Fender1325
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2014
- Messages
- 1,309
I recently purchased and owned for a month an Evolution metal cutting chop saw. 14" blade.
I really needed this saw to complete a coffee table I was fabbing up out of 1.5" angle iron. What irked me most, among other problems, was that the fence could only be adjusted for a 45 degree cut in one direction. This means if you are making a frame with angle iron, you have to stand the flat side upward in the vice to get the angle cut you need. This not only makes the cut hard to make accurate, its dangerous because the vice cant hold it tight. I made a block out of maple to hold it in more safely.
Ultimately the vice couldnt hold it tightly enough to make an accurate cut. Things like that, some minor play in the blade which couldnt be tightened away, the little handle on the vice swivel kept coming undone and needing to be re-screwed all caused me to return it.
So Dewalt, Makita, and others have cold cut saws costing twice as much, but in reality their designs are almost identical! No cold cut saw allows you to swivel the fence 45 both directions.
Whats most annoying here is that theres excellent miter saws for wood which will swivel and click into place either direction and more, why the hell cant the manufacturers make this for the cold cut saws!? All they are is a slower turning saw with a blade designed for steel cutting. What am I missing!?!
I am now considering the horizontal band saw from *gasp* dare I say it, Harbor Freight. I just inspected it in person. The fence only swivels one way also for 45 degree cuts but atleast it requires a socket driver to tighten the fence once you dial it in. The base seems to be heavy cast iron, and with a slow band saw I imagine itd be much less dangerous having to cut angle iron with the flatside facing upward.
*side note* i saw an abrasive saw at home depot by rigid that had a fence that went either way, but after fidgeting with it for 5 minutes there in person and not being able to get it to move a full 45 either way without getting all hung up I said F it and walked away.
I really needed this saw to complete a coffee table I was fabbing up out of 1.5" angle iron. What irked me most, among other problems, was that the fence could only be adjusted for a 45 degree cut in one direction. This means if you are making a frame with angle iron, you have to stand the flat side upward in the vice to get the angle cut you need. This not only makes the cut hard to make accurate, its dangerous because the vice cant hold it tight. I made a block out of maple to hold it in more safely.
Ultimately the vice couldnt hold it tightly enough to make an accurate cut. Things like that, some minor play in the blade which couldnt be tightened away, the little handle on the vice swivel kept coming undone and needing to be re-screwed all caused me to return it.
So Dewalt, Makita, and others have cold cut saws costing twice as much, but in reality their designs are almost identical! No cold cut saw allows you to swivel the fence 45 both directions.
Whats most annoying here is that theres excellent miter saws for wood which will swivel and click into place either direction and more, why the hell cant the manufacturers make this for the cold cut saws!? All they are is a slower turning saw with a blade designed for steel cutting. What am I missing!?!
I am now considering the horizontal band saw from *gasp* dare I say it, Harbor Freight. I just inspected it in person. The fence only swivels one way also for 45 degree cuts but atleast it requires a socket driver to tighten the fence once you dial it in. The base seems to be heavy cast iron, and with a slow band saw I imagine itd be much less dangerous having to cut angle iron with the flatside facing upward.
*side note* i saw an abrasive saw at home depot by rigid that had a fence that went either way, but after fidgeting with it for 5 minutes there in person and not being able to get it to move a full 45 either way without getting all hung up I said F it and walked away.
and they've been out since before I was born...little to no change from the old B&D Pro my dad had when I was a little kid to my or his newer Dewalt...
