Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm looking at buying a dry cut cut off saw, primarily to cut 4130 tube. I've been using an abrasice cut off saw, but I'm tired of deburring every cut I make and I want to save time.

Is the dry cut saw faster at cutting than an abrasive cut off saw and any suggestions on what type of blade I'd need for cutting 4130.

Thanks.

Hi,

I use a Bianco bandsaw with an 96inch bi-metal blade which is excellant for production work. Small burr on the bottom of the cut. I also use a ridgid cold cut saw, 1450 rpm with a tungsten carbide tipped blade, excellant for tubing up to 4 inches in diameter, and I have even cut solid 4 inch mild steel without a problem. You want a tungsten carbide blade, Makita makes those retail about 110 bucks Canadian. The saw comes with 1 blade which can be re-sharpened when dull and if any of the teeth break off or get damaged, new ones can be installed for 3 bucks a piece. This is a portable saw which runs on 120 and takes 15 amps to run, so it simply will not slow down when cutting. I have cut stainless steel, aluminum, brass, cast iron, mild steel....the nice thing about these saws is that they have a speed vice built in them, so you can mount the saw on a table and convert it for production work. The saw is itself about 600 Canadian, but you can get them on ebay for less. I think Milwaukee makes one. It's the rpm that make it ideal for steel. Even though it's a dry cut saw, I always use a cutting paste which I apply on the blade every 3 cuts or so. The cut is like a machined cut, sharp with only a very small burr at the bottom of the cut. Once you use this type of saw, you will see that abrasive saws should be banned from the market. The dust they create is extremely toxic, and the sparks are dangerous for the eyes. The cold cut saw is a little noisy when cutting, so make sure to wear ear protection when cutting ( eye protection aswell). Very well worth the investement, I rate this type of saw 10 on 10.

If you have any more questions about this type of saw, do not hesitate to ask,
Hope this helps,
Georges.

I'm looking to replace my chop saw also, it's not my favorite machine. I been looking at the Milwaukee 14 in. Dry-Cut Machine 6190-20
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/ProductDet ... +Chop+Saws

But now I'm looking at this Northern Tool band saw. It's $200 . . .
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... _200365120

I don't know first hand, but if I had to make a bet it'd be on the dry cut machine to be faster then an abrasive wheel.

could you use the 'dry cut' blade on your existing saw??

tom wrote:could you use the 'dry cut' blade on your existing saw??

As far as I know you can't. The abrasive saw I have runs at about 3000 rpm and the tungsten carbide blades are rated at approx. 1500 rpm.

I got a price on a Makita LC1230, it was about $AU1000.00!! Guess I'll keep looking.

Hi Guys,

O.K, the little bandsaw you posted will simply not work well. It's more like a toy, 1/2 hp motor is really not strong enough to do a good job, and the blades are really flimsy. Might be good for small work, little tubes .The cold cut ( dry cut) saw is very fast, the blades produce a clean cut, and if you check on ebay, they have some Milwaukees for less. I paid my ridgid 1000.00$ canadian about 15 years ago, still works like new, and never ceases to impress... even me after all this time. I purchased a bandsaw like the style that is posted ( industrial), paid it nearly 8000.00$ cdn about 10 years ago, and this is excellant for production work or just cutting angles. The drawback with the coldcut saw is the little extra time it takes to setup an anglecut, but nevertheless, it is night and day with the abrasive cutoff saw. Remember you get what you pay for. Cheap tools never produce good work and do not last long. Save up abit for a good saw, you'll really be happy in the end. You'll feel really good when working with this type of equipment and remember.... Always wear ear and eye protection.

Any questions, feel free to ask,

Georges.

ive got the dewalt multi cutter, 12" blade turning at 1300rpm, works great, do not cut large pieces of solid bar stock the blade does not like it. it runs around 400$