Abrasive wheel on miter saw

Assuming that information is correct, the use of an abrasive wheel would be a horrible idea. Over revving abrasive wheels of any kind is a terrible idea. Exploding wheels have a way of killing people. Before choosing to run the setup, it would be a very good idea to verify the speed of the saw to insure the cutoff wheel was run within safe limits. Very nice catch, Dave. That one got past me.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos
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You beat me to it!!!!

Reply to
Brian In Hampton

Tim Killian wrote: ... Metal has to be clamped solid before you even think about

For tooth-ed blades, yes. But not necessary for abrasive blades. I hardly ever clamp when using my 14" chop saw and never have problems. Well, once I had a problem, but I was being really stupid. Don't ask.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

Article didn't show on my server, so piggybacking.

I've done such a thing with a hand-held circular saw, abrasive wheel, bit of wood, and a clamp. I clamped the wood on as a simple guide and held the saw's guide against it. Pressed pretty hard to keep it put. If you can't clamp it on you can probably build a little jig since you'll be doing this regularly. Don't go slow to baby the saw, move fast. If the saw will take it it'll take it. If the saw won't, going slow won't save it since you'll simply spend more time abusing it. I didn't do it often enough to gauge wear on the saw due to dust, but I figure if you blast it out with compressed air when you put it away you'll be alright. Watch the sparks.

Reply to
B.B.

Well, I have done this successfully with my 10" Craftsman wood chop saw fitted with a 10 inch disc, cutting 3/16 angle iron a few times. My main worry was the risk of fire. Wear facial and head protection, remove all dust collection devices, somehow clamp the steel well. Expect to have pits in any prescription glasses caused by tiny bits of molten steel. I definitely wouldn't hook it up to your shop vac, as the vacuum would draw red hot metal bits into a dust collection trap and likely burst into flames, hidden from view. To tell you the truth, I didn't even consider the possibility of burning out the motor or burning plastic parts or causing the disc to shatter because of fast rotation. That didn't happen, though I'll think twice before I do it again. I thought those discs were rated for high pm -- they work differently than a metal bandsaw. Maybe check the rating on the disc.

Dave

"Ron M." wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
Dave

Likewise, I've done it with both a chop saw and a circular saw. The advantage with the circular saw is that you can set the depth and make a couple of passes to get the cut on harder stuff. I've never used my compound miter for this, simply because the old chop saw is there and handy. Never wanted to get my miter saw that dirty just to hack a piece of steel. If that's all I had though, I'd cut with it. There's not a lot of difference between the two saws and it has never hurt my chop saw to cut steel. I've cut quite a bit of steel with it and if bearings were going to go then mine should probably have gone by now. Maybe it does accelerate the wear to some degree, but I'm not even sure I'm ready to believe that just yet.

My chop saw fence certainly does not look any the worse for wear, so I shouldn't expect that my miter saw's would either, if I used it. The sparks generally fly pretty straight back. I'd have to go look at the blades I use to see exactly what the rpm rating is but I do remember that when I bought them, I made sure they were rated high enough to put on the chop saw. Not hard to find at all.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

My experience has been the total opposite. I've had a Sears chop saw that I didn't really like or want. It is a heavy casting probably about 15 years old. I've built 850 feet of metal fencing, pickets on 3-1/2" centers, along with the all the frames, rails, frufru and etc. Must have made a million cuts in 5/8" and 1" square tubing. Went through 12 or so of the cheapest abrasive blades from Home Depot. (If you really look carefully, H.D. has blades that are approx. $4.50 each.)

Half of the cuts were at either a 45° or 22.5° angle. NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER. Line up the metal, close your eyes and turn your head, (no time for safety glasses) and pull down on the saw handle. The stock came in 20 foot lengths and was supported by rollers on each side. About every 500 cuts ±, you do have to disassemble the turntable, clean out the swarf, and oil.

NOTE: The main reason I went this route is that most of the affordable metal chop saws force you to rotate your stock (20 feel long) as opposed to the saw blade. Very impractical.

