Cutting Metal

[MichaelBikel]

What is the best way to cut lets say a 1x1" or 1x3" tube? Would a bandsaw be best for this? I currently have a bench-top cutoff machine and it kid of *****, it shears a lot of material and makes a damn mess. Not to mention I can never get an accurate cut with it no matter how slow I go or how meticulous I am about setting the angle. The problem lies in the flex of the cutoff wheel. Usually to get a nice flat edge after using it I have to use a belt sander, totally ridiculous but it works well. Anyway please enlighten me!

 

[CGT80]

Yes, a bandsaw will leave accurate cuts that you might not even have to debur. I use a HEM Femi abs120 which is a nice, expensive, and portable horizontal band saw that has a pivoting base vs. having to move the work. The band saw makes a little bit of dust that falls around the base of the saw and it isn't nearly as loud as the abrasive saws. You can cut a 32nd of an inch off the end of a tube if you need to. Try cutting even and 1/8" off a piece of tube with an abrasive saw..............I did for far too long.

Even a cheap horizontal band saw should beat an abrasive saw. The biggest tube I have cut with my little saw is 4"x4" square with 3/8" wall.

 

[hogdaddy]

This may be an option for you and there are several manufacturers of these type saws.

http://www.evolutionpowertools.com/us/steel/evosaw380.php

 

[gazza]

+ 1 on the horizontal band saw, perfect cut and finish, on a large or thick cut you can set it up and then walk away while it cuts. For multiple same size cuts you can easily clamp multiple lengths together and cut them all at once, set up a stop and you slide the whole pack thru to the stop and cut again.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I have a bunch of metal-cutting saws, and the one I'd reach for with square tubing is a dry-cut saw. I have the Milwaukee, but you can get Northern Tool's model for less than $250 on sale. It uses a low-rpm motor to drive a toothed blade, which is much more precise (and not all melty and dusty and annoying) like what you're working with now. You can cut uniform lengths all day long and then put the thing back on a shelf.

A lot of guys love horizontal band saws. I had one for about ten minutes, but just couldn't swallow the amount of space the thing was going to take based on how often I'd use it. (But I've got a very small shop.) Instead, I got a portaband with a table it mounts to. It wouldn't be my first choice for repeated cuts where accuracy is important. But there are a lot of things it's great for.

Sawzalls and cut-off discs on angle grinders also have their place. Jig saws, too. I recently got a Rockwell Blade Runner, which inverts a jig saw under a table and is great for cutting shapes.

But the dry cut saw gets the most use. I use Freud Diablo blades -- I got a bunch when Cripe had them for $40. I'm on my third, which I switched to during a recent project I did for my kid's school, which involved cutting and bending just under 2,000 pounds of steel.

For perspective, I'm not a pro and I don't have a lot of money to throw at tools. Here's the poor-man's bender setup I was using for the school project.

 

[strength_and_power]

It will definitely depend on how much you want to spend and how often you will be using it.
An abrasive chop saw is going to be the cheapest and least accurate.
The dry cut saw is a good piece of equipment, you will definitely need ear, eye and body protection as all the heat goes into the chip. Blades run $60-90+ depending on where you get them.
A band saw can be a decent option. The lower end models don't always cut square without a lot of tweaking but can be picked up pretty cheap. Lots of blade options.
An Ellis band saw would be my saw of choice that is up to the task of heavy daily use, is accurate and won't break the bank at around $1800.
A true cold saw is very accurate and produces a burr free cut. Blades are about $150 and can be resharpened multiple times until there is nothing left of them. You can even have the tooth count of the blade altered if need be but this can be expensive. You also will need different blades with different tooth counts depending on the material you are cutting, tubing, solids etc.

 

[JonnyMac]

Ive got a porter cable abrasive saw.
There was a time where i was considering a band saw but i spent a few dollars on a new blade and i set up the guide angle with a decent square and now it cuts perfectly..

 

[iagsxr]

I have an old Jepson 14"(started out new twenty years ago) abrasive chop saw, it cuts nuts on. Leaves a burr sometimes yes, but if it's a weld joint I'm going to hit it with a grinder anyhow.

I'd say you're either running bad blades or the head is misaligned with the table.

Or I had a buddy who bought a really underpowered chop saw. No matter how slow you went it drug down the motor and caused the blade to walk.

 

[BD1]

A Milwaukee or Dewalt portable band saw would work. If you want or need higher quality, as stated, a ELLIS BAND SAW , I just bought the 1600 . Had the harbor freight one for years but it's almost dead so I have a REAL one now.
Ellis is not cheap, Air Gas has a pretty good price, $2627.33 lower then anyone near me.
http://airgas.com/p/E801600

 

[Kensgarage]

Abrasive saws are for rebar-used **** and working outdoors. It's 2015(3/4). Buy a dry saw. Makita makes a nice 12 incher and several others do a 14". I think the Milwaukee and Northern are both cancelled.
CK Dewalt, Evolution and MK Morse for the 14".Evolution started this.They're tried and true. I own the Makita.
Buy ear protection !

