Recommendations for cutting steel unitrut please

[cdsvt]

Hi,

I picked up some steel unistrut for hanging my garage heater and it comes in 10' lengths. In need to make two cuts to chop it down to size. It's a lot sturdier than I was expecting and need to figure out what to use to cut it.

What is a good do-it-yourselfer tool for a clean cut?

I don't have a bandsaw or metal chop saw and I am not inclined to buy a specialty power tool for the job (as much as I'd like to have one of those cool handheld bandsaws).

I do have an old Delta miter saw that I used to cut fiber cement siding on, which seems to still work despite the way it looks. Could I use a large abrasive cutoff wheel in that and turn it into a serviceable cut off saw?

I also have an angle grinder and air powered die grinders that might work, but would take a long time and probably not make a very neat cut.

Worst comes to worst I suppose I can use a hacksaw. Seems like a lot of work though.

Thanks for any advice you can share.

 

[Journaler]

My first suggestion would have been a bandsaw, but you've already thought about that.
#2 would be to put one of those diablo metal cutting circular saw blades on a regular circular saw, and go to town! (just make sure you clamp everything down)

 

[Journaler]

Before I bought my bandsaw, I used this to tear apart, and reweld my pallet racks:

http://amzn.com/B00008WQ3B

Cuts metal like buttah!

 

[Jere]

Saws-all with bi metal blades, or an angle grinder with a cut off wheel will do the trick also

 

[Stuart in MN]

Worst comes to worst I suppose I can use a hacksaw. Seems like a lot of work though.

As long as you have a decent blade, it will only take a few minutes to cut with a hacksaw. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.

 

[yamatitan]

I cut it all the time with a sawzall and metal blade. Works pretty good.

 

[shooting4life]

Sounds like a good reason to get a band saw to me. The thing with strut is once you start using it, you cannot stop. Everything will be made with strut.

 

[MN4x4]

As long as you have a decent blade, it will only take a few minutes to cut with a hacksaw. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.

X2.

I once was on a road trip for a company and we were driving a rental box van. The truck broke down so they brought us a new one as an exchange. We forgot that the padlock key was on the keyring so when we got to our next stop 100 miles away, we didn't have a key to open the box.

We drove to a nearby HD and bought the cheapest hacksaw I could find, and a good Lenox blade. I didn't even try the stock blade, just put the Lenox blade in it. I told my buddy 'time me' and went to work on the hardened padlock. Exactly 20 seconds later I was through!!!

 

[canbug]

I've cut thousands of feet of unistrut with a hack saw. Cut the sides, notch the bottom and bend back and forth a couple of times. Probably 15-20 seconds a cut.

Quick and simple. Clean up with a file and your golden.

Tim.

 

[ratdoggy]

Here's an excuse to speak to SWMBO and get a plasma cutter if I've ever heard one.

 

[cdsvt]

Thanks everyone!!

Looks like I have lots of options to choose from.

Of course, I would prefer to buy a plasma cutter, but that isn't in the cards. My wife caught onto my tricks years ago.

Hearing that some of you have had good luck with cutting by hand, I'm going to buy a new blade for my hacksaw and apply some elbow grease.

Thanks, guys.

 

[tomd]

I agree with hack saw. By the time you mess around with a small electric tool, it'll be done. sounds like you only have 2 cuts to make.

 

[Kny21]

HF Dual Saw (or the real thing)

butter

 

[gmwelder86]

Portable band saw. Tool has a thousand uses.

 

[srmofo]

Just a couple of cuts? Use a hacksaw and a vise.

I own plasma cutter, abrasive cutters of every size and shape, and a cold cut saw but I still keep a hacksaw hanging above the bench for those quick one off cuts because its quick, easy, and accurate enough for the work I mostly do

 

[stonesfan68]

Here's an excuse to speak to SWMBO and get a plasma cutter if I've ever heard one.

I like the way that you think!

 

[ilovevocs]

Hacksaw gets my vote. I enjoy the exercise! Plasmas are over rated IMHO. The portaband and a cutting torch would get you allot further in you home shop.

 

[ratdoggy]

Here's an excuse to speak to SWMBO and get a plasma cutter if I've ever heard one.

I like the way that you think!

Unfortunately she sees through my charades now. Married 21 years

 

[rburke65]

40 years as an electrician, cut lots of Unistrut with a hack saw.

 

[NUTTSGT]

A hacksaw would do the job with a good blade but it'd be perfect time to buy a recip saw.

 

[awdblazer]

hacksaw and use a square and draw your lines on all three sides

 

[welder4956]

Definitely a hacksaw with a good blade if you don't have power tools. A good heavy duty hacksaw would be best. Not a cheap pos that twists and bends while you are trying to cut. Draw lines as advised by awdblazer with a black fine point Sharpie.

 

[AndrewDouglasBird]

Get these and use your angle grinder:

http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-5-4-1-2-half-inch-metal-cutting-discs-66394.html

I use these all the time ad they work great. Will cut through like butter.

