Dry Saw Blade Recommendations?

Chips O'Toole · Fri May 03, 2019 7:17 pm

I have a 14" Porter-Cable dry cut saw. When I bought it, I didn't realize it was not a substitute for a band saw, so I tried to cut a 4"-square steel bar. The saw is a bit dull now.

I am thinking of getting a Harbor Freight circular saw blade sharpener to touch it (and my other blades) up, but before I do that, I am wondering if I should keep the original blade. I may be wrong, but it doesn't look like it has a whole lot of carbide on it. I'm wondering if Porter-Cable cheaped out on the blade, which is not unusual for saw manufacturers. It has occurred to me that there might be a better blade out there that I don't know about.

LtBadd · Fri May 03, 2019 7:56 pm

There are certainly options, I don't have a dry cut saw so no recommendations.

HERE is an amazon search

Remember some are for aluminum, stainless and then steel, some for thin wall materials as well

homeboy · Fri May 03, 2019 8:59 pm

My experience with a dry cut saw ( Evolution 380 with the stock 66 tooth X 14in blade) is they work very well cutting regular stock material but don't like to cut wider material on the flat. I dulled a blade real quick cutting a miter on 1/2 X 4in flat. The blade drops straight down and must get too hot with the long cut face. I just started using a Diablo Cermet 11 which cuts great, quieter and smoother but don't know about longevity yet. If you are cutting big solid stock like that probably a band saw or a cold cut saw would be better is my guess. As for sharpening, the going rate around here ( Ontario Canada) is about $20,00 plus $5,00 per tooth if need replaced.

Tonylumps · Sun May 12, 2019 8:18 am

I went thru the carbide era .But it was costing too much .The only thing I cut with carbide now is aluminum on my 14" saw When I have to cut thick ugly stock I keep a couple of boxes of Abtasive blades around.I know it is dirty and loud.But I just wheel the saw outside.All other steel gets cut with Plasma or 4 1/2" cut off or some times with my little band saw with a Bi-metal blade.I still can not get the Right dry cut blade without burning it out

nomoreusmc · Thu May 16, 2019 10:43 pm

I have had excellent luck with both Milwaukee and evolution blades with up to 1 inch thick solid stock and up to two buy four square stock. If you run light blade pressure you can get thousands of cuts per blade. I cut 23-26 sticks of 5/8 round stock daily (I make sissy bars for Harleys) and I put on the blade I am using today first week of January. Just have to let the tool do the work. And as already discussed, never go at a flat side.

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Wolfgang · Fri May 17, 2019 9:51 pm

I've had good experiences with all the 14" Dewalt blades!
The guy who is sharpening my blades doesn't like to weld replacement teeth to the Evolution blades.
He said that they are very finicky in response to heat input!
I had no problem with the Dewalt ones in that respect.

Oscar · Sat May 18, 2019 10:40 am

To answer your question, no they likely did not cheap out on the blade. You simply cannot cut 4" square tubing on a 14" dry cut circular saw, unless said tubing is 1/16-1/8"wall thickness. Most non-commercial saws are rated for maximum combined thickness of 1/4" (6mm). That means that, aside from 6mm thick flat-bar, standing up, you can't cut 1/4" wall round/square tube/channel and expect it to last long because two of those walls (if they contact the blade at the same time during cutting) equal 1/2" in material thickness. Would it still cut it if you asked it to? Sure, but it will dull faster, so you need to do more sharpenings on each blade, or have multiple blades on-hand.

WirelessG · Fri May 31, 2019 2:44 pm

Oscar wrote:To answer your question, no they likely did not cheap out on the blade. You simply cannot cut 4" square tubing on a 14" dry cut circular saw, unless said tubing is 1/16-1/8"wall thickness. Most non-commercial saws are rated for maximum combined thickness of 1/4" (6mm).

He said he cut a bar and if that's true, then it's easy to understand why the blade wore out. I have a MK Morse 14" saw. Attached are the cutting capacities by type and thickness. I could cut 4x4x1/4 tube, but not thicker than that without taxing the blade and the saw. The OP should check his manual to find out what the cutting capacity is for his saw. It could and likely will be different than the capacity for mine.

Oscar · Fri May 31, 2019 5:35 pm

Thanks for that information. Looks like that saw is indeed a beast, well together with that blade, that is. 1/4" wall tubing is likely still hard on any blade, even if the rating is there. I still personally feel that it's still all a compromise of how long you want the blade to last vs how thick of material you're wanting to cut (or how quickly as well).

homeboy · Fri May 31, 2019 10:53 pm

The Evolution 380 comes supplied with a jig that slides over the outer movable vise jaw that allows you to clamp square tubing rotated on a 45% angle so the blade isn't cutting on the flat at all. Cuts much easier and extends the life. I also have a Rage 3 10in sliding compound saw that works not bad for cutting miters in wider tubing because the blade drops down some below the deck and is actually cutting upwards at a bit of an angle instead of flat on.

Oscar · Fri Jul 26, 2019 2:58 pm

homeboy wrote:The Evolution 380 comes supplied with a jig that slides over the outer movable vise jaw that allows you to clamp square tubing rotated on a 45% angle so the blade isn't cutting on the flat at all. Cuts much easier and extends the life. I also have a Rage 3 10in sliding compound saw that works not bad for cutting miters in wider tubing because the blade drops down some below the deck and is actually cutting upwards at a bit of an angle instead of flat on.

Be careful with that jig. I saw a video from Alvarez Metal Works on Youtube where he used that jig, and it somehow broke loose and made the blade lose a couple teeth. My Rage 2 also came with it, and it has proved useful at times. I think when I end up getting that Evosaw380, I'm gonna make a custom jig to hold square tubing, and possibly angle steel as well.

homeboy · Fri Jul 26, 2019 10:42 pm

Oscar wrote:
homeboy wrote:The Evolution 380 comes supplied with a jig that slides over the outer movable vise jaw that allows you to clamp square tubing rotated on a 45% angle so the blade isn't cutting on the flat at all. Cuts much easier and extends the life. I also have a Rage 3 10in sliding compound saw that works not bad for cutting miters in wider tubing because the blade drops down some below the deck and is actually cutting upwards at a bit of an angle instead of flat on.
Be careful with that jig. I saw a video from Alvarez Metal Works on Youtube where he used that jig, and it somehow broke loose and made the blade lose a couple teeth. My Rage 2 also came with it, and it has proved useful at times. I think when I end up getting that Evosaw380, I'm gonna make a custom jig to hold square tubing, and possibly angle steel as well.

Let me guess that the stock they were cutting wasn't properly supported on the input or output side, or both, and when the cut was nearly done the stock shifted a bit and caught the teeth? My cutting table has both input and output, adjustable, movable support rollers so nothing can shift when the cut is thru. Vice is tight. So far no issues.