Ivan Vegvary

Reply to
Ivan Vegvary

Most 12" -14" abrasive wheels are rated for the slower speeds. DAGS If you were going to put a 7" wheel on your miter saw then it could certainally handle the speeds. I go back to my original point, use a Skilsaw, its much safer, faster and cuts accurate enough for welding, if you can weld worth a darn.

Dave

Reply to
TeamCasa

On 22 Dec 2004 07:50:02 -0800, "Ron M." vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Rule NUMBER 1

Do NOT tell the newwgroup what to reply when asking a question. Bad move, OK?

Reply to
Old Nick

On 22 Dec 2004 07:50:02 -0800, "Ron M." vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Yep! Read some (most) of the other posts. Warned ya!

Reply to
Old Nick

creativity.

You might have work hardened the material, or loaded up the abrasive wheel. Everett suggests using a piece of an old abrasive blade, firmly clamped, to dress the wheel. I prefer a band saw, of course, but have cut solid stock with abrasive saws without a problem (unless you count the noise, smell, sparks, etc.!). There is also the fact that some materials are too hard to be cut on a band saw.

Reply to
ATP

snip---

Nah! My money says he was using a silicon carbide blade when he should have been using an aluminum oxide one. The reactions he described fit perfectly. Grinding wheels have no respect for work hardening--it just doesn't happen, not as the wheel sees it, anyway.

Wheels intended for masonry are silicon carbide. They should *never* be used on ferrous material aside from cast iron. It does no harm, they just don't cut very long. You can't dress them often enough to make the difference, either. In spite of the fact that silicon carbide is much harder than aluminum oxide, it is easily outperformed by aluminum oxide in ferrous materials because it isn't soluble in steel, very unlike silicon carbide.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

Thanks I was wondering why I needed masonry and metal wheels for my angle grinder. Karl

Reply to
Karl Vorwerk

I've always used ferrous metal cutoff wheels but it seems as though a lack of pressure or power leads to a very hard area to cut through. Could be just from the wheel loading up, though. The cheap 110 volt Ryobi type cutoff saws don't have nearly as much power as the more professional abrasive cutoff saws. I think that contributes to the wheel just spinning in the cut, if you try to keep the saw moving through a solid section, it just bogs down.

Reply to
ATP

What little experience I've had with an abrasive cutoff saw pretty much parallels yours. Assuming you have the proper blade, it is my suggestion that the wheel loads up, which prevents cutting. Higher pressure tends to break down the wheel sllightly, exposing new, sharp grains, and eliminating the loaded surface. Without the break down of the wheel, it begins acting like a bearing and doesn't cut. It might be difficult for the operator to distinguish between a loaded wheel or a glazed one, due to dissolution of the abrasive, which dulls it excessively. For best results, make sure you're using the proper wheel for the task at hand. It *really does* make a difference.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

Most of the miter saws I've seen are made from aluminum, whereas all of the chop saws I've seen are made from steel. Assuming I owned a miter saw, I'm not convinced I'd want to rough up the fence cutting steel (hot rolled especially, and rebar specifically) then expect the fence to not rough up finished wood products like moldings afterwards. The aluminum is soft enough that it would not go through the experience without some damage, unlike steel components. Seems to me it would be a little like washing your car with sandpaper. Thoughts?

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

in agreement...if I were to use a miter saw for steel, it definitely would be one I intended to do anything of any precision with again later...

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

My chop saw is aluminum, just like my miter saw.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

I'm not surprised. I likely spoke before putting my head in gear. When you consider all the relatively inexpensive tools available to us these days, I would expect that the vast majority use aluminum, which can be cast inexpensively. Why would I expect a chop saw to be any different? I have an old Milwaukee (chop saw) in storage. The more I think about it, the more I think it very well may be aluminum, too. My comments were flavored by my experiences of working in industry, where serious equipment is made of iron or steel.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

... and both my chop saw and my compound miter would fall into the category of "less than" top end tools. Both serve their purposes well and make accurate cuts, (to the extent that an old B&D chop saw can make an accurate cuts), but they certainly fit into the category you speak of.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

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