Porta Cable 14" dry cut blade

[Steve W]

Today I finally managed to chip one tooth on my 14" blade. I must have gotten in a hurry and didn't clamp it good. I was cutting a short piece of 1" sq. tubing at a 45 degree angle. I think it's still good to cut with, but I think I warped it a little. When the tooth broke off it caused the blade to flex enough that it took a little metal off my base in the slot were the blades goes when cutting. Definitly got my attention, and will be more careful from now on. Can anybody tell me were I can go ahead and order or buy one for it? Tractor Supply or Lowes maybe? I think it came with a 80 or 90 tooth and about 1/8 thick blade. Thanks

[yorkiepap]

Hey Steve,
If you want to get the best metal cutting blade made....get the Freud Diablo 72T C7 grade. They are available on E-Bay very reasonable as I bought (4) for 160.00 incl. ship.. Just type "Freud Diablo" in the search window on E-Bay. I get between 600-800 cuts before they need re-sharpened. They are THE workhorse for cutting steel or AL.. Attached is a photo...they are RED!!! Can't mistake them for any other......Try....you'll like....Denny

[Steve W]

Thanks yorkiepap. I will get one ordered.Tonight when I got back home, I took the blade off and layed in on the Kitchen cabinet. It was completely flat, so it didn't bend the blade after all. I quess it just looked that way to me. I made some more cuts. Still cutting like it did new, just have one tooth damaged... I need to get an extra blade here for to have on hand. By the way you really have a nice shop. I'am jealous. Is that a Millermatic 172 on the cart? I like the saw setup too.
Thanks, Steve

[dda52]

Steve, I don't worry about mine until I've lost 15 or more teeth.:D IIRC, just about any of the 14" metal cutter blades should fit your saw. I've been using all Dewalts for now. I have a Metal Devil in reserve and have looked at the Freuds, but never got one. I get the Metal Devils in San Antonio along with the 8" blades for my Mil metal saw. The rest from whoever can get me the cheapest online.;)

[yorkiepap]

Hey Steve,
Thanks for the compliments. Glad to hear your blade is still usable. It takes quite a bit of force to bend them, but they will bend under severe use or when teeth get ripped off when a piece becomes loose or canted.

Yes, that's a Miller Challenger 172....One of the best welders ever made. I've run so much wire thru it, I wore the feed wire roller assem. down to the point I had to take the adj. tension screw and turn the sq. shoulder down on the lathe to get the pressure back to normal adjustments. Never one lick of a problem with it as far as welding and reliability. I have a 3035 spoolgun & SGA100 for it also. Sweet setup.

Anyway, let us know if you get a Freud Diablo and your results with it....Denny