Suggestions on a Chop Saw

[Iplayfarmer]

...parts are easy to get

That's a huge selling point right there.

What parts have you needed?

 

[zzvyb6]

I also recommend the Milwaukee saw. Be sure to use name brand wheels with ROUND centered blades.

As an aside, my Makita concrete saw equipped with an abrasive wheel makes for quick work when you need to go far afield. Be sure to hold on with both hands !

 

[JohnDeere4300]

These work pretty well



This is what came on the saw I bought - very, very slow - I was afraid I'd overheat the blade or saw motor, as I had to push so hard to make it cut. Plus someone here had warned earlier about these exploding in use.

The first one that I post seems pretty good.... I have cut some large tubing several times and i can't even tell that it has worn down any.

I missed that post about that type.

But thanks for mentioning it.

I had a cheap 4 1/2-inch. cut off wheel on a grinder break in so many pieces that i had to take a broom & sweep it up... and a piece cut my forearm.

 

[orezok]

I'm building a high school and a middle school right now (combined value of $150M) and of the 20 to 30 chop saws being used on the job, 85 to 90% are DeWalt. I don't know if they are good or they are cheap, but they are plentiful.

These are large contractors and the metal stud/drywall contract is over $10M. This is not an endorsement, just an observation.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I also recommend the Milwaukee saw. Be sure to use name brand wheels with ROUND centered blades.

As an aside, my Makita concrete saw equipped with an abrasive wheel makes for quick work when you need to go far afield. Be sure to hold on with both hands !

Thanks for the recommendation. My local hardware store carries forney brand metal working products. I don't know if that counts as name brand or not, but I already bought two cutting wheels to use on the broken saw before I knew it was broken.

I've used a lot of their skinny wheels in my angle grinder, and I have no complaints. Come to think of it, though, I think that's the only brand I've ever used. I have nothing to compare it too. I've use the Dewalt grinding wheels, but not the skinny wheels.

 

[jayste]

Farmer, Wow! That saw shelled some "inerds". I'm glad to hear you found a saw to your liking. This is a little off centered but I've posted a link below where Wroughtn Harv has a thread going and he mentions a metal cutting blade that really does the job. He's using it in his worm drive circular saw and he's cutting tubing as well as 1/2" plate steel! He says it's a little pricey but worth the money.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/137611-start-something-big-5.html

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Farmer, Wow! That saw shelled some "inerds". I'm glad to hear you found a saw to your liking. This is a little off centered but I've posted a link below where Wroughtn Harv has a thread going and he mentions a metal cutting blade that really does the job. He's using it in his worm drive circular saw and he's cutting tubing as well as 1/2" plate steel! He says it's a little pricey but worth the money.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/137611-start-something-big-5.html

That blade sounds like what I've heard called a "cold cut" blade. I almost traded a guy for a cold cut saw 4 or 5 months ago, but in the end he backed out of the deal. I've noticed that the cold cut saws are priced at least double what an abrasive cut-off saw is priced at. I wonder what makes them different.

I think that what tore the guts out of the old Dewalt saw was someone put a cold cutting blade in the old Dewalt or some stunt like that.

 

[shinnlinger]

HI,

I have a 14" Dewalt "dry cut" saw which may be the same technology as the cold saw. It has a carbide tipped blade and cuts steel very fast and clean , but I think the ergonomics of the saw are poor. Metabo makes one I like better.

On the cheap side, I also have an old radial arm saw with an abrasive blade on it. This cuts also but I use it as a grinder mostly.

 

[sizzami]

be carefull w/cold saw blades are outrageously exspensive

 

[oughtsix]

I have been using my HarborFreight cutoff saw for about 3 years now and it does an OK job. What I don't like about it is it does not cut accurate angles. When I need an accurate angle I use my 7 1/2hp 16" RedStar radial arm saw with a 14" abrasive blade. It will make a much more accurate miter. I would use the RAS all the time but the abrasive blade makes such a mess and I usually use it for woodworking. My shop is split down the middle with a wall... metal dust on one side wood dust on the other.

