# Cold saw



## Larry$ (Sep 26, 2020)

I've never used a cold saw but I'm about to get an old one. A company was closing down part of their operation and a friend found it. Good thing is they will deliver it to my work place, free! I saw it in a dim warehouse yesterday. It runs, very dirty. It is built like a tank. Heavy casting with V ways to move the head straight up & down, Heavy vice. Coolant system. Steel cabinet base. Stop rod. 3 phase. 
Plan to go over it an make sure it is worth the clean & check it needs. 
I'll probably get carried away and do a good paint job.


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## MrCrankyface (Sep 26, 2020)

Sounds like this thread needs more pictures!   
Also sounds like a beast of a machine!


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## brino (Sep 26, 2020)

"watching" this thread!
-brino


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## NortonDommi (Sep 26, 2020)

Pictures please!


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## Larry$ (Oct 5, 2020)

It was delivered. Ultra dirty. I tried cleaning it but could just get the surface gunk off. Went over it and cleaned the chip tray/reservoir and pump of a solid mass of chips and goop. The gear box drain plug was loose, little or no oil still in it. Fixed a few things and got it filled with oil and hooked to power. Runs smooth and quiet. Cut some steel and aluminum w/o coolant. Very smooth cuts. The blade is designed to rotate in the opposite direction from a woodworking saw. Toward the vice rather than toward the fence. 275mm, 2.5mm, 180T HSS blade. No set, hollow ground like a slitting saw. The switch is on the operating lever which can be set to different positions just buy moving it sideways. The head moves up & down on cast iron dovetail ways. There is a manual pump to lube the ways. The table rotates for angle cuts. The vice is geared slow with lots of holding power to resist the force of the blade. The motor is Italian, 2 speed, 3 phase. There is no machine manufacturers name. A previous owner's name is etched on it. I'm guessing it is at lest 50 years old. It will be a nice addition to my tool collection. Still want to clean and do a professional looking paint job. Price was right, free.


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## Larry$ (Oct 5, 2020)

Additional information: It came with a spare, sharp blade and 3 blocks to fit the vice and hold round work. (on pallet in photo) I'm guessing to prevent the blade from rolling the work up the vice face. There is a stop on a rod for mounting to the right side. The cabinet is just an empty box. The photo shows the dovetail ways and the rack for moving the head. The base is a heavy casting.


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## NortonDommi (Oct 5, 2020)

Nice looking saw.   


Larry$ said:


> The blade is designed to rotate in the opposite direction from a woodworking saw. Toward the vice rather than toward the fence.


Does this mean chips are thrown towards the operator?  If it does I would suggest reversing the rotation.  I have a CS 315 and the blade rotates clockwise viewed from the left.


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## matthewsx (Oct 5, 2020)

Could be a Dake/MEP



			https://www.sterlingmachinery.com/media/brochures1/file/dake-mep-cold-saws-brochure.pdf
		


John


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## Larry$ (Oct 5, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> Could be a Dake/MEP
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My saw shares many of the design details with the Drake Tiger line. In particular the dovetail column, operating lever looks like it has the same move sideways ratcheting and the vice. Speaking of the vice, I can see two hoses connecting to the bottom of the vice gearing. Oil lines? My vice has two plugs in the same locations and there were two plastic oil lines laying in the cabinet and two additional connection points on the oiler, not being used. That vice gear housing and handle is very much the same. 
Thanks for the help. 
Norton, The blade rotation is slow enough that chips are not thrown @ the operator. Also if small end cuts are made those will be pushed away from the fence rather than getting bound up. The vice only holds the stock on one side of the blade.


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## matthewsx (Oct 5, 2020)

Mine is much smaller which suits my space just fine. It's an MEP, no mention of Dake but that's the only thing I've found that seems right. You'll be very happy you got it once you get it cleaned up and functional. Mine had an oiling system too but I just use a squirt bottle with oil in it, I'm not doing production work so no real need for flood coolant yet.

John


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## FOMOGO (Oct 6, 2020)

That looks like a great setup. How is the decibel level cutting? Much suckage here me thinks! Cheers, Mike


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## Ken from ontario (Oct 6, 2020)

Where I worked many years ago we had a cold saw (Italian motor/pump) just like that and it was also used by 2 other shops in the neighborhood(friends of the owner), not because the other shops didn't have a metal cutting saw but because this one was faster and easier to switch from 90° to 45° in  5 seconds, and also it was very accurate.
Although it is built for industrial use but I would love to have one in my hobby shop even if it's an overkill.
You did good Larry, it's the last metal cutting saw you'll ever need.


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## Larry$ (Oct 6, 2020)

FOMOGO said:


> That looks like a great setup. How is the decibel level cutting? Much suckage here me thinks! Cheers, Mike


I cut a railroad spike off and it was very quiet on the slower speed. When the RR double tracked the line next to my land they dumped dirt in a low area of my land. I didn't know it would be full of scrap metal when they asked.  I cut an aluminum extrusion off on the higher rpm, still quiet. It surprised me how quick it cut that spike and the cut was very smooth. This is my first experience with a cold saw. I had expected them to use carbide blades. The HSS blades that came with it are 275mm with 180 teeth. Is that an appropriate blade for general cutting of ???


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