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I've been looking around at chop saws recently, preferably a 14". Looking for a nice well built one for the home shop. I don't need or want an industrial strength mega $$$ unit, but I don't want to buy a cheap one that won't last, just something for occasional use out in the garage for cutting steel tubing. The Northern Tools web site has several from Milwaukee and DeWalt which are name brand units, what do you guys recommend?
Mike
i have the dewalt for the shop that works good with the right chop wheels
Yes, we also have a Dewalt 14" in our shop and it works great.
But as Pat said, you need to buy the right wheels, some cut well and last, while others don't. I have found the best priced and quality wheels at our two metal supply yards.
yes the dewalts wheels are junk they seam to get glass hard i use the ones from the welding shop they are Sait work the best ones i have used they do not over work the saw and cut quick and brake down of the wheel is not bad. the hard wheels last longer but you push harder and over load the saw and have bad cut that are not squareQuote:
Originally Posted by John Palmer
I bought a new Ridgid this summer to replace my old Milwaukee. It was about $200 at Home Depot and the blades that come with it are the best I've found so far, and I've tried a lot of different blades.
Sean
The blades make the saw. Some wear and cut real good, others wear out fast and then some won't cut or wear out. Basically more money is better blade, generally.
I have used Dewalt and they are good. Lots of Ryobi tools rate very high and the price is good.
I have a 15 year old no-name 10" that works well for both wood and steel. If I were to buy one today for wood working it would be most likely a DeWalt with a slide motor/blade. I use a 12" version where I volunteer at a theater doing carpentry work and it is slick.
One question - do you really need the big one for steel or will a 10" work for most of your work - the price goes up substantially - and if you are cutting steel, an inexpensive saw with a cut off blade will save you grief as the entire saw takes a nasty beating from the very hot chips - and a damaged/destroyed $350+ saw vs a $75 Harbor Freight.............is more then comforting:D
I've got a DeWalt, had it for 10 years. It replaced a Makita that I used for about 20 years.... Fairly good return on investment for me.... Quality tools will usually pay for themselves over a period of time.....
you want the big 14 chop saw i have many chop wheels were they are down to 11 and well not cut because the body of the saw gets in the way then you need a new wheel . if you chop rect tube or a 9 inch housing or big inch tubbing you need the big wheel there is a backer plate that holds the wheel that can stop a full cut to were you need a bigger wheel i just could not under stand why the wheel just would not cut.:whacked: i have had mine all of 10+ years it works good were it is not to good is if your choping solid steel like 3 inch solid round stock this is were the sait wheels work very good for cutting thick stuff . i used it every day making stand s for becool up till i found a 36 inch throat bandsawQuote:
Originally Posted by IC2
Thanks to all for your recommendations. It looks like the DeWalt is the favorite choice, is there a particular model number that's the best to get?
Pat, which Sait blade do you use for cutting metal and where do you find them?
Mike
i will get the number off one when i go to the shop .i think they are iron/steel ones they are on line not sure it you can buy from sait. i buy then from linde gas if you have one of them ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike52
i would buy the chop saw that has the biggest amp motorQuote:
Originally Posted by Mike52
But I like my bandsaw much better, would take it over a chopsaw anyday.
well i like my sawzall over my torch i like my chop saw over the sawzall i like my band saw over it all :whacked: there should be the hack saw in the mix some were to:DQuote:
Originally Posted by willowbilly3
I have the std duty HF chop saw, which I got on sale for $49 a few years ago. it's been really good, and it chopped all the pipes and angles for the tubing for my turbo setup..
Ive used all the big name saws when doing metal stud framing, and they all work just fine!! They have these new saws out that look like a regular skill saw, but they are for metal. I have not tried one, but the guy at the tool and fastener store was really impressed with it, sayes it cut through 2" solid steel like wood. The down side is its close to 300 bucks.
you can get 7 1/4" metal cutting discs which will fit regular circular saws. no need for a $300 saw... or if your cutting sheet metal and don't mind making a racket.. turn a cheap wood blade around backwards on a circular saw, and it will cut metal.
Matt, i just saw the blades at HD yesterday, im still a little uneasy about that though! Skill saws like to bind up to much, i can do things with a skill saw that scare most men, but cutting metel with one scares me!
Your right about turning the blade around, it works real well on aluminum soffit and siding material, but be carefull!
Thanks for the information, I did not know a chop saw could handle metal. I almost bought one for cutting wooden rafter beams on our recent 20'x30' "Sun Room" addition but after we cut out one pattern beam with the appropriate notches for the edge of the roof I was able to make 34 copies with just a hand circular saw. For steel rectangular tubing on my Brookville frame I made an additional crossmember out of 1 1/2" x 3" rectangular tubing by taking a stock piece to a guy who has a pro fabrication shop who took his Chemistry from me and he cut both ends on an angle for me free on a very neat metal miter hacksaw setup but that looks like it is really expensive since he can saw 4" square (hollow) beams on it! Anyway with the miter angle on the hacksaw I got a really good fit to the bevel on the Model A frame and welded my safety U bracket for the drive shaft to the bottom of the new crossmember.
Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder
Don, just make sure you're looking at a chop saw for metal and not a miter saw for wood....... Don't think I'd use a chop saw on wood rafters......Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Shillady
Keep americans working. Buy american made
Dave, My son-in-law used a neat chop saw for all the crazy angles in the interior wood trim, but I see what you mean on notching the rafters. Anyway, I have not seen a chop saw used on metal. Several special pieces I have farmed out locally always used a cut-off hack saw or the fancy miter hack saw.
Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder
i know somone that cut 7075 t6 1inch thick alum with his table saw BUT it can throw hot chunk of alum at you to:eek: and for steel it a bad ideal even if they make a saw blade they just scare me to .with all the flying hot steel not fun if it hits you.i have been there done that i just about cried like a small girl the last time i had steel dug out of my eye two day s in a row of them carving on my eye ball one week after that still was sore i think they seen me coming and used all there dull tools on me:CRY:Quote:
Originally Posted by hotroddaddy
Light aluminum - i.e., .25 and under have cut with my radial arm saw, my table saw and my miter saw using a fairly good carbide blade and wearing a pair of goggles as any of those saws really throw chips. Just run it into the blade v-e-r-r-r-y slowly. I've not seen any damage or wear on any of those expen$ive blades. I do use my no name miter saw with a cut off blade for steel occasionally and so far have ruined a bed insert and embedded slivers in the aluminum housing - but no big deal:CRY: as it still works just fine. I don't do enough fab work to justify a specialty saw.
I also have a HF chop saw and it has performed well, but I am just a hobby guy, pretty light use. What I do have that I highly recomend is a metal blade from www.bulletindustries.com.
Carbide Tooth Metal Cutting Blade 14″ x .09″ x 66 Tooth
Sooo much better than an abrasive blade. Joe