Cutting steel - which tool.

[monkeymark]

I've been cutting some plate and box section. Using a hacksaw and sick now so wondered what tools you lot use or recommend?

Been cutting 2 to 6mm plate and 50x50 box with 6mm wall, bloody hard going with a hacksaw.
Would like both straight and curve cuts.

Problem is limited funds.
Have jigsaw but dubious as to suitability.
Considered chop saw, maybe a cheap one as I have a rage blade to go on.
Also considered small bandsaw but few in my price range are water cooled. How much difference does that make (though could add a pump I guess)?
Have grinder. Ok for straight but not too good for curves.

Thoughts please.

 

[Maker]

How about plasma or oxy-fuel?

 

[Bill Edwards]

If funds are limited then oxy or plasma probably aren't an option, and depending on the accuracy and finish you need may need tidying up with a grinder afterwards, particularly on the curves unless you have a very steady hand/good guide.

I think I'd have a 9" grinder and for the curved bits cut them as best you can (few straight cuts) then use a grinding disk to smooth them out to the required shape?

 

[Maker]

If funds are limited then oxy or plasma probably aren't an option, and depending on the accuracy and finish you need may need tidying up with a grinder afterwards, particularly on the curves unless you have a very steady hand/good guide.

I think I'd have a 9" grinder and for the curved bits cut them as best you can (few straight cuts) then use a grinding disk to smooth them out to the required shape?

If your resourceful and you buy used, you should be able to get oxy propane gear including gas for under £200 but it's only worth it if your gonna be making a lot of curved cuts or cutting really thick stuff.
I think I saw Jimmy DiResta cutting steel plate with a circular saw and a evolution rage saw blade.

 

[sparkysy]

Hi monkeymark
I use a jigsaw for plate up to about 6mm with good quality metal blades. brokenbiker had a thread about them not so long back! or a 4.5inch with thin disks or 9inch after that and leave a bit of room for error on the first cut! Have a rage for box section was less than a ton and is excellent up to 4inch! For putting curves in a flap disk will work well and quickly too + cheap to buy.
Sy

 

[Monkey Harris]

use good quality jigsaw blades and treflux cutting compound ,
lube is the key...we cut up a whole car with one blade, in a reciprocating saw last year

 

[monkeymark]

Thanks guys.

My other question, how much difference does cooling make on a bandsaw?
Seen a few of the Clarke ones cheap used recently and like the idea of them being quieter.

 

[Wallace]

Coolant makes the bandsaw blades last much longer and cut a bit quicker if you can cope with the smell and mess. They are not the quickest machines if you are in a hurry to cut stuff but you can leave it running and get on with something else.

 

[F.J.]

What's your budget? And what size plate are you cutting? The cheapest option is buying some 0.9mm slitting discs and scribing all round the box, if you have more to spend then I would recommend an evolution raptor. I have one and it cuts 6mm box no problem. I think it cost £250

 

[fatfranky]

I've often thought if you want to use coolant on a Clarke bandsaw, but don't have a suitable pump you could just rig up a simple gravity system with 2 containers, one above the saw which just dribbles coolant onto the cut and another below to catch the coolant which you then reuse! Never actually tried it but it seems a simple solution.

I suppose it depends on what you're trying to cut and what shapes (straight curved etc.)

Whereabouts in Co. Durham are you?

 

[monkeymark]

I've often thought if you want to use coolant on a Clarke bandsaw, but don't have a suitable pump you could just rig up a simple gravity system with 2 containers, one above the saw which just dribbles coolant onto the cut and another below to catch the coolant which you then reuse! Never actually tried it but it seems a simple solution.

I suppose it depends on what you're trying to cut and what shapes (straight curved etc.)

Whereabouts in Co. Durham are you?

That's not a bad idea. I'd thought.about using a 12v pump from a windscreen washer, could even use the bottle too.

I'm in peterlee right near a19

 

[MattF]

I've often thought if you want to use coolant on a Clarke bandsaw, but don't have a suitable pump you could just rig up a simple gravity system with 2 containers, one above the saw which just dribbles coolant onto the cut and another below to catch the coolant which you then reuse! Never actually tried it but it seems a simple solution.

Drips systems are better, IMHO. No matter how you look at them, pumped systems are messy beggars. Occasional brushing or drip fed is my preference every time.

 

[Maker]

Drips systems are better, IMHO. No matter how you look at them, pumped systems are messy beggars. Occasional brushing or drip fed is my preference every time.

Can't you restrict the pump to make it drip?

 

[Jan]

For up to 6mm cutting (including box section) I bought one of these twin blade Rage saws. The only drawback is that cutting has to be done 'free hand' as there's no base plate or guide on the cutter. For thinner stuff, Aldi have recently been selling a lighter wood/metal circular saw for £30. I was hesitating over buying one until I found them marked down to £20 at my local Aldi, so I got one. I've cut very little metal with it to date, but found the accuracy so good that there's no step when cutting wood that's too thick for a single pass of the blade so I have to turn the wood over and finish the cut from the other side.

 

[MattF]

Can't you restrict the pump to make it drip?

I'd guess it would be possible to a degree. The only ones I've seen running haven't been mine though, so I'm guessing they wouldn't appreciate me fiddling with their flow.

 

[Maker]

I'd guess it would be possible to a degree. The only ones I've seen running haven't been mine though, so I'm guessing they wouldn't appreciate me fiddling with their flow.

If you where to do it, I don't think a normal pump would appreciate being restricted that much and it would just spray out harder, if you could get/make a peristaltic pump, that would be perfect.

 

[bigegg]

I'd go for a machinemart/draper/clarke/sealey/nutool/etc bandsaw.
(they're all almost exactly the same. different paint, same iron).
Good blades make ALL the difference!

I picked mine up for about £100 second hand (fettling already done ), and dribble a bit of old engine oil as coolant.
Did a piece of 6in square girder today - took over an hour , but I cooked lunch whilst it was running.

Throat depth is about 6 inches - I cut 10mm plate on it in vertical mode, so depends how wide a curved strip you need.

On the odd occasion I've needed to cut curves more than the throat depth, I've trimmed close with the angle grinder and then finished with the bandsaw.

 

[julianf]

Can't you restrict the pump to make it drip?

I have a pumped coolant system on my cnc router / mill.

Yes, you can restrict the flow (theyre just centrifugal pumps - or at least the cheap off-the-shelf ones are) and you can get it down to a drip, however, at drip rate, the flow isnt entirely stable, i guess as you get blockage in the valve etc.

But, in context, i click 'go' on the machine somtimes, and then go to bed whilst it runs 10hr jobs through the night... So plenty of time for small shavings / metal silt to accumulate in the valve. If imagine you could get more stable flow over shorter time spans.