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Nothern Tool 14" Dry Cut Saw review/Initial impressions...

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TerryH

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I had debated about getting a horizontal band saw or a dry cut saw for cutting tubing, angle and the like in my shop. I decided that I would go with the dry cut saw for a variety of reasons including the cost and the small foot print of the dry cut saws. I'm a wood worker and the dry cut saw was a much more familiar platform for me to work with vs the horizontal band saw as well. After looking at the Rage saws and several others, I decided to go with the Northern Tool 14" saw for $279.99 with free shipping. The saw comes with a 2 year warranty.

Seems that there has been quite a bit of interest in these saws of late so I thought I'd post a mini-review and my initial impressions.

Here is the link to the NT website...

Norhtern Tool 14" Dry Cut Saw

The saw arrived packaged very well and undamaged. NT uses a heavy cardboard box with custom fit styrofoam inserts to hold the saw.





I checked the saw for setup and it was dead on 90 degrees right out of the box.

The saw is very similar to a abrasive chop saw but it turns only 1300 rpm vs the closer to 4000 rpm of an abrasive saw.



The all metal blade guard covers the entire blade until you begin to move the saw into the work. The blade is a 72 tooth metal blade with carbide teeth.





The hinge mechanism and the table are very similar to a quality chop saw. The saw also has a quick release clamp on the fence screw which is nice.





The base is a cast metal I assume it's aluminum. It is not magnetic anyway even though the NT website lists the base as "steel." I had assumed that it was stamped steel but it is obviously cast.



I made some initial cuts just to see how it would do with 2x2x1/4" angle. The cuts are very smooth and completely burr free. I'm impressed all the way around. The saw is not nearly as loud as one would think a metal blade cutting metal would be.

Here is the cut quality on the angle...



The saw has a chip collection tray under the blade. It is secured with a wing bolt on the rear of the saw. I'd say that 50% of the chips go in the tray and 50% go everywhere else. I'll be making some sort of tray to help capture the chips a little better once I complete the bench that the saw will be used on.





The saw has a chip deflector that is adjustable to help guide as many chips as possible into the tray.



This is not my video. I found it while I was researching the saw. I thought I'd post it here since this guy does a great job of showing how easily this saw makes a cut.

YouTube video of the saw in action.

All in all I am more than pleased with the saw and it is certainly on my recommended tool list. It seems very well built and the overall quality is very good. It was a completely pain free transaction with NT also. It was my first purchase from them but it will likely not be my last. Thanks for looking. Hope this helps someone.

Terry
 
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Stinger

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I've cut stainless tubing with mine a number of times without a problem. The only thing I cut that seemed to hurt the blade was a thick cast steel part. It's WAY louder now that I've dulled the blade quite a bit. I need to send the blade off and get it sharpened.
 
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Mohawk Dave

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Nice review. Thanks.

I've been really looking into getting the Rage 3. Can you explain why you went with this instead of Rage? It seems to me that a miter saw is so much more useful.

I have the regular Ridgid Abrasive, but I hate changing the angles, since the table is fixed.

Either way, nice saw!
 
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Mohawk Dave

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BTW, it's pretty comical how many warning stickers they need to put on tools now-a-days to mitigate lawsuits. lol
 
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Jack Olsen

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Thanks for writing this up, Terry. The saw looks similar to my Milwaukee 6190-20. I've recommended the Northern Tools model to guys who are put off by the typical price for these, and it's good to know this one seems decent. Ultimately, it's the blade that's going to have the biggest impact on the saw's performance (the base comes in second), and the good news is that you aren't limited to the NT one. I don't run Milwaukee blades on my Milwaukee saw. I use Freud Diablos, which used to be available for $40 through Cripe. I think I'm on my second blade, and I've had the saw since 2009.

I also use a portaband, and a portaband with a Swag Offroad base. But the dry cut saw is the easiest and quickest way to chop stock to length. I've been using it for the past month like crazy -- making this monstrosity.

bigw.jpg
 
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turbodave

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Mohawk Dave said:
Nice review. Thanks.

I've been really looking into getting the Rage 3. Can you explain why you went with this instead of Rage? It seems to me that a miter saw is so much more useful.

I have the regular Ridgid Abrasive, but I hate changing the angles, since the table is fixed.

Either way, nice saw!
Click to expand...

