Cut off saw UPGRADE???

[Youngfd]

I currently have a Milwaukee 14" Abrasive Cut-off Machine. Looking to upgrade to something much better. Tired of the abrasive wheels and also the clamp system is very poor for 1/4" material or less. The clamp has a radius and material tends to jam into that and cut crooked. Carbide tip saw? Willing to spend the $$$ to get something with quality.

 

[xela456]

Carbide chop saw will definitely fit your needs and take up the same amount of room. Same capacity with a better clamp system. I 5hink people here like the evolution dry cut saws.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

There is also the Femi 782 if that interests you.

 

[matt_i]

Unless you need the abrasive wheel to cut hardened stuff, I'd look at a 4x6 or 7x12 horizontal bandsaw (a rolling, stationary tool).

There are "cold saws" which use slow HSS blades but those are another step in cost past a bandsaw. But give you a finish close to what a milling machine would do in squaring & cleaning up the bandsaw's rough cut.

 

[lis2323]

The Makita LC1230 gets good reviews and I really like mine.



But I will NEVER ever get rid of my 35 year old abrasive chop saw for all the oddball and unknown hardness metal cuts.




Horizontal bandsaws are good too. Depends on your needs.

 

[Youngfd]

Thanks I will do my research

 

[slackdaddy1]

Another vote for the Makita, I throw my old abrasive one out after getting the makita dry saw.

 

[tarbellb]

Depends on usage, but if you are a heavy home gamer I'd go with a band saw.

Having owned and used cold saw, large band saw, small band saw, dry cut saw (like the Makita above), and abrasive, I'd go with small to medium band saw.

The FEM or Femi is a high quality bench top model, and Grizzly has a excellent pivoting head floor model for <$1000.

 

[zkling]

https://scotchman.com/cold-saws/manual-and-semi-automatic/

 

[MJK]

I have a 14" evolution chop saw I got for $200ish at my local Home Depot. It takes a little longer to set up for the angle I want, but otherwise it is wonderful for the light tubing work I do and IMO is an exceptional value compared to the others I found on offer.

 

[txvwnut]

Rage Evolution owner here and love it. No dust cuts fast and the metal is cool to the touch when done cutting. Plus if the need arises you can cut lumber or a brick paver, I haven’t tried cutting a paver but I have cut a few 2x’s with it.

 

[eyeball]

Another vote for the Makita, I throw my old abrasive one out after getting the makita dry saw.

Make it 3 votes for the Mikita.

 

[sam.coll]

The Makita LC1230 gets good reviews and I really like mine.



But I will NEVER ever get rid of my 35 year old abrasive chop saw for all the oddball and unknown hardness metal cuts.




Horizontal bandsaws are good too. Depends on your needs.

Makita dry cut gets he vote here also! lis2323 bought that stand for the saw or shop made? looks like a great idea, anymore pics?

Cheers,
Sam

 

[lis2323]

Makita dry cut gets he vote here also! lis2323 bought that stand for the saw or shop made? looks like a great idea, anymore pics?

Cheers,
Sam

Shop made,Sam.



The swivel base I bought off Amazon is designed for a boat seat

 

[tarbellb]

Damn, thats **** lis2323. Nice work.

For reference heres the Grizzly that gets good reviews both here and
online:

G9742 at $725 shipped
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-5-x-6-1-2-HP-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw-w-Swivel-Head/G9742

 

[lis2323]

[emoji23]thanks, tarbellb!

 

[tarbellb]

Those fender flares!

 

[MushCreek]

Will the dry cut saws cut thick, solid steel? I use a horizontal bandsaw to cut chunks of steel for milling projects, but it's slow, and takes up a huge amount of shop space. It's an old Kalamazoo with 24" (!) capacity. I don't need a saw that size to cut a 2x4 chunk of steel, but the price was right. I plan to clean it up and sell it so I can buy something smaller. The thing uses about 20 sq ft of shop floor.

 

[dutchgray]

I have an Evolution carbide blade saw that I was given, it doesn't cut square at the moment, I think it must have been dropped and the pressed steel base isn't flat anymore.
I also have a Q&S 10" horizontal bandsaw I bought cheap as it hasn't been used for years and needed some work to bring it back into use, unfortunately it got tipped over and the arm frame got bent so it needs to come apart and go on a hydraulic press if I want that to cut square as well.

 

[sberry]

I use abrasive, I cut so much junk. The clamp works well and on reason I never move it. If I absolutely have to miter I cut the corners other ways, usually plasma. The forum has a lot of angle cuts, I really very rarely do it, simply am the designer and don't need to. Built 200 benches with all 90 degree cuts.

 

[Ralphxj]

Dake 350sa

 

[tarbellb]

Will the dry cut saws cut thick, solid steel? I use a horizontal bandsaw to cut chunks of steel for milling projects, but it's slow, and takes up a huge amount of shop space. It's an old Kalamazoo with 24" (!) capacity. I don't need a saw that size to cut a 2x4 chunk of steel, but the price was right. I plan to clean it up and sell it so I can buy something smaller. The thing uses about 20 sq ft of shop floor.

I wouldn't recommend it. The speed creates a lot of heat when buried, it will ruin the blade. Band saw is much better suited for that type of task.

Your band saw sounds nice, but sometimes overkill is just that. I'm sure someone on this forum wants that monster.

 

[lis2323]

Will the dry cut saws cut thick, solid steel? I use a horizontal bandsaw to cut chunks of steel for milling projects, but it's slow, and takes up a huge amount of shop space. It's an old Kalamazoo with 24" (!) capacity. I don't need a saw that size to cut a 2x4 chunk of steel, but the price was right. I plan to clean it up and sell it so I can buy something smaller. The thing uses about 20 sq ft of shop floor.

Mush an old power hacksaw would be perfect for cutting up your chunks for machining.

A friend had an old Taiwan import he had picked up at an auction. It had been dropped off the back of a truck. Literally. [emoji35]

I spent WAY too much time fixing it but it cuts square. Time would have been better invested in a Keller or similar but nothing ever comes up for sale around here.

 

[MushCreek]

That's what I figured. I want a decent smaller saw; the 4X6 ones all seem to be garbage. A power hacksaw would be cool, especially an old one that I could restore. I used to run an ancient one back in the 70's. It had automatic stock feed. At the end of the cut, the head would lift back up, the vise would open, the stock would advance forward to a stop, the vise would close, and it would begin sawing again. All mechanical!

 

[dnschmidt]

I have the original dry cut saw: the Porter-Cable 1410. If it dies I'll buy the M. K. Morse or Fein which look to me to be built in the same factory in Taiwan. Abrasive cut off saws are for cutting rebar and that's about it.

 

[lis2323]

I have the original dry cut saw: the Porter-Cable 1410. If it dies I'll buy the M. K. Morse or Fein which look to me to be built in the same factory in Taiwan. Abrasive cut off saws are for cutting rebar and that's about it.

[emoji106]and odd shaped or short pieces you can’t clamp securely in your dry cut saw.

 

[Youngfd]

I purchased the Makita LC1230. Made one test cut thru some 3/8" flatbar and I am sold.. Just a hobby shop, not doing production work. j