Sawzall or portaband which is better

[2manyrocks]

I think the question was asked which brands of portabands are good ones. I didn't know Grizzly had one. The only ones I know of are Milwaukee and Porter Cable. Neither is cheap.

 

[denmansoft]

Piloon:
What do these look like ? When I was looking for blades they said there was a special metal cutting blade for the skill saw but the spot on the wall was empty and they had no idea when any new ones would come in. Other places I called and asked about thought I was crazy wanting a metal blade for a skil saw!

 

[gc2310]

Try Princess Auto for both blades and saws. Economic variety of course.

 

[MikeD74T]

They used Milwaukee bimetal blades cooled with wet saw cutting fluid from a garden sprayer. The project did use a LOT of blades. The saw ran at a slow cutting speed. Running a saw too fast produces the heat that kills the blades. MikeD74T

 

[czechsonofagun]

I have 4 types of metal cutting saws. Dewalt chop saw 14 in metal cutting blade ,90 carbide teeth , industrial hacksaw using 1 in blades. Dewalt sawzall, Milwaukee portaband. They all have their place. The 14 in metal cutting saw will cut most ferrous metal up to about 4 in. Cuts like butter with a smooth cut. I also have a plasma cutter that will cut 3/4 in and sever 1 1/2 in. It will cut any metal. I have also used a metal abrasive blade in my Stihl 760 cut off gas saw.

The sawzall is the most versatile.

The Dewalt chop saw is a regular wood saw with special blade?

 

[metalmeltr]

The metal cutting saws are designed to handle the hot metal sparks that are produced, a woodcutting saw would be ruined quickly if used to cut metal no matter what blade you put in it.

 

[J_J]

The Dewalt chop saw is a regular wood saw with special blade?

I disagree, I call the tool used to cut off metal, a chop saw, and the Dewalt saw that cuts wood is a miter saw. The Dewalt that I have is designed to cut metal, just about any metal by changing blades. The number of teeth varies when cutting different metals. The slant angle of the teeth are different, and the saw also runs slower. It doesn't spark as much and leaves a very fine cut, almost a polished look. Some of the manufactures have come out with metal cutting skill type saws and blades. The blade speed on the carbide tip metal saws run at around 1800 rpm. If you put a metal cutting blade with teeth on a regular saw, you will destroy the blade and may injure yourself. The blades cost about $125.00

 

[J_J]

Piloon:
What do these look like ? When I was looking for blades they said there was a special metal cutting blade for the skill saw but the spot on the wall was empty and they had no idea when any new ones would come in. Other places I called and asked about thought I was crazy wanting a metal blade for a skil saw!

The blade he is talking about is only used to cut thin metal, it cuts by friction, otherwise, it burns the metal and has no teeth, however, they do make a 7 or 8 in metal cutting blade with teeth for skill type saws. Some people have also reversed blades to cut off thin metal. I don't think I would do this with carbide teeth. They tend to chip off.

 

[furnacebrook]

A portaband is better for cutting thick metal. No vibration, and the weight of the saw helps with the cut, and that reduces fatigue.

Do you have a good Chop saw? I had trouble cutting heavy metal until I bought a good one. The sparks are an issue. But it cuts fast and cheap.

Broken blades on a portaband, can put you in the poor house, if your not careful using it.

Thanks for all the feedback on this. Seems like this thread has taken on a life of it's own. I just wanted to get back to the first question though. I can see the advantage of having several different cutting tools to cover multiple jobs. The Chop saw I have is a Ryobi, I know it's not a Dewalt of Milwaukee but it does have a 15 amp motor and up until I started cutting thick stuff it worked fine. The blade is another question, mine is a grizzly ......34 grit I believe. It almost seems that after about 1/4" into the cut it just stops cutting..........almost like the metal is getting case hardened, it just sits there and sparks but not much else.........and if I push it it just pops the breaker. If I turn the piece several times....on round stock, it works better but it still takes too long to cut. My Sawzall is a Milwaukee and long long ago when I was in the heating and plumbing trade that saw practicaly became an extention of my arms, that's how much I used that saw. It's going on 30 years old now and............hold on, I'm scaring myself now.........I'll be Ok in a minute, too many years. Back to the subject, it does have it's draw backs on cutting things that I'm doing now. As some of you have said, the blades do dull fast even using milwaukee blades. So I fugured the chop saw would take care of all of the heavy stuff but not so. I'll try another brand of blades, there are Dewalt and Norton available around here.........any suggestions other than those?
On another point I think the portaband is a great Idea since I do work outside with this stuff it's easier to move around than a stationary horizontal saw ( I have plans for that as well but Harbor freight has them at $259.00 right now and I'll wait for the sale)
I was able to win an Ebay auction yesterday on a Porter Cable Portaband model 725. This is the older discontinued model but for $101.00 that's the right price. Time will tell how it works out here.
Thanks again for the feedback and keep it coming, I like all the ideas.
Scott

 

[P.L.]

Every tool has its strengths and weaknesses. That being said I have sawzalls, chop saws, gas demo saws torches, grinders and a few other metal cutting tool. With all these tools available to me, by far the tool i use the most is my Rockwell porta band. It's an older two speed model that I got off of one of my friends and it place in my shop is priceless. I would say on average I use it once or twice a week cutting metal, plastic, rubber or what ever else I don't want to use a hack saw on. My buddy has a Milwaukee and although I like the Rockwell better, the Milwaukee is works just as good and has stood up to some serious abuse.