I've got a Rage 3, only had it a few months, but it's been great so far. I've used it on wood, PVC, 1/4" Aluminum plate, 2" angle (1/8"), and 2" square tubing (1/4"). has worked well for all of these. I'll have to get a picture of some of my cuts, however, because while they look good, the picture above of the angle cut by the Northern saw looks much nicer than what I'm getting off my 10" Rage 3. Could be a factor of speed, the Rage 3 spins at 2500rpm.
 
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TerryH

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Mohawk Dave said:
Nice review. Thanks.

I've been really looking into getting the Rage 3. Can you explain why you went with this instead of Rage? It seems to me that a miter saw is so much more useful.

I have the regular Ridgid Abrasive, but I hate changing the angles, since the table is fixed.

Either way, nice saw!
Click to expand...

I much prefer the horizontal handle of the NT saw over the 14" rage handle design. The saws were a wash other than that. I also wanted the capacity to cut 4" tubing. The 10" saws can only do 3". I have a Hitachi sliding compound saw for cutting wood. I wanted a saw dedicated to metal. The NT seemed to be the best saw for the money that fit my needs.
 
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Stinger

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Has anyone found a good way to figure out how quickly to cut material to get the cleanest cut? This saw will absolutely chew through stuff with great speed with enough down pressure but will also cut well with varying amounts of down pressure/speed. The directions said to watch for sparks and try to adjust speed to avoid them but this isn't very precise info.
 
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TerryH

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Jack Olsen said:
Thanks for writing this up, Terry. The saw looks similar to my Milwaukee 6190-20. I've recommended the Northern Tools model to guys who are put off by the typical price for these, and it's good to know this one seems decent. Ultimately, it's the blade that's going to have the biggest impact on the saw's performance (the base comes in second), and the good news is that you aren't limited to the NT one. I don't run Milwaukee blades on my Milwaukee saw. I use Freud Diablos, which used to be available for $40 through Cripe. I think I'm on my second blade, and I've had the saw since 2009.

I also use a portaband, and a portaband with a Swag Offroad base. But the dry cut saw is the easiest and quickest way to chop stock to length. I've been using it for the past month like crazy -- making this monstrosity.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jack. I'll try the Freud blades when I need one. I have the elcheapo HF portaband and I use it as well but the NT saw is the go to because of the accuracy.

BTW....that is a monstrosity indeed!! Details?
 
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Mohawk Dave

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Yea Jack! That structure looks great! Details? Do you have a radius bender? And will that structure be covered? Just wondering where rain will drain?
 
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dvo

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I bought the Rage2 but was damaged from shipping and amazon was out of stock for a replacement so I bought the NT(impatient). The NT too arrived damage but I was able to fix it and not worry about it.

Having my hand on both I say the rage is much beefier built. The blade on the Rage2 is made in Japan and is visually much better quality but has a lot less teeth than the NT. The NT blade look like **** from China and pretty much perform like one. It cuts fine when new but I see a lot of chipping on the teeth after only like a hand full of cuts. I'm letting the saw do the work and in no way abusing it by pushing too hard or not enough. I'm already noticing more effort on subsequent cuts. It won't be long before it will need sharpening or replacement.

The Rage2 doesn't have the quick release vise but honestly I would prefer the Rage2 because it is more solid and put up with the annoyance of cranking the handle. I did modified my NT to be a little bit more solid.

I much prefer The NT's D-handle over the straight Rage2 and of course it is prettier in red.

I been seeing the Rage2 go for under $200 a lot since I bought mine at the beginning of the year. I should have waited...stupid me, impatient! :lol_hitti
 
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TerryH

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dvo said:
I bought the Rage2 but was damaged from shipping and amazon was out of stock for a replacement so I bought the NT(impatient). The NT too arrived damage but I was able to fix it and not worry about it.

Having my hand on both I say the rage is much beefier built. The blade on the Rage2 is made in Japan and is visually much better quality but has a lot less teeth than the NT. The NT blade look like **** from China and pretty much perform like one. It cuts fine when new but I see a lot of chipping on the teeth after only like a hand full of cuts. I'm letting the saw do the work and in no way abusing it by pushing too hard or not enough. I'm already noticing more effort on subsequent cuts. It won't be long before it will need sharpening or replacement.

The Rage2 doesn't have the quick release vise but honestly I would prefer the Rage2 because it is more solid and put up with the annoyance of cranking the handle. I did modified my NT to be a little bit more solid.

