How many cuts from a 14" abrasive wheel

[2458n]

When I really lean on it the performance goes down. My sthil chop saw operates best when just using the tip of the blade. Square stock is best turned to cut on the flats. I think the rpms has alot of effect on the blade. If doing alot of cutting you can not beat the band saw.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

It's all about material thickness. I have found that thinner chop saw blades cut faster and easier but don't live as long. The thicker blades last longer but are more of a hassle. For making cuts most of the time these days I use a steel blade in a worm drive. Downside of steel blade is meaner chips and cost. Upside is no heat, cut the piece and put it against your tender parts without pain. You can literally cut steel and not hurt paint.

I have found over the years that blades purchased at the welding supply live longer and are more consistent than the stuff the box stores sell, no matter what the name is on the product.

 

[kevin37b]

What do the sparks look like when cutting ? Are they nice big and bright , or do they look like fine glowing dust ? I have gotten into batches of steel that don't cut well .Some of the recycled stuff is shix .

 

[flyerdan]

One of the biggest killers of abrasive wheels is if they run in a bind, like when the sides of a square tube cut tries to close. You can see the wheel getting smaller at an alarming rate. For best life from these besides clamping the work in good, make sure that the free end doesn't rise during the cut by being blocked or setting on something taller than the saw table.

 

[Gary Fowler]

All good advice, go slow and let the blade cut at its pace and don't put too much pressure on it. If the motor is stalling you are trying to force the cut. Don't let the piece slip and bind the blade. Make sure you have the right blade for metal and not aluminum. The aluminum cutting blades are softer so they don't foul with the aluminum.
Again, don't force the blade which sounds to me like what is happening. Let it cut slow and steady. Other than out of balance I find the HF blades to last as good as Dewalt or almost as good but at 1/3 the price. Everyone I have put on my saw though vibrates due to unbalanced blade. Keep that 900# gorilla arm off the chop saw handle and put the 150# one on and you should be ok.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. It definitely sounds like I'm not getting enough life out of the wheels, whatever the cause.

What do the sparks look like when cutting ? Are they nice big and bright , or do they look like fine glowing dust ? I have gotten into batches of steel that don't cut well .Some of the recycled stuff is shix .

The sparks are bright and fat at the beginning of the wheel's life. By the end of the first cut, that quality has diminished. By the middle of the second or third cut, they're fine and there are much less of them. I know that the wheel is dead when I have to start pushing harder to get it to feed, the motor bogs down, and eventually if I keep it up the breaker trips. Also, the wheel stops feeding and the place where it is contacting the metal becomes red hot if I continue to run it and press it, but it doesn't feed any further, no matter how many sparks it throws off.

One of the biggest killers of abrasive wheels is if they run in a bind, like when the sides of a square tube cut tries to close. You can see the wheel getting smaller at an alarming rate. For best life from these besides clamping the work in good, make sure that the free end doesn't rise during the cut by being blocked or setting on something taller than the saw table.

I'm pretty certain this isn't happening, but I'll look into it again just to be sure. The ends of the stock are hanging free, so if anything, they would tend to open up the cut, rather than the latter.

With regard to feed rate, I'm very careful not to push too hard and/or bog down the motor, so I don't think that's it. I have read some about "glazing" on an abrasive wheel, and I will try to determine if that is the cause.

 

[don45640]

I can tell you that RPM is a major factor when cutting concrete as far as blade life. Steel cutting? I dunno about that. don-ohio ^)

 

[joshuabardwell]

Oh, and I'm 100% sure these are the right blades. They have a picture of a chop-saw on the label, and say, "general purpose" (vs. the thinner ones that are intended for cutting steel studs).

 

[CNC Dan]

I appreciate the feedback, but I think something more dramatic is going on here. I'm getting, literally, 1-2 cuts through 1/8" thick tubing on a wheel. Even if the LWS blade doubled that, it would be far too few.

There are several grades of abrasive wheels. You may have gotten one that is intended for cutting metal studs. Won't hold up on thicker stock.
How are you holding the stock? That is, what position?

If you were cutting flat stock, you should clamp the stock so that it's on end and the actual cutting area is as small as possable.

Could you try to clamp your square tube on the diagonal. With one corner faceing up.

 

[kevin37b]

Something ain't right , you ought to be able to cut 2x2x1/8 all day long . For some reason they are getting hot , glazing over , getting hotter , and coming apart . I am a little suspect of (general purpose ) . Mine are 5/32 thick and say STEEL on them , they are Forney blades . They are marked A24R-BF . Look up inside your guard and make sure it is not packed with slag , causing heat .