 

[MJD1]

A Milwaukee or Dewalt portable band saw would work. If you want or need higher quality, as stated, a ELLIS BAND SAW , I just bought the 1600 . Had the harbor freight one for years but it's almost dead so I have a REAL one now.
Ellis is not cheap, Air Gas has a pretty good price, $2627.33 lower then anyone near me.
http://airgas.com/p/E801600

How has the new saw been working for you? It's got to be a whole diffrent game when it comes to cutting angles.

 

[BD1]

How has the new saw been working for you? It's got to be a whole diffrent game when it comes to cutting angles.

Well, it's like night and day even on straight cuts. The saw is soooooooooooo smooth and precise it is amazing. I made up a couple of stands and have enough 1 5/8 unistrut to make tables for both sides. It goes through 6'' pipe like nothing and quick too. I'm still doing a blade break in to be safe but it cuts amazingly great.

 

[joeswamp]

Yes, a bandsaw will leave accurate cuts that you might not even have to debur. I use a HEM Femi abs120 which is a nice, expensive, and portable horizontal band saw that has a pivoting base vs. having to move the work. The band saw makes a little bit of dust that falls around the base of the saw and it isn't nearly as loud as the abrasive saws. You can cut a 32nd of an inch off the end of a tube if you need to. Try cutting even and 1/8" off a piece of tube with an abrasive saw..............I did for far too long.

Even a cheap horizontal band saw should beat an abrasive saw. The biggest tube I have cut with my little saw is 4"x4" square with 3/8" wall.

Wow, did not know that something like this existed -- basically a portaband configured as a dry horizontal miter saw. That really looks like the ultimate solution for cutting tubing or bar stock. I like the fact that it takes up so little space and doesn't have oil spraying everywhere.

 

[Kensgarage]

Wow, did not know that something like this existed -- basically a portaband configured as a dry horizontal miter saw. That really looks like the ultimate solution for cutting tubing or bar stock. I like the fact that it takes up so little space and doesn't have oil spraying everywhere.

Just tossing this in too.
If you ever need to cut shapes from metal these guys have a vertical table for a portaband.

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

 

[f150skidoo]

If you want accurate cuts a horrizontal bandsaw is the only tool for the job. Its also really nice to let the auto down feed work away at the approprite IPM so you can fit up your peices while your next one is getting cut.

 

[MichaelBikel]

Thanks all, good info here. I'm looking for something maybe in the $200-$400 range? Possible portable or at the least doesn't take up too much room. Honestly anything would be a step up for me.The disc I'm using now is trash but I think I see some possibilities from some of the previous posts. Time to do my homework.

One more question, could I use a metal cutting blade on a miter saw? I have done it with aluminum but never steel.

 

[yossarian19]

I use a 1950-something 8" radial arm saw with a metal cutting blade on it. A radial arm will want to pull itself into the workpiece when cutting wood, so you really have to pay attention cutting metal. Compared to an abrasive, though, it's quiet and accurate and clean as could be. I also bought the saw for $45 (with two blades & a dado set) and the blade for $20. So I'd look for an all-metal miter saw, either radial arm or "chop" and put a metal cutting blade on it. It was an absolute revelation to me how well this thing cuts metal.
Doing it again, I'd go with a 10" saw - as long as it was all metal.

 

[bullnerd]

Yes, a bandsaw will leave accurate cuts that you might not even have to debur. I use a HEM Femi abs120 which is a nice, expensive, and portable horizontal band saw that has a pivoting base vs. having to move the work. The band saw makes a little bit of dust that falls around the base of the saw and it isn't nearly as loud as the abrasive saws. You can cut a 32nd of an inch off the end of a tube if you need to. Try cutting even and 1/8" off a piece of tube with an abrasive saw..............I did for far too long.

Even a cheap horizontal band saw should beat an abrasive saw. The biggest tube I have cut with my little saw is 4"x4" square with 3/8" wall.

Femi, would be my choice also. Especially if you want portable.

Yootoob some Femi videos, even the smallest one is sweet! (trick tools sells them BTW)

 

[CGT80]

If you want small, great performance, light weight, BUT can afford to drop some money, then the Femi is great. You would probably get more performance from the bigger shop saws, but try to grab one of those with one or even two hands and carry it out into the yard or set it into a truck easily.

