so i got a dewalt abrasive chop saw and i hate it. i use a horizontal band saw at work and i love it. so im looking for something better then my abrasive chop saw. what other options do i have that arent really expensive. id like to keep it around 300. hf horizontal band saws any good?
metal cutting options?
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scott37300
Well-known member
I have a dewalt multicutter and love it. It's a little out of your price range but in my opinion it's well worth it. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000302QS/?tag=atomicindus08-20
It cuts smooth and doesn't heat the metal up and leaves a nice clean cut.
It cuts smooth and doesn't heat the metal up and leaves a nice clean cut.
look up a rage dry cut saw. looks like an abrasive chop saw, but no sparks/slag - freaking amazing little buggers. lots of folks make them, but there doesn't seem to be much difference between them (and i think the rage is the cheapest). the HF 4x6 band saws are supposed to be pretty good so long as you take the time to set them up right / running true. there have been a few threads on here about them. might need some TLC to really be good, but if you have the time and inclination, tough to beat the price!
ahm
ahm
the rage is, so far as i can tell, the same as that dewalt (or the milwaukee for that matter). and about $150 cheaper...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WEORGM/?tag=atomicindus08-20
ahm
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WEORGM/?tag=atomicindus08-20
ahm
PeterT
Well-known member
use a hacksaw
scott37300
Well-known member
I would say each has their own benefits. The dry cut saw cuts fast and clean and will do angles pretty easy and doesn't take up much room. A bandsaw has a larger cutting capacity I believe and takes up a good deal of floor space. Personally I have used both and would rather have the dewalt multi cutter or similar over a 4x6 bandsaw.
demonspeed
Well-known member
I've used a variation of the Harbor Freight bandsaw that goes for about $290. I bought mine from grizzly but I'm pretty sure it's the same one, painted a different color. It gets the job done, and I've used it a ton of times. Probably had it for about 5-6 years. The only issue it seems to have is that sometimes you have to watch how much pressure you're cutting with when it's not in vertical mode (I don't know if that makes any sense. But I mean when you're using the weight of the saw to apply pressure to the metal, rather than pushing it towards the blade.) It's got a few other little quality issues here and there but you learn how to work around them. Not a bad deal overall, I'd buy another one. And I'm sure a lot of the things that bother me a little could be fixed if you wanted to put the effort in. I used a chopsaw for a long time before I bought the bandsaw and now it pretty much made my chopsaw obsolete.
GirlnAgarage
Well-known member
I have a Rage 3 compound sliding miter and I love it. Got it for Christmas last year. Before that I used a hacksaw, recip saw and circ saw with abrasive blade. Haven't ever used a bandsaw though.
The Rage 3 is easiest, fastest and best cut, by far. Obviously a sliding cm saw has limits as to what that can be cut (can't do large sheets). But pipe, angle, square, and flat stock are easily cut. I've cut wood, 1/4" steel, pvc and galvanized.
I went from hacksaw to metal cutting saw - uh, no thanks on the hacksaw. Takes too long and way too much effort, especially large projects. But it makes small projects a virtual breeze.
Ign
Well-known member
No, never in a million years. Bandsaws are more versatile, have larger capacity, can cut SOLID stock in any size that'll fit in the vise, blades last longer and are much cheaper. Maybe they're slower but you can walk away while it cuts. Bandsaw much quieter, too. If you have neighbors they'll never know you're cutting anything. Bandsaw kerf is virtually negligible in most cases. Chips fall straight down instead of spraying all over behind saw (yeah those catch trays on the hot saws only do so much).
BLACK DEATH
Well-known member
I have a gas powered chop saw, used a chop saw, have a porta band & own the HF 4x6 band saw. Get them all... If possible but if not, the band saw is good. Mine cut pretty straight out of the box but not perfect. I didn't do any setup on it it's first cut or spring tension. I've set it up and it cuts good n straight. I spent maybe 15 minutes on setting it up and it's real close to being perfect but it also depends on the feed rate. Its not a fast cutting machine, but its quiet, less mess & no hott sparks. I'd never give my bandsaw up, I'd only upgrade to a little larger one with a hydraulic feed rate. I have a porta band and they can cut real fast But can cut crooked also but that may be operator error.
fourjeepin
Well-known member
I have a good abrasive saw. Can I just swap the abrasive blade for one of the Rage metal blades? I like the idea of no more dust and sparks....
