chop saw

[cozzie45]

looking at buying a chop saw as my back is broke from using angle grinder for cutting steel on the floor. mainly cutting 2" piping, 10mm * 80mm flat plat and so on, so heavyish enough stuff. what brands are the best as thinking along the lines of Hitachi, Dewalt or Makita. is there other makes worth considering or better. also what are the merits of choosing a TCT machine and if so can an abrasive wheel be fitted if i so choose

thanks

 

[Wozzaaah]

As the owner of a chopsaw, a metal-cutting circular saw and 2 bandsaws, the bandsaws win hands down for most stuff. The chopsaw is noisy, dusty and inaccurate but it's quick, the bandsaw is a bit slower but it's so much quieter, cleaner and with a bit of fettling and a good quality blade can be made to cut pretty well spot on. The circular saw is noisy but gives a superb cut on plate up to 7mm. Like they say, no sparks and no burr but not much good for cutting tube or box.

 

[Paul.]

I have an assortment of cutting equipment as well but the chop saw is a handy portable tool They can be quite accurate when youve got the knack of setting them up square and knowing how hard to lean on the blade, I have a ryobi like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190041839994 but from B&Q £105.00

 

[scarecrow]

I'm afraid I will have to agree with wozaaah having a chopsaw and bandsaw the bandsaw is definitely more accurate and much cleaner with no burr left on steel if you are going for the chopsaw go for a good brand as some of the cheaper ones burn out and there isn't much difference in price if you go for the bandsaw try and buy one with the swing over arm for cutting angles. the one I have is a sip and the chopsaw is a dewalt. I would only buy the chopsaw if you need it on site or out of the workshop

 

[gavuk]

only buy a chop saw if u don't have neighbors ,bandsaw is quieter more accurate and most can be used as a vertical bandsaw too and although more expensive(maybe )to buy ,are prob cheaper to run than grinding discs in the long run,,,,,,,cold saw or even a power hacksaw before i would have a chop saw,bandsaw can be used on non ferrous materials as well,including woods and plastics....just my opinion

 

[Paul.]

I suppose it depends on what type of work your doing, how much you want to spend, and how much use the machine will get. 99% of my stuff is cut either on the bandsaw or the circular cold saw, but a diy user may not be able to invest in a decent bandsaw, the very cheap ones are limited in the type of blades available and have no blade coolant, you need to spend about £650 for a half decent 13 amp job

 

[gavuk]

the small diy saws are quite good even without a coolant pump ,i have a clarke 6"x4" and use spray or bottle coolant,paid less than £100 second hand ,whilst it wouldn't suit every diy application it will easily cope with 2" pipe and 10x80 flat as per cozzie45 post. with support rollers and a bi-metal blade its very good . i wouldn't swap it for a chop saw of any make , the nice bandsaws are expensive but the cheap ones are still better than a chop saw unless portability is a major concern,or noise is not a factor,make an interesting survey though as i expect a lot of forum members have used or own both .... as tig paul rightly says "it depends on what type of work your doing, how much you want to spend, and how much use the machine will get."

 

[Paul.]

the small diy saws are quite good even without a coolant pump ,i have a clarke 6"x4" and use spray or bottle coolant,paid less than £100 second hand ,whilst it wouldn't suit every diy application it will easily cope with 2" pipe and 10x80 flat as per cozzie45 post. with support rollers and a bi-metal blade its very good . i wouldn't swap it for a chop saw of any make , the nice bandsaws are expensive but the cheap ones are still better than a chop saw unless portability is a major concern,or noise is not a factor,make an interesting survey though as i expect a lot of forum members have used or own both .... as tig paul rightly says "it depends on what type of work your doing, how much you want to spend, and how much use the machine will get."

Thats interesting Gavuk, I have one of those gathering dust in the corner,because I can only find carbon steel blades for it, do you know of a supplier of 64 1/2" Bi metal blades?

 

[Weldingartisan]

No, you can't interchange TCT and abrasive wheels they run at different speeds. TCT blades are much more expensive than bandsaw blades and may not last as long. TCT saws do give an accurate cut with a good finish. Abrasive wheels are noisy, dusty and overheat the material, especially thick plate.W/A

 

[gavuk]

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Dragon-Saws-Ltd_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm
A few forum members have used them with good results ,about 5x more expensive than carbon steel but last much longer ,,,,,think i ordered 10/14 tpi there was a thread posted on here,if you tell dragon what u want to cut they will tell you the best combination..dust it off Tig paul

 

[Paul.]

.dust it off Tig paul

Thanks, Ill give them a try
I don't need another saw in the shop, but i thought I'd take it off the stand to make it portable for site work, for cutting stainless tube etc.

 

[Wozzaaah]

The guys at Dragon are very helpful, I used them for blades for both my saws.

 

[MrFluffy]

1% anomoly

Hmm Ive got a vertical bandsaw, manchester (power hacksaw) saw, circular saw, and abrasive chop saw along with shears, nibblers and other odds and sods.
Firstly yes, they make a mess and theyre noisy, so if Im going to be chopping up stuff with the chop saw I do it outside, I don't want the abrasive dust in the machine room proper on those expensive bedways.
However, I put quite a lot of time getting a chop saw with a decent pivot on the back (mines some german make) without any slop and without flex. Once I got it home I put a bit of work into improving the vice on it as that was a bit rubbish out the box too, and I consider now that the abrasive chop saw is fast and accurate. If I have to saw up say scaffolding sized tube or steel I beams they get done on the chopsaw. Where they really score over everything else is portability. If you need to saw up some lengths to fit on or in something, just take the chopsaw and a little genny.
Just another string to your bow. Buy both a chop and a bandsaw in the longer term

 

[gavuk]

Mr fluffy raises a good point ,as with his chop saw on cheap bandsaws the pivot is all important to maintaining a good cut ,a cheap bandsaw will probably require setting up before achieving good straight cuts normally just the roller blade guides require fettling to ensure the blade runs true ,i also check using a try square in the vice then checking the gap between sawblade and vertical blade of square,throughout the arc the sawblade moves during a cut....chop saws have their place and are good at what they do but when faced with the same choice as cozzie45 i opted for a bandsaw as it will cut anything i normally require for my diy work is quiet and clean in comparison.....there are a number of web sites about 6"x4" bandsaws and even a yahoo group,(sorry couldn't find bookmarks for this post),so while i considered a bandsaw a better buy they may not work well straight out of the box ,without adjusting.......hope this helps