finish.

 

[ishiboo]

I'd suggest a Roll-O-Matic band saw but those are just about out of every bodies price range. Got one at work and it's pretty damn awesome, clamp your material in flip the switch lift the handle and walk away. They also take up less space than a horizontal band saw but then again the price is just a little over the budget.

Well, if we're open to suggestions out of every bodies price range, I'd say a nice Marvel with the automatic feed. Just punch in the # of pieces you need, size, etc... and feed it tubing when it asks.

 

[Ign]

Oh hell yeah. Tilt frame vertical bandsaw with clamps on both sides, adjustable height jaws and nice big table..... you can accurately do funky angles in just about any material. The ultimate fabrication (and production) saw.

 

[kyrbz]

I appreciate all the replies. At this point, I'm leaning towards the HF horizontal bandsaw. It gets surprisingly good reviews from other folks on the board (with the right blade) and, at $200-$250, it's cheap enough that I can use it for a year or two and decide if I want to upgrade to a "real" saw.

I would spring just a little extra for the Grizzly version. Chinese manufacturers make their tools at different levels of quality control for different sellers. Harbor Freight is the very bottom level of quality control. Grizzly machines are made at a much higher level of quality control. Plus Grizzly is the best in the business when it comes to providing replacement parts for their machines. You might be able to use Grizzly replacement parts on a Harbor Freight saw, but sometimes their are small differences in machines manufactured for different sellers. Just my 2 cents.

BZ

 

[theoldwizard1]

Cold saws are great but $$$. If you are trying to save money and own a miter saw, get a Diablo Steel Demon blade. It would handle everything you said except the I-beam. Not the best for sheet metal.

Probably the best bang for your buck is a portable band saw and SWAG band saw table.

For sheet metal you need a stomp/jump shear, or a nibbler or a power shear and of course hand shears. A beverly shear is the ultimate for cutting curves.

 

[cruzer75]

Good choice on either the grizzly or HF version of the horizontal bandsaw.

 

[Ameshel]

I started out with a rigid chop saw 15 years ago and has served me well thru many many projects . The good is that the saw and blades are relatively cheap. The bad is it makes a huge mess and requires extra prep time before welding . Did I mention the clean up the black grit gets every where . I recently bought a dealt cold chop saw and love it. I mounted it on a rigid saw stand and like the setup . The down side is the price of the blades $80-150. I have gotten 300+ cuts and expect to make the suggested 600 cuts before sending the blade out for sharpening. On the good side you can go straight to welding as there has been no prep time. I all so add a harbor freight bandsaw and really like the fact that once the cut is started I can walk away and work on something else as the saw shuts down after the cut.

I hope this helps andym


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk, hobbiest ,Hobart 140 mig welder, Hobart ac/dc stick, miller 250 sycrowave tig, thermal dynamics plasma, Chicago electric 180 mig ( modified of course) , Powermatic/Everede mill.

 

[pdham]

I have a HF band saw I bought 20 years ago. The saw works great. The stand was ****, so I made my own. I have wanted to fab a chip pan and set up an auto lube system. One nice thing is that the band saw can be set up vertically and used with an auxiliary table making it a good tool for cutting odd metal shapes as long as they are small enough to work around the neck. I had recently thought about buying a cold saw but decided to keep an eye on auction sites for a larger horizontal band saw, or if I get lucky a small doall vertical bandsaw.

 

[ADSR]

For the uses you listed, I'd definitely go bandsaw. A cold saw would be best, but you're not going to find one in the price range you mentioned. If you're doing a lot of cutting of the stuff you mentioned with an dry cut evolution style saw, I think you'll spend a small fortune in blade sharpening. IMO the dry cut saws are best for thin wall materials.

http://grizzly.com/products/5-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw-w-Swivel-Head/G9742

I own this one. After about 200 cuts the import motor just likes the catch fire. I have to find a replacement.

 

[kyrbz]

I own this one. After about 200 cuts the import motor just likes the catch fire. I have to find a replacement.

I guess the saw was out of warranty when the problem developed? Grizzly is generally very good about replacing any defective product that's still under warranty.

Baileigh is another company that I've had pretty good experiences with in regard to warranty and parts. I have a Baileigh cold saw that developed some problems way after it was out of warranty. Baileigh replaced the parts no charge telling me that there was a bad batch of this particular part and they were replacing them free of charge regardless of warranty for any customer who had problems with it. I also have a Baileigh portable bandsaw that they don't sell anymore. I was worried they might not have parts for it, but so far they've had the replacement parts I've needed, and ship them out very fast.

When I'm not wanting to spend a lot on a particular machine, I generally opt for Grizzly because of their excellent parts department and customer service. I've had nightmares trying to get parts for Powermatic, Jet, Delta, and Laguna machines.

BZ

 

[sailah]

I had a 4x6 bandsaw. I finally gave it to a buddy. I tried everything to keep it together and for it to cut straight, but it was just a piece. The pulleys were busted, the bearings wouldn't hold the blade right. Most of the time I didn't care because I was hacking up bar stock and finishing it in the lathe but it would not cut square.

I bought this for $300 and never looked back. DoAll C-4 bandsaw with coolant and hydraulic downfeed. It's three phase but the motor is common enough in single phase frame size you could swap it.

 

[antinym]

Since no one else has mentioned it, the HF metal circ saw makes surprisingly good, clean, and straight cuts through 1/4.

Though. being a circ saw, it has it's pros and cons.

 

[sb7979]

I have the Rage Evolution 2 saw and a Milwaukee portable band-saw mounted to a SWAG table.

For more precise, or square cuts, I use the Evolution and it works fantastic. I have not worn out the original blade or had it sharpened yet, but I did buy another one when Menards had them on sale ($70-ish).

I only use the band-saw for freehand or rough cuts. This is because the way my saw mounts to the table the blade is not parallel to the miter gage slots. At first I thought I used the wrong holes, as the mount is universal, but then I saw the instructions mentioned this fact. I wish I had known this when I ordered the table and had them include the miter gage for $60. Also the $20 foot switch they (SWAG) will sell you is just the one available at Harbor Freight for $12.99.

 

[Illini Pete]

Greetings,

I've got an upright, floor standing bandsaw (14"?) that I bought from a machine shop that had used it for aluminum although it is actually a wood-cutting saw. If I put a metal-cutting (steel) blade on it can I use it to cut light steel, say 1/8" thick plate?

Thanks Guys,
Pete

 

[Ign]

Greetings,

I've got an upright, floor standing bandsaw (14"?) that I bought from a machine shop that had used it for aluminum although it is actually a wood-cutting saw. If I put a metal-cutting (steel) blade on it can I use it to cut light steel, say 1/8" thick plate?

Thanks Guys,
Pete

Blade speed will be too high. Use a quality lubricant (they make a "stick" like stick glue that you run on the blade before cutting, too), wear ears and don't expect the blade to last very long and it'll work, depending upon your definition of work.

 

[Illini Pete]

Blade speed will be too high. Use a quality lubricant (they make a "stick" like stick glue that you run on the blade before cutting, too), wear ears and don't expect the blade to last very long and it'll work, depending upon your definition of work.

Thanks! I'll rarely be using it to cut steel but would like to have that ability. I assume from your comment that I should use a slow, easy feed?

Thanks again,
Pete