GirlnAgarage
Well-known member
You need to match saw rpm with blade specs. Usually nonmetal cutting saws run to fast.
scott37300
Well-known member
No, the abrasive saws run at a much higher RPM.
metaldad
Well-known member
no one uses a gas axe?
thanks for the input i think im gona go with the hf band saw just because im used to bandsaws from work and its cheap. from what ive read online you can get them on sale and with a coupon for under 200. not to mention i found out how much those dry cut blades cost. and ya my hacksaw days are long gone i need something that can make a nice clean square cut.
8paintchips
Member
I have a jet band saw thats simular to the harbor frieght saw, its makes a good cut but it's realy slow and needs adjusting sometimes. I have a millwaukee chop saw that is my goto, just because its quick, portable and requires no mantinace. Yes its loud and dirty but i get all my cuts done before i would get one done on the band saw. The bandsaw also takes up lots of space. It is good to have both but i almost never use the bandsaw.
Ign
Well-known member
Funny, this question comes up in every thread whenever hot saws (multi-cutters) are mentioned. Answer: no, you can't use a Rage/Evolution/Milwaukee/Dewalt blade rated for ~1400rpm. But there are (or were) companies making 14" carbide tipped blades for metal rated for 4000+ rpm that your abrasive spins. I'd find 'em for you but I don't care that much. For what the blades cost (and I don't remember exact numbers) it's a considerable investment to retrofit something that wasn't intended to work that way. If your abrasive saw is in the least beat tweaked/worn/has runout you risk dramatically shortening the life of the blade.
Ign
Well-known member
Here we go.......granted this is a 7x12 but the principles are the same on a 4x6. Show me a sub-$800 circular saw (the 7x12s are easy to find at >$800) that can cut 7 sticks of 1 1/4" sq tube while I'm on the other side of the shop welding. The auxillary clamps are just to hold the lone stick on top, allowing for cuts of odd numbers of like stock.
No noise, no heat, minimal burrs, .035" kerf, blades last months if you're careless, up to a year if you're smart and cost $25 to replace (Irwin), and that's assuming you're buying them pre-welded. Will also cut wood, plastics, stainless and solid stock of any sort as long as it's not heat treated. Factory provisions for stop rod for repeat cuts of the same length. And the chips fall - - what?? -- into the chip tray.
Can be set up vertically for contour cuts or rip cuts in delicate materials. I recently had to cut small squares out of .100" thick acrylic sheet and this was the best way by far to do it. It's no replacement for a dedicated vertical bandsaw but still VERY useful.
And note how far my blade guides are closed up - coulda cut twice this many at once.
No noise, no heat, minimal burrs, .035" kerf, blades last months if you're careless, up to a year if you're smart and cost $25 to replace (Irwin), and that's assuming you're buying them pre-welded. Will also cut wood, plastics, stainless and solid stock of any sort as long as it's not heat treated. Factory provisions for stop rod for repeat cuts of the same length. And the chips fall - - what?? -- into the chip tray.
Can be set up vertically for contour cuts or rip cuts in delicate materials. I recently had to cut small squares out of .100" thick acrylic sheet and this was the best way by far to do it. It's no replacement for a dedicated vertical bandsaw but still VERY useful.
And note how far my blade guides are closed up - coulda cut twice this many at once.
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machine_punk
Well-known member
I highly recommend the Milwaukee portable deep-cut, variable-speed band saw. It sells for right at $300 locally. For just $100 more than the HF saw, you get the industry standard in small band saws. I recently purchased one and don't know how I got along without it.
M_P
M_P
BLACK DEATH
Well-known member
Thar milwaukee will work good in vertical mode when you buy or make a stand for it.
My metal-cutting methods, listed in order of how frequently they get used:
Milwaukee dry cut saw with Freud blade
Milwaukee portaband with Swag base
Circular saw with Freud metal-cutting blade
Tin snips
Jig saw
Angle grinders
Reciprocating saw
Table saw with metal cutting blade put in
I do have an Oxy-AC setup, but I've never used it for cutting. I don't own any kind of bench-mounted shears. I don't think a plasma would ever prove itself worth its cost.
Milwaukee dry cut saw with Freud blade
Milwaukee portaband with Swag base
Circular saw with Freud metal-cutting blade
Tin snips
Jig saw
Angle grinders
Reciprocating saw
Table saw with metal cutting blade put in
I do have an Oxy-AC setup, but I've never used it for cutting. I don't own any kind of bench-mounted shears. I don't think a plasma would ever prove itself worth its cost.