Woo, new tool

[Crazy68Dart]

Picked this up to help the cage install move along a little more safely...  I was looking at the dry cut machines, but then talked to the chassis guy that has been bending my tube for me and he says the replacement blades are 150.00 bucks!  I suppose if ya did it full time, it might be worth it in the long run.

http://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=27&catalogId=40028&langId=-1&mainCategoryId=192137&fromSearch=Y&productId=678585

Previously I was using an angle grinder with cut off wheel.  I have had it grab on me too many times for my comfort...     I like my fingers attached.

[abodyjoe]

now that looks like it can be fun.

[farmington]

Cutoff wheels on an angle grinder can be a real handful.  A straight grinder is the preferred method.   Try to use a thin wheel, too.  Seems to help.  Use this stuff at work a ton.

[flyboy01]

Harbor Freight sell a small air cutoff wheel that cuts through metal like butter, its usually on sale for about $15. It probably won't cut through anything deeper than 1/2" as it only uses 3" wheels. I have a 4 1/2 electric grinder that works good wit a cutoff wheel, but I suppose for making precision cuts, you can't beat the Milwaukee. How much was it?

[Crazy68Dart]

Fly it was 200 bucks shipped.  Got it online.  I seem to do more with metal than anything else so I have a feeling this will make things easier as life goes on.

[73swinger]

Just remember, If you try to cut any flat bar or thick wall square tubing you shouldn't keep constant pressure on them while cutting. All the heat will harden the steel and you'll never cut it. I lift the blade every few seconds while cutting

[71 Pro Street]

Thats a nice piece! I have a dewalt chop saw and they are worth the money!

[Crazy68Dart]

Just remember, If you try to cut any flat bar or thick wall square tubing you shouldn't keep constant pressure on them while cutting. All the heat will harden the steel and you'll never cut it. I lift the blade every few seconds while cutting

Wow, thanks for the tip.  Yeah, don't want to heat treat it prior to cutting.

[68_Val_Sedan]

Just remember, If you try to cut any flat bar or thick wall square tubing you shouldn't keep constant pressure on them while cutting. All the heat will harden the steel and you'll never cut it. I lift the blade every few seconds while cutting

How does it harden the metal as it is cutting it   I thought that hardness is increased by heating it evenly and then allowing it to cool

[73swinger]

Just remember, If you try to cut any flat bar or thick wall square tubing you shouldn't keep constant pressure on them while cutting. All the heat will harden the steel and you'll never cut it. I lift the blade every few seconds while cutting

How does it harden the metal as it is cutting it   I thought that hardness is increased by heating it evenly and then allowing it to cool

Have you ever wondered why the point of a chisel is hard and not the shank? Any part of any steel product can be hardened. Just try it if you don't believe me, you'll be there all day

['73Dusta]

73swinger is correct. Too much pressure while cutting and all you'll do is burn out the blade. Lift handle every few seconds and not too much pressure is the best way.

[smallbigblock]

Those are great I just bought one too.  I love it

[bOb shingler]

i don't care for the chop saw, it's too dirty. i've always used a table band saw, set it up, go have a beer and it does it's own thing then stops and all the grap is in a bucket and not all over the shop.

[Blvedere]

These chop saws are used mainly by the metal stud, sheet rock guys.

['73Dusta]

Blvedere, You're right.  They are great for cutting metal studs but they are also great for cutting angle iron, square or round tube all thread.  Great all around tool for cutting metal.

[75Dart440]

A cold saw would be the hot ticket for most of us, but they are way too expensive for the garage tinkerer........like me!   

http://www.vansantent.com/dake_coldsaw.htm

They prevent work hardening the steel by cutting at a very slow rpm and using cooling lubricant.

[evstraus]

I took my old Craftsman Miter Saw and attached a 10 inch cut off wheel to it. Cuts like butter Eric 

[Mopar Tom]

