Which is the best way to go? I know that the carbide blades are expensive, but what are some pro's and con's of each? Also, what is a good make and model of chop saw? I will probably only consider a name brand like Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, and the like. I've seen Dewalt and Makita and like the clamp much better on the Makita (especially when it comes to angle cuts). Thanks and enjoy the holidays.
The carbide chop saw blade requires a slower RPM with more torque than the normal wood cutting chops deliver so you would need the more expensive motor setup to run the 10 to 14 inch carbide blade. If you can get by with 7 1/4 inch blade, you can use the $50 carbide blade on a beefy skilsaw (wormdrive). They work great but will chip apart on harder steels like bed frame.
Abrasive saws on the other hand don't care as much about RPM and torque or material but they are slower and seem more noisy.
I use a 10" abrasive blade on a wood cutting chop saw. The motor sound tells me when it's getting overloaded and I ease up on the feed. I have a 7 1/4 carbide for all the mild steel cuts I can do free hand. I use safety glasses with both but the carbide cutter scares me the most as hot chips still at times manage to find their way behind the lens. I guess a face shield with safety glasses would be in order if you have one.
Ordinarily I would insist on Milwaukee - but I actually did pick up a DeWalt
14" carbide chopsaw for gruntwork.I like the fact it has a reasonable amount of power and did'nt cost a lot.
I do not like the base it sits on, and the angle cut mechanism is so-so. Also, it did not cut square to the base out of the box, had to adjust that.
The best thing about this machine is that the base can be completely removed, and you can easily mount the saw directly to a custom welding table.
I use a Craftsmen 10" Chop saw with a 71/4" tenaryu steel cutting carbide tipped blade and love it. I almost finished building a motorcycle trailer and have cut 10-14 gauge box steel and even some 3/16" plate. It worked great. The precise cuts made for great fit up. I have also used the abrasive blades and they work well but they spray sparks all over and leave a film of dust over everything. The carbide tipped blade does throw chips around but they are easier to clean up. I prefer the carbide tipped blade over the abrasive blade. I didn't need the depth of cut of a 10" blade so I opted for the $50 7 1/4 blade.
DaveT FLHR
You seem to have come across a slick setup.
The Tenryu blade in a wormdirve saw is going about 100,000 inches per min. at the teeth. In a 10" wood miter saw, it probably goes about 113,000 ipm, which is close enough to the design spec. By decreasing the blade diameter, you slow the speed at the tooth into the ideal range. A 10" blade is going almost 160,000 ipm for cutting wood.
For reference, a 14" dry cut saw goes about 57,000 ipm.
The 2 major headaches with abrasive blades in a wood miter saw are
HOT! bits of glowing steel and their associated abrasive dust
deflection of the blade which gives inaccurate cuts
With your setup you can treat the metal bits as "steel sawdust" that won't catch your saw or shop on fire. And you get the accuracy of a more rigid blade. As long as the reduced depth of cut is acceptable and the saw & clamping mechanism are sufficiently rigid, I would say you've lined up a trick (& cost-effective) setup.
Jeff Dantzler Seattle, WA
(I'm babysitting a slow-cooking sauce and have too much time on my hands)
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