Here are the problems I've run into with metal cutting saws.
Abrasive blade saws wander when making cuts in bigger pieces of steel. The blade will deflect slightly in the cut so you end up with a crooked cut. The abrasive saws are also extremely dirty. You have abrasive + metal dust everywhere in back of the saw. Another problem is that with large pieces, the metal heats up and hardens making the cut more difficult. You have to find the correct down pressure so the blade goes through the metal relatively quickly without overheating the metal OR deflecting from the pressure. You can make marginally accurate cuts if you're very, very careful. For miters, you have to make sure the wheel is aligned to the vise provided on the machine. I've owned two abrasive saws and neither was accurately marked or usable from the factory. I have a small 45/90 degree square and that's what I used to setup both the 45 and 90 degree angles.
Cold cut / dry cut saws. I owned one of these and the problem with it is the blades are really expensive and cutting can be problematic with some shapes so you don't damage the blade. You can chip a tooth or bend the blade quite easily and then it's about $100+ to replace the blade. With careful setup, you can make accurate cuts but when you cut small pieces or angles you can easily bend the blade or chip a tooth. For example, if you're making a cut on a piece of angle iron that requires you to cut a leg rather than across the flat, it's very easy to damage a blade. You have to do very careful setups to hold the piece in the machine's vise so it doesn't move when cutting. If it moves, you can chip a tooth on the blade or bend the blade. I have three souvenir blades hanging on my wall. The final problem with the saws is they're really made to cut steel and while they will cut other metals there are some problems associated with doing that.
Bandsaw. I finally purchased a Baileigh BS-210M horizontal bandsaw. The cut angles are accurate and repeatable. It will cut any type of metal and I've used it to cut wood and plastic. I use a variable pitch blade on it with moderate down pressure. The saw is a variable speed saw that you simply dial the blade speed into the controller. Since the down feed pressure can easily be adjusted, I have no problem making cuts on small pieces of metal, legs of angles, thick metal etc. It has a fixed vise and a swivel head, has a coolant reservoir, and the angle adjustment can be calibrated. The downside is - it's relatively expensive to buy. You also need a dedicated area as the non-portable saws are relative large and you need an area adjacent to the saw to feed the metal. Quality blades are relatively inexpensive being from about $30 to $60.
I've never used any of the smaller adjustable bandsaws or the horizontal / vertical models so I can't provide any opinion on them as I've no experience with them. I know Trajan makes small bandsaws, Jet has some smaller bandsaws, and Baileigh has the BS-127P that is a small portable model that has an adjustable angle feature. The small, portable bandsaws are in the $500 - $700 range. The horizontal / vertical Jet bandsaw is available in several models from about $500 to over $1,000 depending upon size.
Abrasive blade saws wander when making cuts in bigger pieces of steel. The blade will deflect slightly in the cut so you end up with a crooked cut. The abrasive saws are also extremely dirty. You have abrasive + metal dust everywhere in back of the saw. Another problem is that with large pieces, the metal heats up and hardens making the cut more difficult. You have to find the correct down pressure so the blade goes through the metal relatively quickly without overheating the metal OR deflecting from the pressure. You can make marginally accurate cuts if you're very, very careful. For miters, you have to make sure the wheel is aligned to the vise provided on the machine. I've owned two abrasive saws and neither was accurately marked or usable from the factory. I have a small 45/90 degree square and that's what I used to setup both the 45 and 90 degree angles.
Cold cut / dry cut saws. I owned one of these and the problem with it is the blades are really expensive and cutting can be problematic with some shapes so you don't damage the blade. You can chip a tooth or bend the blade quite easily and then it's about $100+ to replace the blade. With careful setup, you can make accurate cuts but when you cut small pieces or angles you can easily bend the blade or chip a tooth. For example, if you're making a cut on a piece of angle iron that requires you to cut a leg rather than across the flat, it's very easy to damage a blade. You have to do very careful setups to hold the piece in the machine's vise so it doesn't move when cutting. If it moves, you can chip a tooth on the blade or bend the blade. I have three souvenir blades hanging on my wall. The final problem with the saws is they're really made to cut steel and while they will cut other metals there are some problems associated with doing that.
Bandsaw. I finally purchased a Baileigh BS-210M horizontal bandsaw. The cut angles are accurate and repeatable. It will cut any type of metal and I've used it to cut wood and plastic. I use a variable pitch blade on it with moderate down pressure. The saw is a variable speed saw that you simply dial the blade speed into the controller. Since the down feed pressure can easily be adjusted, I have no problem making cuts on small pieces of metal, legs of angles, thick metal etc. It has a fixed vise and a swivel head, has a coolant reservoir, and the angle adjustment can be calibrated. The downside is - it's relatively expensive to buy. You also need a dedicated area as the non-portable saws are relative large and you need an area adjacent to the saw to feed the metal. Quality blades are relatively inexpensive being from about $30 to $60.
I've never used any of the smaller adjustable bandsaws or the horizontal / vertical models so I can't provide any opinion on them as I've no experience with them. I know Trajan makes small bandsaws, Jet has some smaller bandsaws, and Baileigh has the BS-127P that is a small portable model that has an adjustable angle feature. The small, portable bandsaws are in the $500 - $700 range. The horizontal / vertical Jet bandsaw is available in several models from about $500 to over $1,000 depending upon size.
It sounds like all three will work with their own pros/cons. I guess my cut-off wheel works too. I already own it, and the replacement discs are even cheaper. Need to think through it to see what price point works and is worth it.