To 73 swinger --Mike, the steel you have in Canada must be vastly different than what we use in Illinois . Not trying to burst any bubbles but simply heating mild steel too fast does Not make it hard!  25yrs. experience in steel manufacturing from  all forms of cutting welding, fabbing and a purchasing mngr who purchased and knew the grades of anything from Rycut to T6 aluminum gives me some say ! Yes,  rapid heating does change the molecular structure of  of the piece and when it cools they don't return to their normal state . Chisels are usually made from some alloy of tool steel ,,the cutting edge is usually heated slowly and cooled quickly in a mink oil or some derivitive -I'm also a card carrying blacksmith --mink oil was an old recipe ,,I'm sure there are many other ways to cool for hardness -if you go to sharpen a chisel and get it hot and don't keep it cool it will be soft --try it ! Annealing heats hard stuff up and slow cools to make it softer --usually forgings and such(steel with a lot of nickel alloy !)  I am not highly experienced with a cutoff wheel ( never cut much that small ) but when grinding I always kept it moving around to make a nice smooth finish - any carbide wheel that is pushed too hard / fast will imbed carbide dust in to whatever you are grinding / cutting ---perhaps that's what makes it harder to cut ?  also could the cut be squeezing the blade because enough material wasn't cleared from the slot because you go too fast ??
Again --not trying to one -up at all !!!,,,just speaking from lotsa experience
Would really like to hear Mopar Teachers 2cents on this . Thanks for the podium--Mopar Tom 

[jamesdart]

you can get a cold blade for them. bullet industries.  i have had a chop saw for years used to use it for doing all my exhaust stuff. i came to the realizition that i really dont like them. they are far from accurate if you try to cut anything at an angle. the blade will flaxe and your cut will be distorted, not too mentio nthe screw lock setup to hold the piece in place doesnt really work that well for cutting at an angle, you will have to clamp the work the the fence.  dont use it in your concrete or asphalt driveway as you will have  a big rusty mess in a few days. if you could, id return it and buy a portaban. no sparks and much cleaner.  if im using anything that shoots sparks i always try to do it outside as they go everywhere.  the dust from that saw is just plain nasty and it will be on everything.  my saw sits unde rmy work bench collecting dust and i do a lot of metal work, a lot of welding at home. most common tool i use with a cutoff wheel is the 4 1/2" grinder you just have to respect them and know how they react at all times. i liek the 7" wheels you can get for them. oh and you can creat a claze on a thick piece that you are cutting if you let it creat so much heat that it begins to turn red, that will make ti harder to cut but it will have to be a real thick piece to do that.  if you keep it, be carefull as the wheels o nthem can fly apart just like on a grinder. when i went to votech welding school for high  school we had a real big cut off saw i think it was 3 phase, real powerful a student broke the wheel on a cut one day and the blade stuck in the door to the classroom about 100' away, kind of like if you were to throw an axe into a tree. no one was hurt but talk about scarey. our teacher always told us how much he hated that saw and we did get a cold saw which was sweet but not resonable for a hobbiest to own.

[Mopar Tom]

James --you & Bob Shingler have nailed the finer points of chop sawery! They suck & stink . I often wondered about all the pulverized carbide & steel mixed in the air we breathe ! They always told us in the plant " it won't hurt you " ,,yeah right, along with the paint fumes and welding & cutting adding to the brew !!! I'm surprised my lungs never set off a metal detecror !
My Milwaukee chop saw was like yours when I first got it . A hacksaw could cut straighter . It spent a lot of time under the bench like yours . But desperate men have desperate ways . I spent some time with it one one day when I needed some accurate cuts. I got out my square and aligned the fence to it perfectly. I use nice square shims to shim the piece away from the fence and off the table . I double check the angle with my miter square for angle cuts . Lots of practice showed me to pull the blade thru steady but with a light pressure and not to force it !  ,,,or like you said the blade will flex . I was amazed at how sguare I could cut ! (had to do the same things with wood miter & table saw !)  By the by those blades seldom if ever break unless abused & it don't take much .    They still stink --not 2 ways about it ----
My 2 cents--------Mopar Tom

[68_Val_Sedan]

To 73 swinger --Mike, the steel you have in Canada must be vastly different than what we use in Illinois . Not trying to burst any bubbles but simply heating mild steel too fast does Not make it hard!  25yrs. experience in steel manufacturing from  all forms of cutting welding, fabbing and a purchasing mngr who purchased and knew the grades of anything from Rycut to T6 aluminum gives me some say ! Yes,  rapid heating does change the molecular structure of  of the piece and when it cools they don't return to their normal state . Chisels are usually made from some alloy of tool steel ,,the cutting edge is usually heated slowly and cooled quickly in a mink oil or some derivitive -I'm also a card carrying blacksmith --mink oil was an old recipe ,,I'm sure there are many other ways to cool for hardness -if you go to sharpen a chisel and get it hot and don't keep it cool it will be soft --try it ! Annealing heats hard stuff up and slow cools to make it softer --usually forgings and such(steel with a lot of nickel alloy !)  I am not highly experienced with a cutoff wheel ( never cut much that small ) but when grinding I always kept it moving around to make a nice smooth finish - any carbide wheel that is pushed too hard / fast will imbed carbide dust in to whatever you are grinding / cutting ---perhaps that's what makes it harder to cut ?  also could the cut be squeezing the blade because enough material wasn't cleared from the slot because you go too fast ??
Again --not trying to one -up at all !!!,,,just speaking from lotsa experience
Would really like to hear Mopar Teachers 2cents on this . Thanks for the podium--Mopar Tom 

