Modified chop saw.

[peterd51]

Hi Guys!

looking at these fancy new saws where the blade can move a few inches backwards or forwards...

then looking at my old chop-saw, I wondered if it'd be possible to modify it to provide a similar service?

It's basically hinged at one point to allow up and down movement.

If that hinge point was changed to sit between a couple of pieces of angle iron that could slide backwards and forwards by 3 - 4 inches, it could be more usefull.

The angle iron would need to be in some form of 'runners' to make sure the blade didn't move side to side, but it should be do-able.

Does this sound reasonable or am I way off?

Regards
Peter

 

[zardoz]

Modern day tools are not really made to be modified or even repaired. ie: metal set in moulded plastic, and tools made to have a two or three year lifespan. So i wouldn't even chance it with something as dangerous as a chop saw, no matter how handy you are at 'mods' of any kind.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

this is an old one, made of metal.

I can't remember the make or model and it's a bit late to wander out to the workshop.

Regards
Peter

 

[Ian B]

Peter,

I have a wood chop saw (Electra Beckum) that has the back & forth slides - sort of a trombone-type thing.

It slides on 2 hardened rods of about 16mm diameter running in 4 linear ball bearings. I'd think that whatever you rig up would need to be pretty accurate to ensure that the blade travels square and doesn't jam on the sides of the cuts - if the makers of my chop saw could have done it more cheaply, they probably would have.

I'd tend to agree with Zardoz on this one...

hth,

Ian

 

[irondarren]

Electra Beckum is Matabo, which normally tends to be well made and well engineered, and dont normally go down the cheapest route