chop saw blades

[roundball]

What is a good brand of chop saw blades? I have a 14 1/2 inch chop saw. Dewalt blades do not last very long and NAPA blades do not cut very good. What can I expect to pay for some good blades? And where can they be purchased?

[tigman]

I have always had good luck with Makita. Scott

[hankj]

Roundball,

Northern Tool sells FlexOvit and Irwin blades. They run about $6 each. You'll have to pay shipping too. I've had good luck with both brands for other uses. My chop saw is so new that I 'm still on the original Milwaukee blade, but I'll probably go to Northern when the need arises,

Be well.

hankj

[MAC702]

Originally posted by roundball
I have a 14 1/2 inch chop saw. Dewalt blades do not last very long and NAPA blades do not cut very good.

14-1/2" or just 14"? What are the thicknesses of the blades in question? There are several thicknesses available and the thinner ones cut better, but don't last as long of course. Assuming the same thicknesses, then you can see if there are differences between brands. I use my carbide far more often, but my DeWalt abrasive chop has a Hilti blade in it currently, a 7/64" I think. Seems to work well.

[dda52]

Hilti's are good blades. I've used hundreds. I never had much luck with Flexovits. Makita was ok, so was Dewalt .... the ones for drywall studs ( thin). My best were some I picked up in Wash DC from Grabber. They are "Studs McBrilliant". Goofy name, excellent blade.

[Brad-Man]

Norton makes good blades. HD carries 'em.

[supergper]

For the most part I have had better luck with the blades you can buy form the local welding supply place than the ones form HD or Lowes...

[Cleaver]

Hi,

sorry to be brining this old thread up, but I did not want to create a new one.

I am currently, interested in buying a chop saw as an additional tool for my garage. I searched at ebay, and found a few of them varing in sizes and stuff.

My interest in using a chop saw is to cut exhaust pipes and flat metals (like making a welding cart, bed frame, table...basically whatever my welder can handle haha) I have a baby welder 80Amp..

HEre are my questions:
1) what size chop saw should I be looking at? 6", 7", 10",14"?

2) the arbor size varies from 7/8" to 1", with those arbor sizes are they easily accesable in replacing a blade? Meaning that when I need to change blades, is it hard to find a replacement?

3) I prefer getting a 7" if the blade supply is easy to find, and if I can cut pipes that are like 4". Will I be able to do that?

4) when cutting BIG pipes, can I cut half of the pipe and turn it around and cut again until its all cut around? (just in case it will not cut though the whole pipe.

5) for making angle cuts, can an chop saw do that? or do I need to get a different tool?

Thank you, and sorry for the LONG post.

regards,
cleaver

[hankj]

Cleaver,

By chop saw do you mean an abraisive cut-off tool? If so, I have never seen one smaller than 14". You can buy metal-cutting abrasive blades for 7-1/2" skillsaw type tools, and there are metal cut-off blades for angle grinders, too.

14" blades are readily available. The 14" saw will miter to 45 degrees.

No 7" saw that I've seen can cut 4" stock - the blade center is 3.5" from the edge!

I would not try to cut anything on my 14" saw that won't secure in the vise. It is 3-1/2 horsepower, and I'd hate to be hand-holding something and have it bind on the blade.

Prices range widely, with HF being the low end and tools like Ridgid and Milwaukee the high - anywhere from $99 to $180.

Be well.

hankj

[lranch]

Makita blades cut better, last longer, do not glaze as easy a Dewalt. For angled cuts (close to what you wanted) in big box or wide angle, I use the thick masonary blades. They do not flex as bad however cut slower, saves on sanding discs. If you plan to rough cut metal, any chop will do,. If you get into angles look for a better table/vise unit.

[Cleaver]

Originally posted by hankj
Cleaver,

By chop saw do you mean an abraisive cut-off tool? If so, I have never seen one smaller than 14". You can buy metal-cutting abrasive blades for 7-1/2" skillsaw type tools, and there are metal cut-off blades for angle grinders, too.

14" blades are readily available. The 14" saw will miter to 45 degrees.

No 7" saw that I've seen can cut 4" stock - the blade center is 3.5" from the edge!

I would not try to cut anything on my 14" saw that won't secure in the vise. It is 3-1/2 horsepower, and I'd hate to be hand-holding something and have it bind on the blade.

Prices range widely, with HF being the low end and tools like Ridgid and Milwaukee the high - anywhere from $99 to $180.

Be well.

hankj

Hello Hankj,

Thanks for the reply..this is what I meant by a chop saw http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...EBWA%3AIT&rd=1
its a 7" chop saw...will that work for me? if im only probably going to cut exhaust pipes (max size 4") or anything else...

I prefer a smaller chop saw because of the size factor. I have a small garage, and having a small chop saw would be soo nice to have.

im sorry but im not use to the terms is "abraisive cut-off tool" the same meaning?

Thank you again...

[Terry Lingle]

600 watts means a very low power motor. Abrasive cut off wheels must be worked hard enough stay "sharp" not enough load and they get hot and glaze up. This saw is probably too light and small to live.
Go over to KMS Tools and see if they have a demo saw to try. Untill you have used one you can't evaluate what you need to cut steel.
Also check the cost of wheels. The small wheels are much more costly per pound of steel cut from the kerf. Terry

[Thomas Harris]

I use my Milwaukee chop saw only occasionally. When called on it does a very nice job on the materials you described. Plan on noise and dust with this type of cutting machine. For the money I am pleased with it. If you lay a large, flat area on the bed and try to cut it sometimes it does bog down. But for tubing,angle, and flat stock it's a real stellar machine. Mine is a 14". You can confine most of the dust with a simple enclosure. Add some extra light to it while you're at it and it'll be a nice place to get some accurate cuts on stock. The dry cut saws are likely better, but I don't have the funds to find out how much better first hand.

[wolfgangwelding]

O.K. we are kikking around the idea of getting a carbon steel blade for or chop saw at the shop the name of the blade is parana dont remember the co. if you want to know tell me and ill find it at work. Heres the deal its a metal toothed blade and from what I here it will outlast
an abrasive blade hundereds fold.Theres
no sparks and the blade deburs as it cuts. It is an expesive blade but at my shop where looking at the cost of one of these vs. many abrasive blades. From what ive seen it will pay for it self in on time.

The bad thing I run into with carbon fibber abasive blades is that one brand last a good long time and the outher is gone in ten cuts.

[Zrexxer]

Originally posted by wolfgangwelding
O.K. we are kikking around the idea of getting a carbon steel blade for or chop saw at the shop the name of the blade is parana dont remember the co. if you want to know tell me and ill find it at work. Heres the deal its a metal toothed blade and from what I here it will outlast

Be careful, you can't just mount a carbide dry cut blade onto an abrasive saw.

The Abrasive chops saws run on the order of 4000 rpm versus 1300 rpm for the drycut saws.