Chop saws, Whos using what?

HHH Knives

HHH Knives

Super Moderator
I have a Heavy Duty 15 amp chop saw. Its been a good tool. and had finally cut its last piece of steel.

Im now looking for a new saw. but wanted to ask you guys what saws you have used and found to be good, or bad.. I also wanted to see if anyone had any experience with the dry cut saw blades that are carbon tipped.. And from what they say, cut cleaner and with less spark and debris and are suppose to outlast the resin cutting disks like 50 to 1.

I was looking at the DEWALT D28715 14-Inch Chop Saw with Quick-Change blade.

Any advice would be great..

God Bless
Randy
 
Can't go wrong with that Dewalt! I have one that I use at home, and the one here at the day job gets used regularly and has been in service for 2 years so far.

Charlie
 
I have an el cheapo that I bought many years ago at one of those traveling tool shows that go from town to town and it's cut many a piece of steel. When it finally goes to the dead tool place I'll replace it with a better quality one, probably the Dewalt you mentioned, but for now the one I have keeps chugging along. After bragging on it the thing will probably die the next time I use it. By the way, I'm using the resin discs on mine.
 
The last 3 we have had were elcheapos! HF saws. and I gota say this last one was a pretty good saw.. compared to the first 2! also HF but the lower amp models.

I think the Dewalt will do the job. Iv had good luck with there power tools so far.. from cordless drills to porta bands there a solid performer.

I was thinking about the dry cut blades that are carbide tipped. How will they react to HOT steel. Sometimes we are cutting off ends as we forge. my gut tells me that the blade tips will not like the heat! and there like 180.00 a blade so it could be very pricey lesson. Dont know?

Thanks for the input..
Randy
 
I had thought of getting a cheap saw for cutting bars and I stumbled onto a deal for a floor model drill press, table saw, and ??? I don't know exatly what kind of saw the other is (please forgive my ignorance). At the prie the storage unit full of stuff was offered to me at, I couldn't pass it up. So far all I have pulled out were the two saws and drill press. Both saws are Black & Decker. Think this will work if I can put a cut off wheel on it?

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murphda2 said:
I had thought of getting a cheap saw for cutting bars and I stumbled onto a deal for a floor model drill press, table saw, and ??? I don't know exatly what kind of saw the other is (please forgive my ignorance). At the prie the storage unit full of stuff was offered to me at, I couldn't pass it up. So far all I have pulled out were the two saws and drill press. Both saws are Black & Decker. Think this will work if I can put a cut off wheel on it?


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Murph,

That is called a radial saw. An avid woodworker would be jealous of you for stumbling on the deal.
A well-designed radial saw has more capacity, and can sometimes provide better accuracy with less tearout, versus using a miter saw.

In regards to cutting metal with it, I will NEVER try that again.
I tried it 20 years ago and learned two things very quickly.

1. The kickback hazard is very great, especially at the speeds of a saw designed for efficient wood cuts.
2. The blade shroud is not designed the same way as a proper chop saw. If a disc explodes, the pieces are not contained as well.

Another consideration is that blade speeds are completely different. At the time I tried it, the metal-cutting circular saw blades were still in their design infancy, but even the disc saws had lower speeds.
Wood needs high speed for efficient ejection of chips and sawdust, whereas with metal any cutting benefits are easily outweighed by blade problems ($$).

I'm not one of these "safety freaks"; matter-of fact, I still do some unwise things in the name of experimentation "just cuz I gots ta know".
But the safety issue shouldn't be overlooked; a sprained wrist taught me about the kickback issue. I knew the risk before I even did it, but you know- heart over brains.
Learned about proper shrouds when a disc snapped and part of it went through the wall.


Good Luck,
Rob
 
And that my friends is why I ask others when I have no clue.

Hmmmmmmmm, I guess I need to sell some saws to buy new toys now.
 
Good call Myrph. I dont know 4sure, but my bet is the right tool for the job will be much safer and most often give you the desired results!

