chop saw for metal cutting question

Hi SE18 In my opinion you can not compare the two, they are both ment for different work. A good horizontal, saw like an ELLIAS With the wright blade will go through a 2x4 solid piece in no time at all and give a very nice cut, plus you can do other things in the meantime. I have both a Ellias and a chop saw and have never used chop saw for heavy cuts. I would use a chop for cutting small flat bar .125 to.250 or small bar up to say .500 and if I need a butch of them. A chop saw might be a lot better if you have a carbide blade, but cant really say, have never tride that FWIW Denis
 
So here's one last (I think) question.

Ray wrote: "Cheap disks wear down in no time and require a lot of pressure. Sadly, the ones from HF are at the low end of the scale. The ones with the trade-name "zircon" are the best. I believe DeWalt is one of the many brands that use that material."

My next question is what other blades work with the HF 3.5HP 14" model I mentioned?

Are carbides compatible with that?

I've got a chop saw already I use for wood so I assume that you cannot put wood cutting blades.

Maybe I'm asking too soon. I just got notice that HF shipped it today so when I get it in the mail, my hope is that the instructions that come with it will answer all my questions.
 
RandyM said:
Great question Dave. I myself like the bandsaws, they are far more clean. The abrasive saws throw a lot of dust and grit. The bandsaws do not put the heat into the work either. I also think the bandsaws are more accurate. I started with a chop saw sold it on Craig's list and bought an Enco 4x6. I have just recently upgraded to an Ellis miter saw (currently restoring it). Just my 2 cents.
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Don't forget they throw out sparks too. Need very good ear protection.
 
A GOOD abrasive blade chop saw is a very useful tool.. quick, efficient and accurate if not a cheap model.
A GOOD horizontal band saw is a very useful tool...quick, efficient and accurate if not a cheap model.
A GOOD plasma is a very useful tool...quick, efficient and accurate if not a cheap model.
I have all three, they all have different jobs or tasks they are better for.
Not one can replace completely another in totality (how, when and for what I use them for)

Should anything I use the bandsaw for I could replicate with the chop saw and vice a versa.

A cheap band saw or chop saw will leave the user with the impression the tool method is not worthy.
A Cold cut chop saw is a GREAT tool as well, and a worthy replacement for all things an abrasive blade chop saw does and most all things a band saw does well. They are however pricey.

If I had room for only ONE SAW.. it would likely be a quality JET 5x8 or better.
 
At Westec several years ago, I saw a chop saw running slow enough that the guy was cutting 2 X 2 1018 steel. Yes, it was flinging chips, but it was a lot faster than a band saw. It was a little expensive, but if I were still cutting steel, I think I would have to own one.

Now that I'm working in my garage, all I cut is aluminum, brass and plastic. I used to do copper as well, but that's just too gummy.
 
I'm still waiting for the chop saw to arrive in the mail but took advice and bought a DeWalt metal cutting 14" wheel from Lowes. I was amazed to see there were a bunch of different wheels, some for thin metal and some for thick metal. I think I'm also going back there to get a masonary wheel to practice cutting some bricks for my aqueduct (pictured here)DSC_0995.jpg

DSC_0995.jpg
 
OK, here's my perhaps final update on this.

everything arrived in mail. Bought a DeWalt metal cutoff 14" wheel but saving it. Instead, used the harbor freight dealy to cut a bunch of 2" thick steel tubing (walls about 1/4"). It worked as advertised, nice, smooth action. The wheel didn't even explode like I thought it would, being harbor freight junk, so I was duly impressed.

I then went out and bought a 14" diablo masonry wheel 1/8" thick. I cut a brick in half with it but was disappointed at how long it took to slice thru, even though it did the job. The dust cloud was enormous but I'm working outside and the wind was just right. My diamond wet saw would have gone thru the brick about 3 times faster.

But I bought the thing to cut steel so I can't complain.

One thing I noticed at Home Depot (where I just got my diable masonry wheel), is that the dewalt and other metal cutting chop saws have a much heavier base, perhaps cast iron. Hopefully the innards of the HF model are adequate. It did come with an extra set of brushes, which I have no clue how to install. Maybe I have to look for the instructions LOL. Anyway, the extra brushes indicate to me that that's probably one of the first things to fail.

I'm unsure how long brushes are supposed to last and what makes them fail.

Also, I don't know if the more expensive model metal chop saws have special brushes that never fail.

Later

DaveV
 
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i have a 14"hf chop saw that ive had for 6/8 years. no problems, yet, at times it needed a boost to get started but that seems to have gone away now.
ron
 
I know I might get criticized for not using a tool for its intended usage, but yesterday I needed to cut some 2" grey electrical conduit (PVC pipe made for outdoors that has fairly thick walls). I happened to be playing around cutting some steel at the time and stuck the pvc in the vise to see how it would do the job. It made a quick, clean cut. I thought it would melt it but it went thru it like butter.

One observation I noticed when cutting steel is that if you cut near an edge or groove in steel, the wheel can be seen to have a visible flex to it.

Another thing I noticed is that using the tool, changing out the wheels was a lot easier and quicker than it was to do with my Ryobi chop saw I use for wood cutting.

Finally, I was surprised at how little wear the metal cutting wheels get from cutting. I expected the wheel to be eaten up a lot more rapidly.

Anyway, I hope this lasts for at least a few years.
 
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