Decent Metal Chop Saw

[Bluemoose123]

I want to buy a decent metal chop saw but do not want to spend 500 bucks.

Can anybody recommend something good under the 300 dollar mark?

I live a ways from HARBOR FREIGHT, or else i would just get one of theirs with a warranty, and bother them every 5 months or so.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Kenny

 

[ishiboo]

Rage Evolution 2.

I won't go back to an abrasive saw ever again.

 

[hackwelder]

I've had a DeWalt 14" for years and it has held up very well...but be aware that abrasive chop saws are EXTREMELY noisy (quite messy too) and the noise itself is very unpleasant, if you have neighbors they will not be happy if you run it much. If I were to do things over I'd go with some sort of bandsaw but the DeWalt is a good choice if an abrasive chop saw is best for your situation, about $200 IIRC.

 

[CGT80]

What thickness and size material are you cutting, OP? Do you want to be able to cut aluminum and wood as well?

I have been using a Dewalt 12" single bevel miter saw. I bought it for wood work, but needed to cut some steel for fab work. I was afraid to beat up the saw, but it worked quite well. I had used my dad's 10" Cman miter saw from the 90's before that. The Dewalt has been going for 6-8 years now with lots of steel cut with an abrasive blade (I like CGW blades and flap wheels best), a fair amount of aluminum cut with a dedicated non ferrous blade, and of course wood blades when needed. I did remove the plastic insert from the table that sits under the blade. The dust bag chute is melted away. The laser still works great. The fold up dewalt stand (retails for $200) has been great as well.

I never understood why a metal chop saw required moving the work to a 45 degree angle vs. moving a table like you do with a miter saw. The miter saw may have less power, but the CGW blade cuts much better than either type of dewalt blade that lowes sells and it makes 1/4" thick angle doable. 3/16" isn't so hard, and 1/8" steel is a cake walk. The biggest tube I have cut is 3" square, and it was either 3/16" or 1/4". The saw still works great for wood moldings as well.

It is possible that the dewalt saws made now have changed and may not hold up as well, but hopefully this isn't the case. There have been many tools that have gone down hill in the last 10 years. The dewalt drill bits went from German made and great, to Chinese made and not all that, as well. It was my intention to eventually get a dry cut saw, but the miter saw did good enough for occasional use, that I wasn't willing to spend the money and have to store another tool. This wasn't just home use either, as I used to do small fab jobs for work on occasion and I also did wood moldings as well. I would call it heavy home use or light commercial use, as my work was maintenance and repair and tenant improvement of commercial buildings.

 

[jptbay]

I like the Ridgid abrasive saw the best. Heavy cast base that won't flex like the others with stamped bases. Lifetime warranty.

Two things: Use only quality wheels - they cut far better. Consider using a circuit with a 20 amp breaker. I have only 15 amp breakers, and they trip a lot with one of these. Most have 15 amp motors.

 

[bmxdad]

What about one from Tractor Supply. They have a Kawasaki one for $99 ... at least the one in Puyallup, Wa does.

 

[reddevildemo]

I have a Milwaukee 6175, not sure if they make them any more. I have had it for over 10 years, used the **** out of it. Only thing I have replaced are the brushes for the motor and wheels of coarse. Like some have said, use good wheels, you wont regret it.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

If abrasive, Milwaukee or the older Ridgid. Milwaukee first.

But man, after you use a dry saw, you will hate abrasive. Evolution makes one. I have a Steel Max I picked up on CL for $150 with a bunch of Al and SS blades.

Also, look into Milwaukee 8" circular metal saw. Bee's knees there.

 

[PCustoms]

I like the Ridgid abrasive saw the best. Heavy cast base that won't flex like the others with stamped bases. Lifetime warranty.

Two things: Use only quality wheels - they cut far better. Consider using a circuit with a 20 amp breaker. I have only 15 amp breakers, and they trip a lot with one of these. Most have 15 amp motors.

FYI about a year ago Ibought the Ridgid saw. Got it out of the box at home and the current model has a stamped steel base, much cheap er saw for same price.

