Bought a Dry Cut Cold Saw? Come on in.

[cthulu]

So I'm looking at replacing my dewalt abrasive chop saw with one of the newer cold cut saws that are out there.

Got it narrowed down to the below and wanted to know if any of you guys have these or have used them.

The makita has a smaller blade but I don't need to cut over 3 1/2 thick steel anyway, I will mostly be using it for automotive fab work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004YOLV/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Local welding shops sell the slugger cheaper than amazon but the say it's their high end piece. The lack of reviews make me a little uneasy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015092UAS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Finally, the last dewalt has treated me well and the base plate is the same so I wouldn't have to put new holes in the mounting table. (kind of a ****** reason to get a saw but their abrasive never let me down and I've been through a ton of stuff on it)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000302QS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[driftpin]

I have an old Makita, still working. Handle's cracked, but that's about it. Stay w/what's worked for you.

The Old Ones, the Ancient Ones, are powerful.


Iaaaa! The Goat of a Thousand Young! Yog Sothoth!

 

[Kaizen]

Im struggling as well with this. Looking to build fencing so need to upgrade. Jimbo’s garage has had the slugger for awhile and says still cuts like butter after a year or two I think. He does a lot of cutting.

How do you choose a chop saw over a vertical band saw? Space required? About same cutting size.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-4-6...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPKZxMat7d0CFROsyAodFfgPUw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cthulu]

Im struggling as well with this. Looking to build fencing so need to upgrade. Jimbo’s garage has had the slugger for awhile and says still cuts like butter after a year or two I think. He does a lot of cutting.

How do you choose a chop saw over a vertical band saw? Space required? About same cutting size.

Cut accuracy and speed for me, I put one of those carbide aluminum cutting blades in an old skillsaw and it went through 1/2 aluminum like it wasn't there. Since then I've really wanted one as the abrasive saws tend to deflect/walk a little bit. I'm looking to improve my fabrication skills and get more accurate cuts and welds.

 

[dogdog]

.........

Local welding shops sell the slugger cheaper than amazon but the say it's their high end piece. The lack of reviews make me a little uneasy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015092UAS/?tag=atomicindus08-20
.................

I think this youtube guy Jimbo's garage have the Fein Slugger... he seems to like it a lot appears in his videos a lot as well... He was/is might still be here in GJ forum as well... maybe send him a message about how he likes it... I have the POS Evoltuion rage2... clamping *****...but already bought it , going to stuck with it...

 

[MJD1]

The Makita is a very nice saw. Lots of cuts and just my second blade. Real heavy cast aluminum base, with a real good vice and locking mechanism for miter cuts

 

[rsanter]

So I'm looking at replacing my dewalt abrasive chop saw with one of the newer cold cut saws that are out there.

Got it narrowed down to the below and wanted to know if any of you guys have these or have used them.

The makita has a smaller blade but I don't need to cut over 3 1/2 thick steel anyway, I will mostly be using it for automotive fab work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004YOLV/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Local welding shops sell the slugger cheaper than amazon but the say it's their high end piece. The lack of reviews make me a little uneasy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015092UAS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Finally, the last dewalt has treated me well and the base plate is the same so I wouldn't have to put new holes in the mounting table. (kind of a ****** reason to get a saw but their abrasive never let me down and I've been through a ton of stuff on it)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000302QS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I have the vein sligger and like it a lot. It is better than the steelmaster I hade before it
Overall fein makes good tools. I have a couple of the grinders as well

 

[dnschmidt]

Most of these come out of the same factory in Taiwan. The Fein Slugger and the M. K. Morris are exactly the same as the Porter-Cable 1410 which was the first of these saws to hit the mass market. Prior to that there was a company called Jepson which I believe introduced the first dry cut saw to the American market.

I don't like the Makita due to it's vise. With a metal cutting saw the vise is the most important part of the entire saw. Heavy cast iron beats bent sheet metal every time. If I need to buy another one of these, I own the Porter-Cable, it's between the Slugger and the M. K. Morris as they have the heaviest duty vise. THIS REALLY MATTERS.

 

[BroncoAZ]

I recently went through the same decision and purchased the MK Morse and the vise blocks for tubing. Got in on a 15% off eBay deal.

 

[TerryH]

I have the discontinued Northern Tool 14" dry cut saw. I love it. Nice vise and has performed great for me. It appears to be very much like the Fein.

 

[aslack99]

I went thru two of the Ironton ones from Northern. Both ate bearings inside and were junk. At least the first one was under warranty. Can't recommend them, looking at Fein or Dewalt now, as it is hard to go back to abrasive.

 

[customh]

I have the MK Morse and have put it through its paces at work. I have a love-hate relationship with the clamp. Anything with a quick-clamp isn't as strong/rigid as my saw but it's more convenient.

I love the Tenryu 90 tooth blade I've got on it right now as well.

If I were recommending a purchase I'd definitely recommend the Morse. I got it from Zoro with a 25% off code for ~$415.

If you want the DeWalt or some more versatility Saunders Machine Works makes a slick replacement base for it.
https://saundersmachineworks.com/collections/all/products/dewalt-dw872-fixture-plate

EDIT: Forgot, I'm not a fan of the handle not being horizontal on the Makita. Seems like it wouldn't be as nice to use.

