Chop Saw Reccomendations

[JohnnyMX]

I figure I need to ask this here since it involves metal and welding. I'm learning to weld/fab and have been trying to get away with a grinder/cut-off wheel for all my cuts. Needless to say my precision is really spotty. While I have learned how to fill just about any gap with a stick welder, I'd like to get better at the prep and figure a chop saw might be the way to go. I'm building with mostly square tube, and angle at this point. I've looked online and saw an option from DeWalt, Evo and a few others. What would be the suggestion?

 

[user.69169]

You ain't gonna find precision in no chop saw. I got one, sits waitin to take a ride to any job where it a little better den torch cuttin. Steel yard here sells drops & such and chop saw goes der so I can cut to make loadin in truck eaasier. Drag steel to parkin lot, fire up Bobcat, plug saw in and cut. Sign on wall says no torch cuttin in yard.

If you can make cuts you need wid Zip Disk stick wid dat. It filthy enough. Chop saw whole new world of filth. Only guy I ever saw got chopper set up close to right is Sberry. His lives in old oil tank dat grabs flyin sparks and he has dryer vent hose bring cooling air to saw to keep from self destruct.

 

[sea2summit]

My chop saw is good at 90 degree cuts, that痴 it. You try doing angles the disk kind of finds it痴 own path which is usually the path of least resistance leading to it reducing the angle (measure and set at 45 but end with like 50). I do better work scribing lightly with the angle grinder then cutting with the angle grinder. I did however just see a bandsaw for sale locally...

ETA I am a newb and the saw is a DeWalt from TSC so others will likely have better info.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Most welding doesn't require nice cuts anyway.

I just have a junky off shore thing. Fold away guard was the first thing to go. Frustrating when the blade gets smaller though and you didn't quite make your cut, plus less speed as it gets smaller.

 

[JohnnyMX]

Are we talking about a cold-cut metal chop saw or a large "cut-off" wheel chop saw. I was thinking the type of saw with a metal blade and not the abrasive. Not sure if those are as inaccurate.. No idea.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A cold cut steel saw might run you $700.00 bucks or so. I'm guessing they are quite accurate. I would like to know what the on-going costs are for blade replacement. I am thinking about getting a hand one.

I have a nice high quality horizontal bandsaw but most often just drag out the junky abrasive chop saw. Faster I guess.

 

[MF243RedTop]

If you're just starting out, I wouldn't drop no large amount of $$$ into a chop saw.
A dewalt off the shelf at box store will serve you well.
Take the cuts slow and steady for more accurate cuts

The best I've ever had was a black& decker hand me down from metal stud construction work.
Some 15-20 years ago.. couldn't kill it

 

[bigtiller]

When I was shopping for dry-cut saws I looked at Evo and Dewalt. That was all the stores around me had and I was not impressed with the quality of either one of them.
so I started hunting on the internet and finally bought a Fein.

It's a higher quality and was square straight out of the box....this one from this company;

FEIN-729 | Acme Tools

 

[user.69169]

Are we talking about a cold-cut metal chop saw or a large "cut-off" wheel chop saw. I was thinking the type of saw with a metal blade and not the abrasive. Not sure if those are as inaccurate.. No idea.

Cold cut wid metal blade can be lot more accurate BUT cost per cut gonna kill you even if you don't wreck blade. Hand held cold cut mixed blessing. Cuts nice if you big enough and steady enough to keep running straight in cut. Saw shop in city here won't even try sharpening dem, so costs minimum 48 bucks plus postage to sharpen blade.

Square tube & angle both hard on blades. Band saw might be best once you learn about number teeth in cut and speed of saw in inches per minute parts. Even if band runs coolant or wax what you cutting will cost teeth and den just matter of time till new blade. Good part is you can buy band in 100 foot roll andbraze your own.

Gotta do a lot of cutting to pay for saw worth having. Den you spend money learning to saw, and you keep paying for blades.

 

[cdaigle430]

I love my Milwaukee M18 Deep cut band saw. Quick, portable and clean cuts.