The_Tango
Active member
Not going to do a lot of cutting but which would be the best for cutting steel for welding projects? Welding cart, Work tables, Small projects. Square tubing & Angle.
(cost is a concern)
(cost is a concern)
Chop saw or motorized hacksaw?
- Thread starter The_Tango
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Steevo
Well-known member
A horizontal band saw beats them both for ease of use and speed/cleanliness of cuts, and you can set it to cut while you do something else.
Chop saw with abrasive blade is very messy.
Chop saw with metal cutting saw blade = very expensive blades.
Motorized hacksaw (reciprocating type) is really s-l-o-w.
You can get a cheap Taiwan/China horizontal bandsaw on C/L for under $100, or from HF for about $200, sometimes cheaper on sale.
Chop saw with abrasive blade is very messy.
Chop saw with metal cutting saw blade = very expensive blades.
Motorized hacksaw (reciprocating type) is really s-l-o-w.
You can get a cheap Taiwan/China horizontal bandsaw on C/L for under $100, or from HF for about $200, sometimes cheaper on sale.
padronanniversary
Well-known member
downside of the horizontal is the space it takes up in the shop. The other option is a vertical bandsaw, at least the foot print is smaller.
DARK AGE 53
Well-known member
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- Jan 22, 2005
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I have one of these and it work great http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200326857_200326857 .
True but they by far the most cool of the options. I'm keeping my eye out for one of the little older ones.
ranger302
Well-known member
I picked up a horz. band saw first and used it for years. Now I have Both and the abrasive saw only gets used to cut hardened tool steel.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
The big thing with the imports is setup. They can do a decent job, but it won't be so out of the box. Mostly it's adjustment (of the guide wheels) to get it to cut square, and then making sure the material vise is square to the blade. (Once you find this, mark the bed)
I used an import for over 30 years, and it did the job. One thing that really improved it was adding a bungee to lightly support the weight (the spring for that purpose was useless..) so the blade wasn't over worked with too much pressure (it tended to wander under pressure)
I replaced it with an older (1973) Wilton saw a few years ago. A much better cutting rig.
crewchief888
Well-known member
as mentioned the cheaper band saws will take some fine tuning to run straight and true.
cheaper abrasive chop saws well......... cheap, but they do work for occasional use.
i severely abused a HF chop saw in my garage/shop for a couple years cutting tubing for 3 roll cages, 2 sets of bumpers, rock sliders, tire mounts, ect.
it finally had enough and went up in smoke.
for $50 sale price, it served it's purpose
i like my ridgid abrasive chop saw, heavier cast base, instead of the cheaper stamped steel, vice is adjustable in both directions, unlike most other chop saws
picked it up on sale at HD for $125 or so couple years ago.
last time i noticed, they were $179 ? or so...
i have mine on a HF heavy duty tool stand covered with 3/4" plywood.
even the stand is holding up quite well after being moved around in the garage and shop, and taken to a friends shop several times while i was building other cages and bumpers.
cheaper abrasive chop saws well......... cheap, but they do work for occasional use.
i severely abused a HF chop saw in my garage/shop for a couple years cutting tubing for 3 roll cages, 2 sets of bumpers, rock sliders, tire mounts, ect.
it finally had enough and went up in smoke.
for $50 sale price, it served it's purpose
i like my ridgid abrasive chop saw, heavier cast base, instead of the cheaper stamped steel, vice is adjustable in both directions, unlike most other chop saws
picked it up on sale at HD for $125 or so couple years ago.
last time i noticed, they were $179 ? or so...
i have mine on a HF heavy duty tool stand covered with 3/4" plywood.
even the stand is holding up quite well after being moved around in the garage and shop, and taken to a friends shop several times while i was building other cages and bumpers.
MustangRick
Well-known member
I have a cheap chop saw $85, works great. I have noticed the thinner blades don't always give a perpendicular cut, they seem to bend a little if you push too much.
koditten
Well-known member
Hand held portable bandsaw. I use the Porta-Band by Millwauki. Takes up little space, can go to the job. I believe this is the most used tool I own except for the welding machines.
KO
KO
ZRX61
Well-known member
However, you can walk away & let it do the cut while you do something else..
Stuey
Well-known member
+1 for a small cold-cutting chop saw.
I've got a small Rage, and it's decent.
I've got a small Rage, and it's decent.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
metaleltr
Well-known member
Horizontal band saws are great. Set and forget. I have not used them for angles but at school I have used one a lot for square cuts. Works great. Easy to use. I like to use cutting fluid for thick mild steel, stainless steel,aluminum, and brass. Thin stuff you can get away with dry cutting.
Well the NT & HF horz. Bandsaw are the same price - and they look the same in the photos. Both get so-so reviews. I have looked at the HF one at the local store but NT doesn't have one local for a full look. The horsepower is different but I take little stock in the specs.
The JET at NT got a lot better reviews but its twice the cost.
