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Posted by Dan on June 18, 2006, 2:45 pm
Jay Pique wrote:
> Dan wrote:
>> I have a project which will require cutting metal bar stock, either
>> steel or aluminum (haven't decided yet), approximate cross section 4
>> 1/2" x 1/4".
>
> How many cuts do you anticipate making?
>
>> Chop saws are available for this, like this Milwaukee
>> example at Harbor Freight:
>> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=39755
>>
>> Blade is a 14" abrasive cutoff wheel.
>
> That would do the trick. Abrasive wheels leave the ends with big
> melted burrs on them that you'll need to clean up.
>
>> Also available are compound miter saws, generally used for wood, usually
>> with blades up to 12" in diameter. Since I own neither type of saw at
>> the moment, and since the compound miter saw would have greater utility
>> for me, I am wondering if there is any reason I couldn't just use a 12"
>> abrasive cutoff wheel in a compound miter saw to cut metal. I see the
>> above cutoff saw has a max rpm of 3900. As an example, this compound
>> miter saw is rated at 4100 rpm
>> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91852,
>> so speed shouldn't be an issue. There are 12" cutoff disks for metal
>> rated at 6300 RPM max http://www.doityourself.com/invt/6805881. So it
>> seems like there's no problem with doing this, unless I'm missing
>> something (wouldn't be the 1st time...)
>
> A sliding compound miter saw (SCMS) will cut the metal with an abrasive
> blade just like the Milwaukee cut-off saw. It won't have the built in
> clamping mechanism like most dedicated abrasive cut-off saws. The scms
> you have shown is near the bottom in terms of quality, and certainly
> price. I wouldn't recommend it.
>
> There are a number of different ways you could cut the steel. Oh - by
> the way - if you go with aluminum that's a totally different story than
> steel. I would recommend you NOT go with an abrasive blade for cutting
> that. Use a carbide blade. Back to the steel. Abrasive blades are
> lound, shoot fire, relatively slow and leave a horrible edge. An
> alternative would be a dry cutting metal saw. This would leave a very
> clean edge with only minimal clean-up needed. I'm not positive but I
> think these saws run at a lower rpm than abrasive cut-off saws. In any
> event, they'll run you about $400 with blade. You could also use a
> portable bandsaw. Or you could take it to a steel
> fabricator/welder/body shop/mechanic? and see how much he'll charge to
> lop them up for you. I'm rambling, but there are alternatives.
>
> If you only have say 15 or less cuts, what I'd do is get a decent 10"
> "regular" compound miter saw (CMS). This won't have the slider, but a
> Dewalt, Makita or Hitachi will only set you back around $175 and you'll
> have yourself a really useful tool. If you end up cutting aluminum,
> just use the stock blade that comes with the saw (or buy a cheapy). If
> you end up going with steel get a few abrasive blades for it - they
> should run you less than $10 a piece for sure. If the finished ends
> will be exposed though, you're going to have to do some filing and/or
> sanding to make them look good.
>
> JP
>
Jay-Thanks for the info. Probably wouldn't be doing much of this,
which is why I was thinking the miter saw might be of greater overall
usefulness in the long run. The HF saw is one example, I agree it's
probably not the best, though for 180 bucks I'll at least take a look at
it. I thought about the absence of a vice, I have a ton of clamps, also
a drill press vice, could likely rig up something.
Dan
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