How To Cut Half Inch Steel?

[sparc]

I've been a steel worker for 42 years, 25 of those on my own. My first choice would be the Chop Saw. Second choice if my Chop Saw was down would be the hand grinder with cutting blade. Cutting edges are tool / hardened steel. All other ways will fail. Now everyone tell me I'm wrong................Frank

Plasma will cut it, an O/A torch will cut it. Those are two ways which will not fail.

 

[lostcause]

glad you got it done. for future reference, whenever you are cutting a "mystery metal", run a file across it - make sure to get past any layer of scale or rust to see what the base metal is like. if you can file it then it isn't hardened and you should be able to cut it by any means - saw, abrasive, fuel, plasma. some exotic grades of sttel are more immune to abrasion, but unlikely to find in a cutting edge. i'm sure you could come across a cutting edge that is hardened, but the majority won't be. a lot of smaller fab shops make and sell them here during snow season. they punch square holes in them for the carraige bolt heads, so they can't be hardened. also, tool steel in its base form is very cuttable and workable. it's after it has been shaped and hardened that it becomes otherwise. also, making a cutting edge out of tool steel would make it too expensive to buy if you figure $5-$10 per lb.

 

[duroc]

Take a 1/8 drill bit. drill a series of holes then use your cut off wheel lot less time you have to dodge sparks

A lot of guys might laugh at that, but that's what I did when I made a new bracket (out of a piece of 2x4 tubing) for my rear work light. The bracket that came with the light interferred with the ROPS when folding it down and wouldn't allow it to be pinned. It took about 5 minutes to drill all the holes and about 10 minutes to shape it with a barrel sander. I still have the scrap piece and should post a pic so everyone can see what we're talking about.

 

[Frankdozer]

Plasma will cut it, an O/A torch will cut it. Those are two ways which will not fail.

Your absolutly correct. BUT, he wanted and needed, for his application, a nice........neat............straight.............cut. If he cut it with a torch or plasma cutter the cut would be terrible and he would be required to grind it. I repeat...............All other ways would fail to meet his needs..........................................................................................................................Frank

 

[Frankdozer]

Yes I know...........I added " to meet his needs ". Frank

 

[Baby Grand]

I make long, straight, smooth cuts in steel with an OA torch by clamping a length of bed angle to the work and running the torch head along it. Just a quick zip with the hand grinder and I have an edge that's ready for welding or paint.

 

[hitts427]

A snow plow cutting edge is hardened. It will ruin a bandsaw blade.

Ditto

 

[SPYDERLK]

Just wanted to report that I got the cutting edge cut down this afternoon. I used an .045" cutoff disk in my 4.5" grinder, and it worked great. I had managed to get a nice straight groove across before the Sawzall blade pooped out, and I just kept making passes back and forth as it went down.

A snow plow cutting edge is hardened. It will ruin a bandsaw blade.

Ditto

Not so!

Lenox has a number of bandsaw blades that will cut this material

:thumbsup:

glad you got it done. for future reference, whenever you are cutting a "mystery metal", run a file across it - make sure to get past any layer of scale or rust to see what the base metal is like. if you can file it then it isn't hardened and you should be able to cut it by any means - saw, abrasive, fuel, plasma. some exotic grades of sttel are more immune to abrasion, but unlikely to find in a cutting edge. i'm sure you could come across a cutting edge that is hardened, but the majority won't be.

... Or if you can scratch it with scissors. Hardened and how hard? ... The fact that he was able to groove it with a recipro shows that a bimetal bandsaw blade would have cut it. Blade for blade the bandsaw has the advantage because the motion is in the same direction and thus the cut is better controlled and less abusive to the blade. A porta band would have done it. Quick +minimal kerf + clean + no heat affected zone + no sparks or dust.
larry

 

[sparc]

Your absolutly correct. BUT, he wanted and needed, for his application, a nice........neat............straight.............cut. If he cut it with a torch or plasma cutter the cut would be terrible and he would be required to grind it. I repeat...............All other ways would fail to meet his needs..........................................................................................................................Frank

It might take a little grinding to make it nice but i don't think it would be 'terrible'. But then i guess that depends on someones skill with a cutting torch.

 

[Frankdozer]

It might take a little grinding to make it nice but i don't think it would be 'terrible'. But then i guess that depends on someones skill with a cutting torch.

I will agree that a cutting torch and a grinder will work if no other choice is available. Well, then let's see a picture of the 1/2" x 5" hardened steel cutting torch cut . First time cut, no 2 or 3 times cut for the picture. Do not grind it.