 

[xs650shawn]

Any thoughts on this one?
https://www.skilsaw.com/product-details?product=SPT62MTC-22

 

[BroncoAZ]

Any thoughts on this one?
https://www.skilsaw.com/product-details?product=SPT62MTC-22

There was a deal on that one during an ebay 15% off sale where I could've gotten it for around $215. I researched a bunch and couldn't find anything bad about it, but I ended up spending $400 on the MK Morse because it has a proven track record.

 

[larry_g]

Just a personal trait but when it comes to tools like this I factor in the total weight of the machine. If one is 25% heavier than a competitor does the extra mass convert to a more ridged machine? In looking at some of these they go from 40-55 lbs for similar machines.

Weight is not the only factor, but something to think about.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[DerekV]

Cut accuracy and speed for me, I put one of those carbide aluminum cutting blades in an old skillsaw and it went through 1/2 aluminum like it wasn't there. Since then I've really wanted one as the abrasive saws tend to deflect/walk a little bit. I'm looking to improve my fabrication skills and get more accurate cuts and welds.

I used to be Team Dry Cut Saw, but once I used a decent non-portable bandsaw, my mind changed instantly. A well-tuned bandsaw will always be more accurate than a dry cut saw, period. They cut plenty fast enough...I don't know why everyone is in such a hurry? 10 seconds vs. 30 seconds...come on now haha. For me, my fabrication quality increased a ton since I spend literally no time futzing with wonky cuts and poor fit-up. I had an Ironton saw and returned it. I've had this Grizzly saw and it's been perfect for my home use.

If I absolutely had to get another dry cut saw, it'd be one of reputable ones from Taiwan like the Slugger or MK Morse. These things are totally useless without a good vise and frankly most of what's on the market (minus the aforementioned) have junk vises, among other things. I'd avoid the Ironton saw at all costs. That is a steamy pile of **** painted gray.

Just putting this out there though...when $hopping for the good dry cut saws, you're in band$aw territory $$$, or at least very close to it. Buy once cry once

 

[dr_clyde]

I don't personally own one. I was in a position a few years ago to recommend machinery and tools for the weld shop we worked at. On a whim, I decided to try out the MK Morse saw from the welding supply. See what all this hype was about. It worked fine for about a week, then a tube jammed on the stop and the whole thing let out a BANG and was done. We went back to using abrasive saws. When it worked, yes it cut steel. It did it loudly, flinging smoking hot chips everywhere, and with a very expensive blade that was easily damaged.

These saws are a gimmick IMO, targeted toward guys who are working in their home shop and put price above all else.

I would NOT buy any "dry cut" shop saw of ANY brand. Get a good horizontal bandsaw. If space or budget is such a big deal that you can't swing an Ellis or other mid-grade saw, I would buy this HEM from TT.

https://www.trick-tools.com/Femi_78...QeomgByVp-B9WvCKap7uBsrY-lfspUm0aArHwEALw_wcB

 

[jeepinerdeep]

You are so close to a Femi.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Im struggling as well with this. Looking to build fencing so need to upgrade. Jimbo’s garage has had the slugger for awhile and says still cuts like butter after a year or two I think. He does a lot of cutting.

How do you choose a chop saw over a vertical band saw? Space required? About same cutting size.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-4-6...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPKZxMat7d0CFROsyAodFfgPUw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The biggest issue for me on the bandsaws is floor space. I have limited garage floor space day to day and the dry cut saw fits on the shelf. The portable saw is also easier to transport to my buddy’s Shop when necessary. When I build my new welding bench I plan on making racks below for specific tools.

 

[dr_clyde]

The biggest issue for me on the bandsaws is floor space. I have limited garage floor space day to day and the dry cut saw fits on the shelf. The portable saw is also easier to transport to my buddy’s Shop when necessary. When I build my new welding bench I plan on making racks below for specific tools.

Follow the link in my response. Same price and size as a dry saw, way more versatile, quiet and safe.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Follow the link in my response. Same price and size as a dry saw, way more versatile, quiet and safe.

I looked at those before I purchased. I didn’t like the cheap base and the next model up was much more expensive. I can certainly see the utility of the bench top bandsaw. I will buy a bandsaw eventually, but not until I have a shop to fit a larger one.

I paid $398 delivered for the MK Morse saw with a 15% Labor Day ebay coupon, the next model bench top bandsaw was in the $780 range with the same coupon and shipping.

 

[dr_clyde]

I suppose it all boils down to priorities. I have 3 metal cutting saws in my shop and the lightest one is over 500 pounds. Cutting material straight and square and true is the foundation of pretty much all my work, so a good saw is a fixture in my shop.

If you don't cut much material, I can see not wanting to dedicate floor space to a seldom used tool.

That said, I would still rather pay twice as much for a high quality benchtop bandsaw vs a dry saw. I like them that much better.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Most of my fabrication has been off-road truck parts, the ends of the tubing are typically notched or capped. If I were making rectangular frames where the dimensions were critical I would certainly look at a full size bandsaw. The dry cut will not be my last saw

 

[PT Doc]

I bought a new dewalt. The stamped deck was not flat and getting a square cut was not possible. Returned it and am happy that I don’t own that anymore.