Cutting 4"x 4" x 1/4" square tubing

-- try a 4x6" bandsaw, it's worked for countless others!

GWE

For 1/4" wall tubing the correct blade (3 teeth in the cut) has 12 tpi. I might go down to 10 tpi. And buy a carbon steel blade, a good one, don't spend the money on bimetal for 100 cuts on a one-off job. Bimetal blades are just great but teeth strip off sometimes.

GWE

We need more info to give you a really good suggestion.

Why have you ruled out an abrasive chop saw? Too much heat, noise, dust, etc.? If it was me and I had the choice, I would choose an abrasive chop saw. They're fast and you get very little burr.

You can also get a dry cut saw with a carbide-tipped blade. The initial cost is fairly significant (maybe $500) but one blade would probably last your run.

A cold saw would be ideal but they're lots of money. A new blade will just drop through your material.

A bandsaw would certainly work, but there is virtually no automation available at a reasonable cost and they are pretty slow. Cut to cut times could be something like 2-5min and the parts would have burrs and sharp edges.

There are automated saws (bandsaws, cold cut saws, etc.) made for this type of work. Frequently these machines will deburr the part as well. I'm not sure if you're making money on this deal, but farming it out may be a good idea.

So, do you have a solution already, or can you provide us with more info?

Regards,

Robin

It might be more cost effective to order your material precut. Locally one very competitive supplier of wide flange material optimizes cuts when cutting for many different customers. There is no charge for cutting. You will need a good quality saw to be cutting 8 inch wide flange. It will cost you several thousand to get something that will do the job properly. Randy

I would use a bandsaw, you might consider a 7x12 horizontal, you might be able to lay two or threee rows side by side of the 4x4 tubing thereby cutting two pieces at once. Plus the horizontal bandsaw will run unattended for each cut, freeing you or your operator to do other work.

Chop saws are for woodworkers who are machinist wannabe's.

But since it's tubing, you actually are looking at 1/2" cuts, and even more during a significant part of it as it cuts the top and bottom. I think a coarser TPI would work fine and cut much faster.

You're joking, right?

Regards,

Robin

I cut square tube with one corner up, diamond shape when viewed from the end. I also cut angle with the opening facing one jaw of the vise. It seems to speed up the cut considerably.

Cheers,

Kelley

ut, freeing you or your operator to do other work.

yeah, try cutting 4] 1/2 x4 lengths of 6061 into 5 inch pieces in 10 minutes with a bandsaw

Are you counting the sweepup time afterwards for all that swarf? :-)

Bandsaws are much cleaner and quieter; also smaller chop saws don't work very well on larger solid stock. The smaller chop saws were designed for steel 2x4 studs they use in new construction, *not* for cutting e.g.

1" solid square steel bar. I tried once and the blade cut down about halfway and then would simply go no further. There had been a ball bearing or something in the steel before it went to Asia to be remelted and the intense heat of the grinding cut hardened it white hard locally. I showed this half cut to a few guys all of whom were amazed. Wouldn't happen with aluminum, of course. I'll take slower, quieter, less messy and more precise every time in my little home shop.

GWE

Abrasive chop saws go through virtually anything metal. This includes hardened steel like "Thompson rod", tool steel punches/die inserts, lathe tool bits, and endmills as well as aluminium, brass, copper, etc.

While I wouldn't want to cut a 4" square bar, 1" square is no problem.

I can understand someone inside their home not wanting to run one of these as they are indeed very loud and create a fair amount of dust. However, when you're getting paid for your work (as the original poster is, and others within this group are), you don't always have the luxury of using a process which is not the most efficient available.

At work we have (automatic) bandsaws, power hacksaws, abrasive chop saws, cold saws, hacksaws, chisels, etc. They are each used as it is appropriate.

Regards,

Robin

No

Woodworkers like chops saws because they are similar to their power miter box.

I don't think any other tool in metal working will match the efficiency of the bandsaw when it comes to cutting stock.

You can stack multiple pices of bar stock in the vise of a bandsaw and let it run automatically.

Common abrasive chop saws have very limited miter and no bevel capability. I would say cold saws are more simlar to miter saws than abrasive chop saws are.

But that's beside the point. Professional metalworking is about efficiency, or at least *most* professional metalworking. If an abrasive chop saw is the most efficient cutting method which satisfies the requirements of the part, then it is used.

Woodworkers use drill presses, drill bits, chisels, squares, etc., etc., etc., which closely resemble (or are identical to) the tools metalworkers use. Shall we all start interpolating all holes with endmills on VMCs simply because woodworkers do not?

Regards,

Robin