I was able to go back to store and claim false advertising (display was cast) and I walked out with the display unit for 20% off

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

I have a rage saw. I've cut a lot of metal with it and as long as you don't try to work faster then the blade; it works great and doesn't burn through blades too fast. Clean, straight, cold edges.

Abrasive saws have their place too. It's just a small place. They leave a nice dust, are loud, and take a little longer to make cuts. The only good thing are the blades are way cheaper then then dry cuts.

 

[bob15]

i have an old B & D similiar to this: http://d323w7klwy72q3.cloudfront.net/i/a/2013/20130718kelley/AA9869.JPG

It works fine for what i do with it......can be found on craigslist, ebay, pawn shops, etc.

 

[pat g]

I have a Rage Evolution 2 saw it cuts great but is a little off square

 

[90zcar]

I use a dewalt chop saw but I use HILTI blades in it


Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

 

[amolaver]

Another vote for the rage saw. Mines cut lots of everything, from unistrut to emt, 2" square and round tube (dom steel). Cuts are crazy clean vs an abrasive saw, no dust, and the heat of the cut is transferred almost entirely to the chips, so the work remains almost room temperature. Blades are not cheap, but do last much longer than abrasive.

ahm

 

[188slo50]

What about one from Tractor Supply. They have a Kawasaki one for $99 ... at least the one in Puyallup, Wa does.

TSC now has a porter cable 14" for $99 marked down

 

[crewchief888]

i bought a HF orange model several years ago on sale. it cut a LOT of steel, enough for 3 cages, bumpers, rock sliders, tabs, mounts and brackets.

it lasted about 4 years before all the smoke came out, i figured for the abuse it suffered, and the price i paid it didnt owe me anything.

i shopped around looking at the features of every brand of saw i could find in a store.
i found a ridgid w/cast base on sale at HD for $119. much nicer abrasive saw than the HF.

i like it better than the old milwaukee we have at the shop

 

[rust buster]

What about one from Tractor Supply. They have a Kawasaki one for $99 ... at least the one in Puyallup, Wa does.

I bought this one from Tractor Supply a few years ago when it was on sale for $75. It worked fine, but as everyone else has said, it was super loud, relatively slow, and tons of sparks. I sold it and bought a Rage Evolution 2 and it's a night and day difference. Much quieter, hardly any sparks, and a lot faster.

 

[Bluemoose123]

Thanks for all the replies.

I doubt that I would be cutting steel over 1/4 inch thick on a regular basis.

I have an older craftsmen compound miter saw, but I don't think I want to sacrifice it with a metal blade. It is probably 25 years or so old, it is a good one.

Thanks for all the options, now I just have to figure out which way to proceed.

Kenny

 

[tarbellb]

DO NOT CONVERT A (WOOD) MITER SAW TO METAL. You are asking for problems.

 

[CGT80]

DO NOT CONVERT A (WOOD) MITER SAW TO METAL. You are asking for problems.

What problems? Are you talking about using a dry cut blade or an abrasive blade made for the rpm of a wood saw?

I have seen people shy away from using a wood saw, but like my post from above says, there have been no real problems. If you want to keep the wood saw clean and new looking, then yes, don't do it. Maybe some of the other brand wood miter saws don't hold up the way the Dewalt has.?

 

[RivennHewn]

Anybody put a new dry cut blade on an old abrasive saw?

 

[davewo]

Another vote for the rage saw. I cut mostly 3/16" x 1-1/4" bars stacked up, but once had to repeatedly cut 3/4" x 7" bars at an angle. Nice saws...

 

[amolaver]

Anybody put a new dry cut blade on an old abrasive saw?

Been discussed many times, bad idea. Abrasive saws spin at 3k+ rpm. Dry cut saws are like 1400rpm (or thereabouts). Sharp carbide teeth flying around at 100mph is not a recipe for happiness.

ahm

 

[OldNeons]

The evolution dry (cold) saws are definitely the way to go! I wouldn't think of using an abrasive saw again!

 

[sgs236]

What problems? Are you talking about using a dry cut blade or an abrasive blade made for the rpm of a wood saw?

I have seen people shy away from using a wood saw, but like my post from above says, there have been no real problems. If you want to keep the wood saw clean and new looking, then yes, don't do it. Maybe some of the other brand wood miter saws don't hold up the way the Dewalt has.?

