Band Saw vs Abrasive Chop Saw

[mopardude318]

they both have their uses...I have both, and use both...

kinda like, why have a 2 vehicles when ya only need one... I don't want to take my big long bed cummins to go get a soda pop...ill take my little Honda civic...

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Ever had a chop saw blade disintegrate? That is not fun, I was lucky I had on my face shield and heavy overalls. I got rid of mine. I use a cutoff blade in a 4.5 angle grinder for those jobs now. Keep three plug-in when working steel. Cut off, 1/4" grinding wheel, and wire brush.

Ron

 

[Big Barn]

Just a side note for those that DO have abrasive chop saws.

When I bought mine over 30 years ago the Makita rep showed me how to cut using slow steady "chopping" motions as opposed to a steady single downward motion.

The result is less blade deflection (straighter cuts) and longer blade life.

Terry

 

[Big Barn]

My steel cutting usage is about 60% horizontal bandsaw, 35% abrasive chop saw, and 5% vertical bandsaw. My little power hacksaw gets pretty much ZERO use.





I use a lot of zip cut wheels in the mini grinder but not usually for anything that I can't clamp securely in a saw.

Terry

 

[dragoneggs]

Ever had a chop saw blade disintegrate? That is not fun, I was lucky I had on my face shield and heavy overalls. I got rid of mine. I use a cutoff blade in a 4.5 angle grinder for those jobs now. Keep three plug-in when working steel. Cut off, 1/4" grinding wheel, and wire brush.

Ron

Yep I personally haven't had that happen but a friend did, and I always think about it. I use my portaband on a swag table for most stuff. The chops was my first but I don't like it for all the reasons stated... true cuts, smell, debris... Someday I will replace it with a dry cut saw.

Just a side note for those that DO have abrasive chop saws.

When I bought mine over 30 years ago the Makita rep showed me how to cut using slow steady "chopping" motions as opposed to a steady single downward motion.

The result is less blade deflection (straighter cuts) and longer blade life.

Terry

I do this chopping action. Wasn't taught it... but it just seemed the right technique. Bearing down too hard and not allowing 'chips' to clear the cutting plane are recipes for tool wear or worse!

 

[Shield Arc]

In the 1970s I worked in a fab shop that had a large chop saw in an outside bay. When that blade would break and hit you in the chest it would almost knock you down. About 15-feet above the saw was a fiberglass clear roof panel. It had several holes punched in it from broken blades. Years later I built one like it, 7 1/2-horse power motor. It will cut 4-inch round stock in just a few seconds! I haven't used it in years. I use my Ellis 1800 band saw for all my cutting needs. Well except the plasma, and OA torch.

 

[LD1]

As others said, both have uses.

I also have both, and use both.

Cutting thin stuff can be hard on bandsaw blades. Like some 1x1 thin wall tubing. OR thin wall angle. Or cutting a piece of allthread or 5/16" keystock.

Sure, a fine toothed blade on a bandsaw would do it. But unless you have multiple bandsaws, next time you need to cut some thicker structural members, swap bandsaw blades again.

The chop saw is just so handy for the little stuff.

And how many of us have ever cut an allen wrench for something or another? Or cut a double ended end-mill in half for some special purpose?

Bandsaw....You would use cutting most structural stuff. 3 or 4+" channel, 1"+ solid round stock, heavy wall pipe and tubing, etc.

Chop saw, thin and smaller stuff that has a tenancy to grab teeth. Uni strut, gauge thickness tubing, small allthread and keystock, and hard materials like hex keys. Or even cutting down chrome plated stuff like cylinder rods to make pins with.

 

[muddstopper]

There is no such thing as a one size fits all metal cutting tool. I own a cheap bandsaw, a abrasive chop saw, a plasma torch and 2 sets of oxy/acet torches. If I need to cut it, consider it cut. Cutting hard metals with a bandsaw isnt that complicated. They sell m42 carbide bandsaw blades and they aint much more expensive than the regular bimetal blades, you can cut HSS with them, stainless no problem, inconel, titanium no big deal.They last a lot longer in mild steel than bi metal blades too. Abrasive saws make tons of dust, just the way it is. Short chopping cuts will cut faster, cooler and more accurate than a steady down pressure on the abrasive blade. I would like to own a coldcut saw, but wouldnt use it enough to justify the cost. My chop saw is just setting collect dust, but I will drag it out to make fast cuts in angle iron. I use the band saw on round stock and thick flatbar, and large angle iron, and the torch or plasma cutter for flat plate or anything to heavy or big to fit on the other tools.

 

[scdeerslayer]

I put a chop saw blade on a mitre saw once and hated it. For most things I cut with a horizontal band saw. Got a portaband also. Some things just require a cutoff wheel on the angle grinder though. Got 3 4.5" angle grinders, one with a grinding wheel, one with a wire wheel, one with a cutoff wheel.

I'm thinking of getting one of those mitre saws with a metal cutting blade. I've got one of the blades to test in my wood cutting mitre saw. If I like that I'll probably get the actual saw made for it. I want that to make more accurate angles than the band saw.

Definitely need something to hold up long pieces in the horizontal band saw. I was given a roller stand made for a mitre saw. Too tall for the band saw. With unlevel dirt floor I needed a way to adjust the height. I had just recently found an old floor jack that still worked. Welded a piece of rectangle tube to the floor jack to raise it up about a foot, and welded the top of the roller stand to that. With long heavy pieces I can place one end on the band saw, then get the other end on the roller and jack it up until it's level.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'm thinking of getting one of those mitre saws with a metal cutting blade. I've got one of the blades to test in my wood cutting mitre saw. If I like that I'll probably get the actual saw made for it.

You do realize that the wood miter saw is waaaaay to fast for your blade so you still won't know how a metal cutting saw/blade will work, don't you??

SR