My 12" dewalt miter saw was underpowered for an abrasive blade. With an aluminum cutting blade, it cut aluminum like it was wood. The saw held up great, but the plastic dust chute melted away from the abrasive blade, and I removed the plastic table insert when using the abrasive blade.

The dry cut blades are supposed to be run much slower than the speed that wood saws work at. Is that they type of blade you were referring to, Yossarian?

 

[gayler]

I had to do some cutting the other day on some thin 2x2 tubing. I thought why not try my craftsman miter saw. It has a cheap carbide tiped blade on it that I've used for several years. It made twenty cuts clean as a wistle.

 

[jimgood]

I have a Dewalt metal chop saw. The mitre fence is **** (like on most). You can't trust the fence to align your work piece. The head also flexes so you have to be very careful with the pressure you use when cutting. But it does make very clean cuts.

In order to be accurate I use a square on the work piece against the blade, clamp it, then measure again. If it's off, I just move the work piece a little, loosen the clamp then retighten it.

Unless I fall into money my long term plan is to junk the base and mount the head to a turntable and then mount the whole thing onto a table with a permanent fence.

 

[crab]

Black and decker chop saw most of the time. Also have a plasma, torches and 4 1/2 inch metabo angle grinder. Chop saw does fine, I hit the piece with the grinder before welding anyway. Never use the torch and very seldom the plasma, only for odd shaped cuts. Cutting, grinding, and welding, makes a hell of a mess but I've got a broom, I don't think there is any way around it.

 

[DpSyChO]

No one has mentioned it, so I will......Harbor Freight (or similar) 4X6 bandsaw.
I bought a HF 4x6 bandsaw around 15 years ago and it has served me well.
Does it have it's cons...yes, but you can find some tweeks for those cons online.
A buddy of mine that used to frequently borrow my saw finally bought one about three years ago and they have made changes to the current production that I would say is improvements.
My biggest recommendation for a 4X6 saw, stick with Starrett or Lennox blades.
A few couple of years ago I found a Spartan series saw made my Marvel at what I considered way too good a deal to pass up so bought it and put in storage. It is way more saw than I needed but for the price I felt I had to jump on it. I think it is rated at 10x16 or 12x18 versus the 4x6 capacity of the HF saw. I know I could always sell it at a profit or at the very least get my money back if it proves to be too much for my needs.I'm just now to the point of getting the shop done and moving equipment in so will be able to put it to use soon but have no plans on getting rid of the HF unit.
Keep an eye on craigslist for a deal on a HF/Dayton/Sears/ect 4x6............

 

[shoot summ]

I have the Evolution cold cut saw. While it makes great cuts, it also makes one hell of a mess. Those little damn chips go everywhere, and get in everything. When I cut I have to set up outside, and make sure I cover myself well, and sweep up a fairly large area when I am done. A couple of years ago I saw a demo on a Femi cut off saw. While the price was way out of my range that I could justify, I liked everything about the saw and wanted one. Fast forward a couple of years, and a lot of patience and I picked one up on CL for 1/4 the retail price. It is now my go to machine, quick, easy, quiet, and no mess.

http://www.trick-tools.com/Femi_NG1..._001_00_2211?gclid=COq9irXDkskCFQMFaQodoQoArA

 

[sanddan]

I like a horizontal bandsaw for most of my steel cutting. You can start a cut and work on other things while it cuts for you. Maybe not as fast as a chop saw but less mess, noise and can cut unattended. I had a 4x6 Jet for 20 years plus which worked ok but not great that I replaced with a Jet 7x11 saw with cooling. The bigger saw is nice if you have the room for it. A vertical ban saw is also very handy in the shop for cutting thin material, smaller parts and angles/curves. I converted a 14" wood saw for use on steel by adding a jack shaft pulley system to slow the blade speed.

 

[Fender1325]

I had an evolution dry cut saw. Loud and threw chips everywhere. Inaccurate as well. Bought the harbor freight horizontal red band saw. Love it. On my second blade - got the bi-metal. Works great. Quiet and ACCURATE!!

 

[mtechgunman]

Horizontal band saw, it's not close. Start your cut, let it work slow and come back when it's done. I'll never go back to a circular type saw. Bands last forever and the best part is that it's so quiet.

I bought a used Jet off craigslist for $400. It's pretty beat up, but delivers square cut after cut after cut. It's one of my favorite tools. I may upgrade to a newer saw when my shop is finished.

 

[bodydamage]

How many cuts are we talking here? 1x1 (and even 1x3) is pretty small dimension stuff. A grinder with an abrasive wheel will make short work of either of those. I have a Milwaukee abrasive chop saw and it cuts square and true all day long. Its loud and dirty, but its cheap and it works. If you are only doing a couple doz cuts on something that size, Id just use a grinder and a wheel if I didn't have a saw.