I much prefer The NT's D-handle over the straight Rage2 and of course it is prettier in red.

I been seeing the Rage2 go for under $200 a lot since I bought mine at the beginning of the year. I should have waited...stupid me, impatient! :lol_hitti
Click to expand...

Well, that's encouraging. :D
 
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TerryH

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5mall5nail5 said:
Hm interesting I only wish the base were cast or thicker - it looks like stamped steel.
Click to expand...

Straight from the "Some days I am an idiot" file...

The NT web site lists the base as "steel." It certainly appeard to be stamped steel to me when I recieved the saw and I never actually flipped it over to check but when I went out to measure the thickness of the metal tonight and flipped the saw over, the base is actually cast. The metal is not magnetic so I assume it's some sort of pot metal or aluminum but it is definitely cast.

Here's that photo and I've updated my original post to reflect the correct information. Sorry for the confusion.

 
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TerryH

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Mohawk Dave

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clarkebd said:
I see a Rage chop saw at Home Depot or Lowes for $299 w/free shipping. This is for a 14" saw. So about $20 more. Seems it's more a preference of table/handle design, but the blade on the Rage seems of higher quality I would think? Saw says 1,450 RPM.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_349235-29990-RAGE2_0__?productId=3341486&cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-Tools-_-ChopSawsBlades-_-3341486&CAWELAID=1220890520&kpid=3341486&%22cagpspn=pla%22
Click to expand...

I'm still a little bewildered. Why would you chose an Evolution Abrasive for $299 when you can get the miter for $250. Here>http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=rel&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

The reviews on Lowes and Amazon are from fools that are cutting wood and disappointed, but when you scour the forums, mainly those building off road vehicles, all the guys praise this saw for cutting metal.

If I never used an abrasive again I'd be more than happy. Am I missing something?:dunno: Right now I have the nice Ridgid 14" abrasive and a Milwaukee port a band. If I can use the band I do.

EDIT: heres a youtube of the Rage 3 Miter saw
 

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Gore

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Mohawk Dave said:
I'm still a little bewildered. Why would you chose an Evolution Abrasive for $299 when you can get the miter for $250.
Click to expand...

The Evolution that is $299 is not an abrasive, it uses a similar multipurpose blade to that of the 10" miter saw but in a 14" size.
 
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Mohawk Dave

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Gore said:
The Evolution that is $299 is not an abrasive, it uses a similar multipurpose blade to that of the 10" miter saw but in a 14" size.
Click to expand...

My Bad. :lol_hitti but still, pros to 14" cut off vs 10" miter? I personally like swiveling table and not the little angle guide.
 
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TerryH

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Mohawk Dave said:
My Bad. :lol_hitti but still, pros to 14" cut off vs 10" miter? I personally like swiveling table and not the little angle guide.
Click to expand...

For me at least it came down to cutting capacity. I will need the saw to cut 4" stock for a future project. I would have bought the miter saw in a second over the regular chop saw style dry cut saw if the capacity was bigger.
 
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clarkebd

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Mohawk Dave said:
I'm still a little bewildered. Why would you chose an Evolution Abrasive for $299 when you can get the miter for $250. Here>http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=rel&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

The reviews on Lowes and Amazon are from fools that are cutting wood and disappointed, but when you scour the forums, mainly those building off road vehicles, all the guys praise this saw for cutting metal.

If I never used an abrasive again I'd be more than happy. Am I missing something?:dunno: Right now I have the nice Ridgid 14" abrasive and a Milwaukee port a band. If I can use the band I do.

EDIT: heres a youtube of the Rage 3 Miter saw
Click to expand...

I wonder if the 14" chop saw I noted cuts better? Reason being, it's 1,200 rpms SLOWER than the miter saw you mentioned (in addition to being able to handle much larger stock).

I thought when cutting metal, slower is better....
 
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Mohawk Dave

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clarkebd said:
I wonder if the 14" chop saw I noted cuts better? Reason being, it's 1,200 rpms SLOWER than the miter saw you mentioned (in addition to being able to handle much larger stock).

I thought when cutting metal, slower is better....
Click to expand...

Hmmm. ..so did I. Wonder why they wouldn't use the same motor??? Anyone out there have both to do a head to head comparison?
 
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TerryH

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clarkebd said:
I wonder if the 14" chop saw I noted cuts better? Reason being, it's 1,200 rpms SLOWER than the miter saw you mentioned (in addition to being able to handle much larger stock).

