ridgid chop saw

[BXpanded]

Have you looked at or considered a dry cut saw?
They are a bit more money but alot quicker and make a nicer cut.
I have a 14" chop saw abrasive style blade and use it for hobby type projects.
I recently cut some heavier pieces 3/8" and it took me quite a while to cut through this thickness of material and the cut wasn't perfectly straight.
I was looking into what other types of saw might be better for cutting thicker material and a band saw is one option, but a decent one is probably around $1000, too much and too big for the amount I would use it.
I started looking at dry cut saws and they are more money than an abrasive style chop saw but the speed they cut is pretty impressive and without the sparks.
If I was going to get another saw I think I would get one of these.

Does anyone own one of these type of dry cut saws?

Here is a clip of a rigid brand dry cut saw.
YouTube - Bullet 14" Speed Metal Blade

They also make them in a circular saw type style.
YouTube - Evolution EVO180 Xtreme Steel Cutting Circular Saw

We have a Milwaukee Dry Cut saw. Really fast! Far faster than our 12 foot bandsaw. Probably 3 seconds through a 2 inch square tube. 4 seconds through a 3/4" x 2" solid flat bar. Straight cuts. No burrs. The metal doesn't even get hot. The cut edge looks almost like it was finished with a milling machine. No coolant is used as is used with a "Cold saw". (People often confuse Dry Cut saws and Cold saws although they are totally different animals.) Coolant from a cold saw is a problem when you use lots of tubing.

Down side: SCARY! LOUD! Seems violent as things go fast, there's much noise and flying metal. It actually intimidates some guys. Hot sharp chips! Cover up well, those chips really burn when they hit you. Wear safety glasses under a faceshield. Hearing protection is a must. The chips are fairly easy to clean up but they go everywhere and absolutely HAVE to be cleaned up as they are razor sharp curls. Blades are expensive and can be damaged by one bump against the metal. Start very gently then cut very fast. Make sure you hold the loose end as it will knock off a tooth if it's allowed to get back into the blade. Once a tooth is gone the domino effect takes over, and the blade is ruined in short order. Expect to lose a few blades in the learning curve. Blades dull more quickly if you cut slowly. Blades can be resharpened. We've had pretty good luck brazing teeth back on. Save an old blade as a donor. It's worth the trouble when blades can be as much as $150 a pop. The local saw shops can't seem to get the teeth.

We use it if we have a lot to cut because it is so fast. If we have a moderate amount it's quicker to use one the bandsaws because of the reduced clean up.

Way better than an abrasive saw!

 

[davygp38]

Have you looked at or considered a dry cut saw?
They are a bit more money but alot quicker and make a nicer cut.
I have a 14" chop saw abrasive style blade and use it for hobby type projects.
I recently cut some heavier pieces 3/8" and it took me quite a while to cut through this thickness of material and the cut wasn't perfectly straight.
I was looking into what other types of saw might be better for cutting thicker material and a band saw is one option, but a decent one is probably around $1000, too much and too big for the amount I would use it.
I started looking at dry cut saws and they are more money than an abrasive style chop saw but the speed they cut is pretty impressive and without the sparks.
If I was going to get another saw I think I would get one of these.

Does anyone own one of these type of dry cut saws?

Here is a clip of a rigid brand dry cut saw.
YouTube - Bullet 14" Speed Metal Blade

They also make them in a circular saw type style.
YouTube - Evolution EVO180 Xtreme Steel Cutting Circular Saw

Did I miss something? I thought this "chop saw" was what the op was talking about. This is the exact saw I have, and yes, it works great.

 

[RippySkippy]

got it...it's a well built saw. For what I've cut, it's done the job, no better or worse than any other chop saw...

 

[mcd176]

Im very happy with mine, I use it alot and it has never failed me.

 

[larj]

I would never buy a chop saw.If you want to cut metal straight and fast with no waste and no mess buy a cold saw.Baligh makes the best ones but they are not cheap.Dewalt makes a portable one weights is about 45 pounds.We use a dewalt portable one used it last year to build a fence on site cut 125 pieces of 3/4 inch 24 foot long cold roll steel as wel as 125 pieces of 1/2 inch and 15 pieces of 2 1/2 inch and 2 pieces of 6 inch channel all were 24 feet long. Never even dulled the blade in the slightest. The 6 inch channel was 1/2 inch thick and it cut it in about 6 seconds.

Replacement blades are about 95 bucks. However we have been using the same blade for a year now in the machine shop and still do not need to replace it.