As you have shown, wood miter saws can certainly cut metal, but I was never worried as much about damaging the saw as wearing out the blade. Your miter saw most likely has an RPM around 3600-4000, while the Dewalt dry cut saw has an RPM of 1300. If you spend a day cutting 2"-4'" round stock, you will see how much faster you will wear out the blade at 3600 RPM.

 

[evintho]

Keep your eye on CL. Many times you can find a good used one and restore it cheaply. I grabbed this tore up Milwaukee off CL for $20. Cleaned it up and painted it, checked the brushes and armature (good), replaced the blade and power cord and it was good to go. So far I've cut a ton of 2"x3" rec tubing and lots of 1" square tubing. Works like a charm!

 

[sberry]

They make 2 of them, a cheap and a good. HF had a cheap 50$ type and its not the same as the better Makita, Milwaukee Ridgid, Skil etc. HF has a more expensive one with powerful motor and its ok. I like simple for general and repair work. If I was fabbing from new and clean product off the rack it would be different.

 

[sberry]

They make 2 of them, a cheap and a good. HF had a cheap 50$ type and its not the same as the better Makita, Milwaukee Ridgid, Skil etc. HF has a more expensive one with powerful motor and its ok. I like simple for general and repair work. If I was fabbing from new and clean product off the rack it would be different.
I had a Skil that was great and I fukked up and overheated it. The thing was only about 1/2 worn out and should have lasted the rest of the way and I got in a hurry mitering some 4 inch pipe.
It was rare, I never cut at an angle here, simple chops and if I really have to cut an angle which is rare I zip it with a plasma.

 

[u118224]

What about a horizontal metal band saw as opposed to a chop saw? I suppose the limiting factor is larger pieces won't fit.

 

[GirchyGirchy]

I was going to recommend Milwaukee...but it appears the one I have (6180-20) was replaced with one (6177-20) with a much crappier base. Try to avoid the stamped base chop saws, they feel super flimsy.

 

[sberry]

I am not sure what the fuss is over the base. Both my good ones had steel. These are not precision anyway, don't really need to be. Angles are hard and more dangerous on a chop and I really find as long as I can get it setup square the rest is pretty moot.

 

[CGT80]

As you have shown, wood miter saws can certainly cut metal, but I was never worried as much about damaging the saw as wearing out the blade. Your miter saw most likely has an RPM around 3600-4000, while the Dewalt dry cut saw has an RPM of 1300. If you spend a day cutting 2"-4'" round stock, you will see how much faster you will wear out the blade at 3600 RPM.

I don't use a dry cut/carbide blade for cutting steel on my wood miter saw, as I know the rpm and torque don't match up. For steel, I use a composite blade rated for the rpm of the saw. For aluminum and wood, I use carbide blades rated for the rpm of the saw.

The sparks from the composite blade make a mess of the saw and have damaged some of the plastic, but it hasn't made the saw less effective for cutting wood.

It would be great if I could use a toothed blade to dry cut on the wood miter saw, but I have not heard of anyone doing that and I agree that the blade would not hold up well when it is made for a slower turning saw.

 

[MrJason]

I want to buy a decent metal chop saw but do not want to spend 500 bucks.

Can anybody recommend something good under the 300 dollar mark?

I live a ways from HARBOR FREIGHT, or else i would just get one of theirs with a warranty, and bother them every 5 months or so.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Kenny

The Makita 14" abrasive chop saw, is my go to saw in the shop.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000223J5/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I've only bought 2 Makitas in the last 10 years, after putting them through the paces.

They never quit, built tough and you get a return on investment rarely seen in cheaper models.

I am putting money together to buy what I call the Rolls-Royce of metal saws, the Baleigh. Why? I tried it out at a friends shop and that's the next level chop saw for the serious fabricator.

http://metal.baileighindustrial.com/circular-cold-saw-cs-350eu

But that'll come later, as I'm over the moon happy with the Makita's. I've had a HF, hated it. I've had a Kawasaki, and killed it in days. The Milwaukee is overpriced. The Makita is a great choice for a guy that doesn't want to spend big coin to get sh** done.

Hope this helps,
Jason