I hear the dewalt heavy duty model chop saw is good! lolol Ill let ya know for sure when mine arrives. Yep, I ordered myself a Dewalt this afternoon. should be hear Monday! :)

Thanks guys for your input.
 
i would love to get my hands on one those dewalts. I played with one a while back and it was beast and chewed through metal.
 
I have a 12" Delta chop/miter saw for woodworking that I'll occasionally put a 12" metal cut off wheel in because I'm too broke to buy a dedicated metal chop saw. It seems to work alright, though it does tend to melt some of the plastic parts that the sparks get showered onto.

Eventually I just want to get a metal cutting bandsaw. Much more versatile IMO....
 
Andrew, Thanks for the input. Iit sounds like something I would try at least once! :) lolol

I have 2 band saws. And use them alot. but for forging, the chop saw is a must.. Because of its ability to cut the hot steel quick.. allowing more time in the forge and less time waiting for it to cool enough to handle. or cut in the band saw.. Also the forge scale on a billet is SUPER HARD and brutal on band saw blades.

I still want to know if anyone has tried the carbide tipped blades for 14" cut off saws. And if they hold up to the abuse we would put them through! Cutting HOT steel!

God Bless
Randy
 
I agree with Randy , a chop saw is a must for me . No I have not used the carbide tipped blades ? I have been using a general purpose cut off wheel 14' from Dewalt. It lasted a long time 2 years ? maybe . I bought a box 12 blades that were thinner and supposed to be for cutting bar stock . I don't think they were as good as the "general purpose " Might give a carbide tipped blade a shot . Whats that set you back . Bubba
 
I'd be curious also about how those carbide tipped metal cutting blades hold up. My understanding is they need the specialized low rpm saws and they're meant for thin gauge metal studs for some framing, but if it holds up on bar stock? I'd check to make sure the saw doesn't exceed the blade's max. rpm rating. Might be strange for the blade to stay the same size cut after cut.

Murph, I'd second steering away from the radial arm saw for metal cutting. The direction of the rotating blade would pull it into cut and metal wouldn't have as much room for error as wood may have. Might be quite a trick to control the cut.

Take care, Craig
 
Craig, Good call!
After doing a little research, I think your right. The MAX rpm on the carbide tipped blades are much lower then the speed of most chop saws. The new DEWALT runs at like 4000 max. And the blades for cutting steel are rated at 1800 to 2000 rpm.

Im gona keep looking and see if I can find any with a higher RPM.. Thanks for the input..
 
HHH Knives said:
Andrew, Thanks for the input. Iit sounds like something I would try at least once! :) lolol

I have 2 band saws. And use them alot. but for forging, the chop saw is a must.. Because of its ability to cut the hot steel quick.. allowing more time in the forge and less time waiting for it to cool enough to handle. or cut in the band saw.. Also the forge scale on a billet is SUPER HARD and brutal on band saw blades.

I still want to know if anyone has tried the carbide tipped blades for 14" cut off saws. And if they hold up to the abuse we would put them through! Cutting HOT steel!

God Bless
Randy
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Good point about cutting hot metal. I'm strictly stock removal right now, so I wouldn't "need" to cut hot metal. Definitely would want a chop saw for that. (And not the woodworking chop saw with plastic inserts and gaurds....)
 
Hey guys, The new saw showed up and its really nice. Went with the DEWALT! and am lovin it! Its all clean and new looking! :) That wont last long in my shop.. lol

Thanks for all the input, Its great to have a place like this to ask questions and get opinions.
God Bless!
 
Might be a bit too late to resurrect this thread, but...


I prefer the new line of chop saws coming out recently that have a cast base. The stamped sheetmetal ones get dented and bent over time and it's a pain in the butt to have to square the workpiece every time you go to cut something. The new cast ones are ground on the contact areas; just make sure the work is flat to the base and you're good to go.
 
Just wanted to drop a note in here about the saw.. So far this thing has been awesome. Heres a quick pic I took recently when doing the OUT OF THIS WORLD WIP of the saw in action!!

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