Which Circular Saw Blade to Cut Steel

basalt said:
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
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Buy good blades and you'll get it done quicker, I can't tell you how many times I've spent way too much effort because I didn't change the darn blade.

Alternatively, if you have a regular circular saw you can buy friction blades that will work. You'll need to work outside, with a good vise and proper PPE but if you have a bunch of cuts to do it will be quicker. But the hacksaw will be less hazardous and allow you to work inside.

John
 
basalt said:
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
Click to expand...
With a quality blade, quality hacksaw and a little stick lube, your elbow grease will get-her-done. Think of what you save by not needing to workout at the gym.
 
I agree. I can highly recommend a Lenox high tension hacksaw with Lenox bi-metal blades and some stick wax lube. Makes short work of cutting stuff to length.
 
As it happens, we were discussing cutting metal with circular saw in another thread where the OP ended up having it water-jet cut. I bought a sliding mitre saw "Evolution", for £150 to cut (a lot) of 2 x 4. At first I did not pay enough attention, other than noting the trick blade. Also, it ran slower than I expected. Only when I looked close did I appreciate that it was "multi-material", and would cut through steel clean without a lot of heat.

Evolution RAGE255 Multi-Material.jpg

Easy enough to fine them on Amazon, or wherever.
I found their site --> HERE
The thread was post #41 in "Cleaning up a Torched Edge".

The bumps on the blade are a bit trick. I tried it out in a regular circular saw, which I used with a speed control. With some care, and don't rush it, but it does work. One does feel a bit odd cutting steel like it was a plywood shelf! :)
 
I have the Dewalt 20v portaband. It will easily cut 1" bar. It is highly compact and portable. It makes very little noise. It would be perfect for an apartment setup. I highly recommend it.
Down the road you could build a base for it and have a mini vertical bandsaw if you wanted.
Robert
 
I cut a bunch of steel standing seam roofing panels to length with a metal blade in my handheld circular saw. Man, it was LOUD and felt dangerous the whole time, spat hot metal chips all over me, but it worked.
 
Has anyone seen those new hand circular saws that are designed to cut metal? They collect all the shavings, there are no sparks, they make an amazing cut and from what my buddy says are not as noisy as many others. I haven't been around when he has used it but I know they sell for about $300 +.
Sorry I cannot remember the name of them and could find out if anyone is interested.
 
Are you talking about the double-counterrotating-blade kinda saw? "Dual saw" and "Twinsaw" are names I recall. I've seen some infomercials, but don't recall anything about collecting chips.

A friend of mine here in Phoenix has one, and mentioned he was having trouble finding the special lubricant sticks it requires. While visiting Indianapolis a couple years ago, I'd decided to check out Menards (no Arizona locations, durn it!). They had both the saws and packages of the sticks. Brought a package back for my friend.

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I can understand the dangers of kickback, but I question the need for (very) expensive counter-rotating things.

This besides, in a mind like mine, comes the notion of a blade on one side of a cut shearing in the opposite direction to the other side, introduces a torque, maybe inconsequential, but in principle, unnecessary.

You only need a suitable blade, run at a suitable speed.

The orange (Evolution) blade does not seem to suffer from kickback, and that same tooth pattern is seen on many brands. A full speed 10" Makita, with a wood-cutting blade, is not something I would risk on metal roofing panels, and I think the smaller blade might even be worse!
 
Papa Charlie said:
Has anyone seen those new hand circular saws that are designed to cut metal? They collect all the shavings, there are no sparks, they make an amazing cut and from what my buddy says are not as noisy as many others. I haven't been around when he has used it but I know they sell for about $300 +.
Sorry I cannot remember the name of them and could find out if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...
I have one, it is called a slugger, it go's through 12mm mild plate like butter, I also have a 355mm dewalt cold cut saw, it uses a tungsten carbide blade, spins slower than a normal drop saw (1800rpm?). both are amazing and mildly terrifying to use. I have cut inch plate with the Dewalt, , really well clamped, let the blade do the cutting with only the weight of your hand on it, don't force it like a friction saw.
 
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