 

[73swinger]

Mopar Tom....like I'm sooooo sure the steel we have in Canada is different . I don't pretend to be an expert (like some of us) but I am talking from alot of welding/fabricating experience, and yes they aren't the best but they work for home use. Anyway I don't give a shit what kind of expert you are, take a piece of 1/4 x 2" flatbar laying flat and just try to cut it with steady pressure. You will be there all day, so maybe it's not the steel, maybe it's the blade clogging. but the same thing can happen if you get a drill too hot, or if you try and drill through a weld. Maybe you'd care to enlighten us? BTW don't blacksmiths shoe horses?

[FastmOp]

Nice saw, I have a chopsaw as well, I hate it but it's so fast at what it's good at I use it alot, I just open the garage door and point it outside and let it eat.

[Mopar Tom]

Mike ,  I tried to state it so you wouldn't be offended . I made several references to the fact that I'm no expert ,, just gained alot of experience thru osmosis along the way . That was a joke about the steel and I have nothing but respect for Canadaiens ..,,,,Hell, I can't even  handle Illinois winters anymore !!!
 I'm sorry if I was misunderstood ,,,it happens with my wife on a daily basis. Just remember opinions are like assholes ,,hopefully you got one !!!
I think 68 Val Sedan was trying to make a valid point to you and you shot it down with a poor example . Perhaps I was trying to defend his point ,or perhaps I was trying to interject something I actually know about ? Either way my intent was not to offend,,I should know better than entering a debate--can't EVEN win one with my 16 yr old son anymore !!
My references to what I have done were there to give precedense to the fact I might have some knowledge of what I was speaking about ,,,only !
 I don't know anything about horses except they are big & strong and have little bitty brains . The blacksmiths you are refering to once made a living shoeing horses and were the steel EXPERTS of their time ! I belong to the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers ,Blacksmiths and Iron Shipbuilders ---some of those guys are steel Experts too !!
I'm sorry you don't give a shit about me cause I care about you  ! I care enough to to tell you to use the proper tool to cut a piece of 1/4 x2 flatbar ! Isn't a cutoff tool basically a handheld chopsaw ! I was taught by EXPERTS to hold steady and even pressure with a chopsaw and let the tool do the work ,,was also taught Not to keep hitting a carbide cutoff wheel against anything as you'll increase their likely hood of becoming a hand grenade
No doubt ,Mike this won't  enlighten "YOU" but a driil bit  get's hot because it's dull, forced, used at the wrong speed , no coolant or used to drill something harder than itself . Welds can be pretty hard ,,,can't they , Mike .
 Once again , just my 2 cents .!! I don't suppose you'll tell me otherwise , wil ya ,Mike -Mopar Tom

[Bakaruda]

Chop saw cool.

[73swinger]

dude, you're pretty gullable, I was only pullin your chain about the blacksmith thing. You have your experience and i have mine.

BTW, I'm a journeyman Millwright. I'm pretty sure I can tell if my bit is sharp or not...but whatever

[Mopar Tom]

Yes , I am gullable , Mike , especially if I think I ticked someone off & didn't mean too . If we didn't disagree on things we'd all be like lemmings and follow each other off the cliff .
I remember all too well what it was like to be your age . I too was very cocky & independant  and didn't always believe what the old guys would try and tell me . One thing I learned rings true --with age comes wisdom--that's not about being smart but about opening your mind to other, better possibilities ! 
I can pull chains too like ,,,Millwrights work on elevators,don't they ? Or , I know that you know your bit is sharp but you MUST spin it in the correct direction .  The last thing I want is to do is get in a pissing contest with anyone ---my dick's waaay too short for that ! Didya ever hear that one how the young guys' gotta put it under the fence to keep from pissin in his face and the old guys gotta put it on top of the fence to keep from pissin in his boots ??
Fer sure we both have a common bond with our love for Mopars and that's what important .
Stay warm my Canadien friend . I'll pray you never fall from one of those elevators !! --Mopar Tom