Which Circular Saw Blade to Cut Steel

basalt

basalt

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I would like to set up my mini lathe to saw cut steel using a circular saw blade. I have 7" max. swing over the bed. I am thinking of using a 5 3/8" Diablo Steel Demon blade. I want cut 1" square solid steel. I will make an arbor and use the tailstock. Hand hacksaw is too much work. Does this sound feasible. Any suggestions?
 
Hi,

I'm not sure how you would use the lathe to do this but I often use a 4" angle grinder with a cutoff wheel for cutting steel stock, it's fast, fairly accurate, and most of all cheap.

Down here I get them at Harbor Freight for ~$15, cutoff wheels are $3 so probably cheaper than the circular saw blade. Those blades are usually meant for cutting fairly thin sheet metal, not bar stock anyway unless you have a special saw.

How many pieces are you cutting?

John
 
I would invest in either a cold saw or a cut off saw. Much less dangerous and you will get a great product.

Here is a great starter unit and you won't have to worry about damaging your lathe.

Dry Cut Chop Saw
 
I have a Makita metal cutting (cold) saw with a carbide blade. My experience with it is that it's no good for solid bar
of the kind you want to cut. It's fine for tubing and thinner stuff like angle. Heavy stuff just dulls the blade.
 
@basalt - My main concern with using a mini lathe to drive a metal cutting saw blade, even 5 ⅜" diameter, would be the strength of the plastic gears driving the chuck. That's a pretty large diameter for such a lathe, and even with new, ultra-sharp carbide, the torque needed to cut 1x1 solid bar would be tremendous.

And yes, safety would also be a major concern.

Cold saws are an option, but a bit pricey. Maybe you can fit a 4x6 bandsaw (similar to the Harbor Freight 93762) into your budget. As I recall, you have a store similar to HF in Canada ... or else you could drive south to Marysville, WA and hit the HF store there:
11401 STATE AVENUE
MARYSVILLE, WA 98271
360-939-1718
 
Nogoingback said:
I have a Makita metal cutting (cold) saw with a carbide blade. My experience with it is that it's no good for solid bar
of the kind you want to cut. It's fine for tubing and thinner stuff like angle. Heavy stuff just dulls the blade.
Click to expand...
Is that a cutoff saw, I didn't know Makita made a true coldsaw ~50 rpm. My MEC coldsaw would have no problem with 1" bar and it's a little bitty thing.

John
 
hman said:
@basalt - My main concern with using a mini lathe to drive a metal cutting saw blade, even 5 ⅜" diameter, would be the strength of the plastic gears driving the chuck. That's a pretty large diameter for such a lathe, and even with new, ultra-sharp carbide, the torque needed to cut 1x1 solid bar would be tremendous.

And yes, safety would also be a major concern.

Cold saws are an option, but a bit pricey. Maybe you can fit a 4x6 bandsaw (similar to the Harbor Freight 93762) into your budget. As I recall, you have a store similar to HF in Canada ... or else you could drive south to Marysville, WA and hit the HF store there:
11401 STATE AVENUE
MARYSVILLE, WA 98271
360-939-1718
Click to expand...
Unfortunately no joy rides to/from Canada these days:(
 
Thanks guys for your insights. I have come to the conclusion that my lathe does not have the power to drive the saw blade. I have the mini lathe in my bachelor apartment so space and noise are a concern. Back to the hacksaw and elbow grease. LOL
 
For small work a portaband style saw on a table works well and does not take up much room.

6PBV4.0A, Swag Offroad Portaband Table, Vertical Bandsaw

Looking for a versatile and economical vertical band saw solution? The Swag Offroad Table converts your Milwaukee portable band saw into one.
www.trick-tools.com www.trick-tools.com

It will still make some noise, I do wear ear protection when using mine.
 
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