When it comes to abrasive blades I have found the the name brand abrasive blades (Dewalt) seem to cut twice as fast, last twice as long but cost 4 times as much as the HarborFreight blades. (I have some of both)

Nobody has mentioned a horizontal bandsaw yet. I was going to pick one of these up but from what I have heard they aren't much better at making an accurate angle than an abrasive blade.

ColdSaws: The cold saws I have looked at and lusted after start at a few thousand dollars. They usually run somewhere around 100rpm with a big motor geared way down. I have often considered trying to build my own with a geared motor off of ebay. But I can't get it to work out with my personal economics.

I have been keeping an eye out for another BIG radial arm saw at a decent price to dedicate to metal cutting as much as I hate the mess.

 

[Villengineer]

be carefull w/cold saw blades are outrageously exspensive

I've found that if you shop around that you can get them for reasonable money. I recently replaced mine with a freud metal demon blade for about $60. I've never worn one out and I cut material way thicker than recommended. Will cut right through welds, too. The only reason I've ever had to replace them is because I'll do something stupid and chip some teeth.

 

[ninefinger]

Was going for a HF and found a Task Force new in box on craigslist for a few bucks cheaper so I got that instead. Went to pull it out of the box by the carry handle and it broke off. Used the saw a few times and the trigger crapped out. Took the handle apart, straight wired the switch and now it is plugged in to the corded switched outlet I use for my kerosene heater. Maybe there is a lower quality tool than HF after all.

 

[Steve C]

you did good. I have a lot of Milwaukee tools and haven't been dissapointed by any of them.....

 

[Workstead]

Thanks for all the replies. I took a picture of the old saw when I was tearing it apart.

A guy I work with pointed me to CPO OUTLETS. He had a 10% off coupon that he let me use too. I ordered a refurbished Milwaukee 15 amp saw for just over $150 and free shipping. That's less than what I would have had into the POS Dewalt if I had fixed it.

Anyone needs parts for a Dewalt DW871?

I have a DeWalt that has a motor that looks like your gearbox.

If you still have the parts I would be interested in your carcass.

Well, not YOUR carcass , the saw carcass.

Clem

 

[wingbone]

From what I've read about them, the next thing I'll buy will be a cold cut saw. Most say they are awesome on cutting metal and that it's a lot easier to get a square cut. Harbor Freight sells a circular saw type metal cutting saw, but I really want to wait and get the metal cutting chop saw type.

 

[Stumppuller]

I have a cold-cut saw made by Kitchen Aid.

 

[mcd176]

I have been there before as well, I purchased one from Ebay that was " A great used chop saw" and once it arrived it burnt up in 10 minutes!

I bought a new RIDGID 14" from Home Depot and really like it, it has a heavy cast base and works great, It seems to be heavier built than some others I have seen like Dewalt.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I have a cold-cut saw made by Kitchen Aid.

Took me a minute, but I got it.

Actually, somewhere on my list of wants is a "cold-cut" slicer. My wife raises chickens, and I'd love to make 3/8" slices of chicken breast to grill for chicken sandwiches.

 

[gould37]

IPLAY, I have had a dewalt 14" chop saw that I use for all types of fabrication. I have built many race cars and repaired many pieces of equiptment with this, as it is probably close to 20 yrs old. I think the key to it is to use a quality cut off wheel, like a sait or similar to get the best results. The better the cutting wheel, the less work on the saw. My dewalt has a swivel clamp with a quick release. These are both excellent options if you plan on cutting anything other than a 90 degree angle. Good luck shopping.....

 

[Iplayfarmer]

My new saw just arrived!! I had it shipped to my office. Now I am struggling to stay focused for the last bit of work today.

Beware all of you loose scraps of steel in the garage. Soon you will be thin wafers. Wahhahhahaaa.