How do I cut metal (pipe, sheet and channel)??

Larry_Van_Horn · Jul 12, 2004

I'm with Ron on this one as well. It all depends on how much you are going to do, but as I have cut more steel with my O/A setup I am getting better and the amount of grinding ex post isn't too bad. I find it much faster to cut with the O/A torch than with the chop saw. I am not doing a bunch of pretty stuff though. You can buy torch holders and guides as well. Many other uses too.
Larry

wroughtn_harv · Jul 12, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Won't a torch leave a sloppy, molten edge?)</font>

With a little practice and diligence one can make a torch cut that looks like it was done with a saw.

The secret to good torch work is the combination of heat and speed, just like welding. The advantage of a torch over plasma is portability.

But for cutting sheet metal there's one tip I have for my Victor 315 that has one oxy hole and one preheat orifice. For cutting straight lines on thin steel this thing works almost as good as a plasma.

I have two plasmas, one for up to inch and quarter material, and yet there are times when I prefer a torch.

You can do a search "westcraft" and find a company that does silhouettes out of three sixteenths and quarter inch steel. They do it all by hand with a Victor torch. There is very little clean up.

If you're on HWY 380 going into New Mexico you will pass through Tatum. There you'll find a shop, the one in town, not the wannabe on the outskirts, and if you look at the displays you'll swear it's all done with a plasma on CNC. It isn't.

They are amazing and will give you a whole new perspective on oxy acetylene cutting.

gsganzer · Jul 12, 2004

Like wroughtnharv says, if you get the right tip and have pressures and speed correct, you'll get a beautiful cut. I've seen our guys in our shop cut 1/2" - 3/4" plate and have virtually no slag.

At home I always use a piece of angle iron for a guide on long straight cuts. The combination of coffee and copenhagen keeps me from cutting anything remotely close to straight. (The shakes do help when weaving a weld bead /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif)

bgott · Jul 12, 2004

I figured that out. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif It took two days of on and off cutting with three different cut- off wheels and I finally cut the last inch of one corner with a torch because I got tired of messing with it. I have since remembered where I can bum a bandsaw or just about any other machine work I need. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

SPIKER · Jul 12, 2004

hey RON R:

for that project why don't you look at buying some DISK PARTS, (just the disks themselves for you're aireator ,) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

just a thought. then build around them much cheaper than you may expect.
as for the O/A torch set ups, yep I use them but not ofen, the boss, can cut a circle that looks like it was done on a CNC. me I can cut one that looks like it was done by fred flinstone back in the stone age! but my SKAKEY HANDS are great for MIG welding lol. I can't stick weld untill my rod is burnt down to about 3" long lol. I think I'm going to have to have some checks done for parkensens or soemthign as they seem to be getting worse for stuff which requires a steady hand. (guess that BRAIN SURGEN job I was hopping to get is out of the question huh! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif )

Mark M

Mark m

EricBX2200 · Jul 14, 2004

There is one other really cool tool that is great for most of my type of farm, tractor, househould type projects.

Milwaukee has a 14 in. Dry-Cut Machine. Picture a woodworking chop saw that has a carbide blade on it that spins much slower. There are no burrs to clean up on the edges and you can touch the cut end right away beacause there is little heat. You don't have to use cutting fluid or anything.

It throws off 10 times less sparks than an abrasive cut-off.

I had a tool sales guys demo one in our shop. It was awesome. He also showed me a battery powered version with a 6-1/2" wheel for cutting sheet stock like butter. Truely amazing.

The 14" Dry-Cut with blade was $450 Model MET6190-20
The hand-held battery version was like $300.

I plan on getting the 14" for home.

dbelisle · Jul 14, 2004

Milwaukee Makes a 8 inch metal cutting saw that does a fantastic job. I picked one up at a trade show this spring and it is unbelievable how it cuts steel. It will cut right through a 1/2 inch plate of steel and you can pick the piece up right off, it is not hot and there are very few sparks. At first glance it looks like a wood circular saw with a big guard on it.

You should be able to pick one up for around $300.00 and the replacement blades and between $50.00 to $60.00.

MadReferee · Jul 15, 2004

Want the best bang for the buck?

Buy yourself one of the Harbor Freight or Grizzly 4x6 bandsaws that I mentioned in a previous post. They can be had for anywhere between $159-$199 depending on what is on sale. Myself and quite a few people on the Miller/Hobart welding forum have them and use them heavily without problems.

Once you buy a good vari-pitch bi-metal blade ($15 Starrett) they will cut straight and give many hours of good service. Now they do have drawbacks (the stand, the vice) but there are plenty of places on the net that info can be found on how to fix these deficiencies and minor irritations.

TORQUIN · Jul 15, 2004

Seems like I didn't see it here, so I'll mention it, a Sawzall! I bought a cheap reciprocating saw from Big Lots for 20.00 and found it is one of my most valuable tools (I will get a better quality version when this one dies). The big thing is to keep oil on the blade while you cut to keep it from burning up.
While a band saw, porta-band or other, would be best, for the little work I do, I can't justify the cost.

Chris

andyfletcher · Jul 16, 2004

I have been using a 8000 rpm depressed center metal cutting abrasive blade with my 5.5 in angle Makita grinder for about 8 years. A 7in grinder would be a better match I think.

The blades can handle the high grinder RPMs. When cutting let the weight do the cutting and use the edge that pulls into the work (ie: sparks behind the grinder). Hold the grinder steady and perpendicular to the work not vertical. It will cut through anything a home shop can handle.