The JET at NT got a lot better reviews but its twice the cost.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
I would buy a decent chop saw. For "normal" size pipe, angle of flat stock, they work very good. If I came across a nice metal bandsaw I would pick it up. I have an older Carolina 7X12ish at work and it is awesome, but for what I do at home I could never justify spending the money to buy something like that new. I never liked the import bandsaw you see everywhere, their like two feet tall.
I have a portaband, a portaband with a base that makes it a vertical unit, a dry cut toothed-blade chop saw, a reciprocating saw and I briefly had a horizontal band saw.
I think the dry cut saw is by far the most useful and quick of the bunch. You get fast cuts that are already clean. There's no messing with settings to keep things true. My first blade lasted over two years, and cost me $40. I would have spent MUCH more on abrasive discs in the same period for the same number of cuts. Northern Tool has a Chinese-made version that sells for $250 when it's not on sale. The Evolution models are pretty affordable, too. I paid $320 for my Milwaukee 6190-20 (because it didn't include one of their not-very-good-anyway blades).
I think the dry cut saw is by far the most useful and quick of the bunch. You get fast cuts that are already clean. There's no messing with settings to keep things true. My first blade lasted over two years, and cost me $40. I would have spent MUCH more on abrasive discs in the same period for the same number of cuts. Northern Tool has a Chinese-made version that sells for $250 when it's not on sale. The Evolution models are pretty affordable, too. I paid $320 for my Milwaukee 6190-20 (because it didn't include one of their not-very-good-anyway blades).
I have a Milwaukee chop saw, it beats the hell out of a hack saw, recip saw and cut off wheel. I have thought about buying a Milwaukee Porta-bandsaw and a base like Jack has, it would come in handy at times.
WhoWhatNow
Well-known member
Jack - which do you like better; the toothed chop saw or the porta band with the base? I already have a porta band and am going to get the Swag base. I am hoping to be able to get by with just one metal cutting tool due to space. Do you think you could have gotten by with just the porta band?
demographic
Well-known member
Is the correct answer.
I have had two horizontal bandsaws from HF. The first one was actually the best of the two but I ended up selling it when "downsizing" after a divorce. The one I have now does a good job now, it just took more work on my part to get it to that point. Besides a good tune up and better blade, I added a taller stand to make the saw useable with my pipe stands as infeed/outfeed support. The stand I built includes a catch pan that is part of the recirculating flood coolant system that I added. I also installed a magnetic power switch and a micro switch which greatly improved the function of the auto stop feature, now I can actually walk away and do something else while the saw is cutting. I modified a pneumatic storm door closer which now functions as a hydraulic downfeed cylinder. Most of the tubing and bar stock that I use in my projects gets cut on this saw. I also have several other ways of cutting metal including; a Port-Band, Triton Steel Cutter (carbide tooth chop saw), a couple of different shears, cut off wheel in a grinder etc. Buess I left out the plasma cutter. But the little red bandsaw gets the bulk of the cutting jobs in my shop.
The saw was actually a fun project in itself and the end result is that I have a very functional and useful shop tool for very little money. Sure I have some time invested but my shop is for hobby work so I really don't charge me much for my time.
The saw was actually a fun project in itself and the end result is that I have a very functional and useful shop tool for very little money. Sure I have some time invested but my shop is for hobby work so I really don't charge me much for my time.
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You could definitely get by with only that saw. The tradeoff is speed. If you're careful with setup on a band saw it can be very precise.
Steevo
Well-known member
Unless, of course, you're Jack, and need to cut down 12ga steel Strong-Hold cabinets
There is a fairly active Yahoo discussion group about the import Chinese saws. Lots of smart ideas to make those things really effective cutters.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4x6bandsaw/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4x6bandsaw/
I get a year or better out of the blades from the local Tractor Supply. I don't recall the brand name on them, but they are 14 tpi bi metal blades (I think). It is the only one they carry so, if buying locally here, the choice is made for me.
I hear a lot people say that they never use the saw in the vertical position. I think they are missing half the utility of the saw. I have even seen elaborate set-ups described in order to make a cut with the horizontal saw that could easily have been done freehand with the saw in the vertical position.
In the video the reviewer mentioned that the stand for the red saw is stable. In the horizontal position that is true. When mine was on the original stand I often used my hydraulic scissor lift table as an in feed support and it worked fine that way. But, for me, the saw was at a very uncomfortable height so when I raised it up, I made it high enough to work with standard pipe stands.
I hear a lot people say that they never use the saw in the vertical position. I think they are missing half the utility of the saw. I have even seen elaborate set-ups described in order to make a cut with the horizontal saw that could easily have been done freehand with the saw in the vertical position.
In the video the reviewer mentioned that the stand for the red saw is stable. In the horizontal position that is true. When mine was on the original stand I often used my hydraulic scissor lift table as an in feed support and it worked fine that way. But, for me, the saw was at a very uncomfortable height so when I raised it up, I made it high enough to work with standard pipe stands.