 

[RickP]

I had to make a few dozen cuts and ended up using a sawzall, then cleaned up the edges with a grinder.

 

[awdblazer]

oh another thing, get some cold galvanizing spray and spray the ends and wherever you drill through it

 

[keelan]

This is a great opportunity to get some practice with a hack saw. My dad wouldn't let me use anything but a hacksaw, and my first cuts were terrible. But, I'm not 13 anymore, and I can follow a line and make square cuts with ease with a hack saw now. It's a skill that you shouldn't be without. For two cuts in unistrut, I wouldn't consider anything else.

I only start to consider going to power tools if I can't do the cut in a minute or so. Call me old fashioned. For me, manual work is a form of meditation.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I bought a 25 pack of Bahco hacksaw blades at the flea market. Sharpest, best cutting blades I've ever seen.

I have a cheap Northern Tool horizontal bandsaw, one that the whole saw swivels to cut angles. Worth its weight in gold for cutting everything from conduit, unistrut, and PVC pipe to angle iron and channel iron.

Charles

 

[Ironcrow]

I haven't seen the right answer yet: Get a metal saw blade for that old Delta miter saw!

 

[cdsvt]

Hi all,

Again, thanks for the replies. I appreciate all the great information.

I built a roll cage with a mechanic friend once. He made me cut every piece by hand with a hacksaw. He had a power metal cutting bandsaw right there in the shop... He was teaching me something, and to be honest, I appreciated the roll cage more for the work I put into it.

That was 15 years ago, and I guess I was just being lazy looking for a power tool solution to the unistrut.

So, I bought some decent 18 tpi hacksaw metal blades for my 12 high tension hacksaw. I'll have at it over the weekend and it'll probably take less time than it did to type these postings.

I'll keep these others in my back pocket in case I need to do some more high volume stuff.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[ratdoggy]

me personally when I have to cut something think hand tool first if it's just one cut. By the time I found a power tool and set it up for what I was going to be doing I would have been done with the hand tool.

 

[csi123]

How about renting a metal chop saw from your local hardware store?

Since you only need it for an hour or so, it is probably cheaper to rent than to buy a new cutoff wheel.

 

[JCQuick]

HF cheap sawsall I think with a coupon are like $9.95 we have one here and use it to cut lots of things

 

[olytdi]

I don't have a bandsaw or metal chop saw and I am not inclined to buy a specialty power tool for the job (as much as I'd like to have one of those cool handheld band saws.

Ummm....a band saw or metal chop saw is the tool you need. You could try devine intervention but the right tool would be easier.

The HF hand-held band saw is an awesome tool. With 25% off coupon it's probably under $50. Buy a Milwaukee blade for it and you're set.

 

[gtermini]

Hacksaw FTW!!!

I bet these guys wish they had a sawzall! They probably have nothing better to do!

Greyson

 

[amolaver]

for two cuts, hacksaw. however...as someone said - and i can attest - once you start using strut, you realize it deserves to be in the conversation with duct tape and wd40; its amazing stuff.

i had been cutting it with a recip saw (sawzall), and while effective, i recently got an evolution rage saw. tungsten carbide 14" type of chop saw. much slower rpm than typical abrasive saw, but the cut quality is amazing. the finish of the cut edges is so nice, no dressing is required. milwaukee, dewalt, and northern tool all offer similar saws.

or, use metal cutting discs in a 4 1/2" angle grinder. cheap, fast, doesn't take up a lot of space.

ahm

 

[shampoop]

I've used a chop saw with an abrasive cutting wheel at work. Worked pretty terribly with the correct type of cheap "dewalt" cutting wheels, but works AWESOME with the quality german "pferd" brand wheels. 15 seconds with a file or less with a powered wire wheel turns out perfect.

I remember hearing on here once someone was very emphatic about using cheap abrasive tools i now know why. The dewalt 4.5" angle grinder wheels sucked balls too, got the pferd ones and they kicked ***!

 

[sunsation288]

My Dry saw , fast and easy

 

[Kevin54]

To make one piece into two pieces.....Hacksaw.. If you don't do enough with metal on a weekly or monthly basis, then there is no sense in buying a horizontal bandsaw, cutoff saw, or whatever else. Grab the hacksaw and go at it. Five minutes and you're done.

 

[sunsation288]

To make one piece into two pieces.....Hacksaw.. If you don't do enough with metal on a weekly or monthly basis, then there is no sense in buying a horizontal bandsaw, cutoff saw, or whatever else. Grab the hacksaw and go at it. Five minutes and you're done.

X2 Kevin , you have it right , it's not a too hard steel , and since it's galvanized coated , with a hacksaw you don't overheat and remove the precious metal (i don't know if galvanized it's a a metal ? )

 

[sberry]

A hacksaw would do the job with a good blade but it'd be perfect time to buy a recip saw.

I am for simple, could do it a bunch of ways and 2 pieces can be done by hand but,,,,,, while a guy doesn't need every tool ever invented a decent recip saw is wellllllllllllll worth the investment. If you don't got it you need it.