I thought when cutting metal, slower is better....
Click to expand...

Back on page 1 turbodave stated that he has a 10" Rage and the cut quality is not as good as with the 14" saw. I think the Rage 3 comes with a 24 tooth blade? Stands to reason that a faster spinning blade with less teeth would produce a lesser quality cut. Whether thats a deal breaker or not is up to the end user I suppose. The Rage 3 seems to me to be the "one size fits all" type of saw. It's designed to cut anything. To me the 14" saws were designed specifically for metal and that's what I was looking for.
 
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TerryH

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Mohawk Dave said:
Hmmm. ..so did I. Wonder why they wouldn't use the same motor??? Anyone out there have both to do a head to head comparison?
Click to expand...

The faster rpm is to try and improve the cut quality on wood. Most of the dedicated wood cutting saws turn around 3800 rpm.
 
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Mohawk Dave

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TerryH said:
The faster rpm is to try and improve the cut quality on wood. Most of the dedicated wood cutting saws turn around 3800 rpm.
Click to expand...

True. Wish they wouldve made it a dedicated metal saw. Dumb. And IIRC I don't think you can use a variable speed controller on it because it has soft start. ....I think. ..
 
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Unmarked Bill

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I have that saw, paid a lot more for it at Airgas about 5 years ago. Ruined the original blade on some black pipe (duh) but other than that it's been great. In some ways better than the new Milwaukee but overall it's a winner.
 
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TerryH

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Mohawk Dave said:
True. Wish they wouldve made it a dedicated metal saw. Dumb. And IIRC I don't think you can use a variable speed controller on it because it has soft start. ....I think. ..
Click to expand...

Might not be the case with the Rage specifically but most machines that are made to do multiple things or cut multiple materials have to compromise something for each operation which results in less than stellar performance overall. That's why I tend to buy a machine dedicated to one purpose whenever I can.
 
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Mohawk Dave

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TerryH said:
Might not be the case with the Rage specifically but most machines that are made to do multiple things or cut multiple materials have to compromise something for each operation which results in less than stellar performance overall. That's why I tend to buy a machine dedicated to one purpose whenever I can.
Click to expand...

Agreed. And I wish I could afford a big dog metal saw....but my pockets are too damn short. I cannot believe how much Industrialsaws are.
 
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Ed ke6bnl

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the feet per min on the cutting edge could be the same like using a lathe you turn the lathe slower for a larger diameter even using the same cutting bit.
 
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jrj3rd

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Motor speed is slower on the 14 to reflect the larger blade. Tooth speed is the deciding factor on these blades and to get the edge of a 14 the same as a 10 you have to spin the center slower.....
 
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Mohawk Dave

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jrj3rd said:
Motor speed is slower on the 14 to reflect the larger blade. Tooth speed is the deciding factor on these blades and to get the edge of a 14 the same as a 10 you have to spin the center slower.....
Click to expand...

True. The 10" is 71.4% circumference of the 14"
and the 14" speed is 58% of the 10"

I'm assuming the difference is negligible and maybe hard to get exactly the same due to motor speeds, gear reduction etc...And I presume that the weight of the rotating mass is factored in there as well. hhmmm...interesting
 
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ilovevocs

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^x2. I have been looking for a use one around a grand and have yet to find anything worth owning... I have avoided the rage saw for the same reason as other posters. I'm leery of all multi purpose tools. Swiss Army knife is the worst knife I ever owned.....
 
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TerryH

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Interesting discussion. If the tooth speed is fairly close to the same for both of the saws then it seems to me that the number of teeth on the blade would be a bigest factor in cut quality. The 10" blade with 28 teeth has approx. 1 tooth every 1.122" where the 14" blade with 72 teeth has approx. 1 tooth every .610 inches so roughly twice as many teeth per inch on the 14" blade. That would improve the cut quality for metal for sure. I still say that the major issue with the Rage is that it is compromising cut quality to get more diversity. I agree with ilovevocs on the "Swiss army knife" analagy.
 
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Mohawk Dave

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^agreed on all accounts. Can there be too many teeth for these type of blades when cutting metal? Definitely agree with ilovevocs "swiss army knife" as well.

So, it begs the question, at least for me...is there a saw that does what the Rage 3 can do, but more industrial quality and affordable? I know....I WANT IT ALL! LOL
 
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