looking at chop saws

By comparison to a bandsaw, chop saws are very noisy and dirty.

Have you seen Grant's writeup on fixing bandsaws like yours?

useful stuff.

Steve

pegleg wrote:

Looks like a decent saw with cast iron base and good vise, is that wrong?

i

I've used a bunch of different makes. If I was buying another I'm not sure I'd pay the premium over something like this

if you want brand name, then the Rigid sold at Home Depot at least has a few nice features. And there's this I don't know the details about the rebate.

Wayne

That one, has a stamped base and a relatively wobbly vise, right?

i

Not to sound like a snob, I have such a saw myself. I decided to wait until it breaks, to get a nicer one (which I realize could be a while).

I have a Millwaukee (HD $168), it works well but it is almost always my last choice for use - noise, mess and sparks everywhere. First choice is the H?V band saw. It is more likely to cut straighter than the chop saw (ie, proper uniformly worn blade, and machine in 'tune') - I have yet to make a square cut no matter how new the blade or how careful I feed.

For portability, versitility and price the chopsaw is hard to beat but it is not a precision tool.

You may wish to consider a dry cut saw. These use a special carbide blade with teeth to cut steel. They cut fast, produce _very_ few sparks, no smell, and no grinding wheel that sheds dust. They produce little heat and so the cut piece can be handled right away. The cut is clean and square to the table. (A 'cold saw" runs a carbide tipped saw blade but is different: heavier industrial-type machine, slower rpms, and uses coolant.)

Best, David Todtman

They are very expensive though...

i

>

If I could get the ajustments made on the band saw, I would use it more. At this time I would rather put up with the noise and mess with a chop saw for now.

I would love to have a cold saw if it was justafyable at this time. Down the road when more cash flow comes. I did look into it already.

I had the cheep HF ordered and it was on back order till the 25th for

60 some dollars. For the differance I will buy a Heavy duty'er saw. Just did not know the pros and cons between the two units at ACE ...

I read Grants write up and seems that it damn near cost more in time and money to make it cut square.... When i do use mine, I end up grinding off the extra to make what ever I am cutting sqaure. Seems to be wasting my time even though it is a hobby for me to play out in the shop making what I need or want.

Don D.

Steve Smith wrote:

These saws generally cost a maximum of about $200, so if you want a different one, there's little reason to wait. Besides, having two is nice, that way the vises can be set at two different angles. As for how long it takes to kill one - even with relatively heavy home use of my 20 year-old cheapy Ryobi, the only things that have gone wrong are that the shaft lock pin broke out, the vise-nut wore out (re-cut it with a die grinder), and a circlip came off the pivot pin. Anyway, if you do replace yours with something three times the price, you'll probably be disappointed. Almost all of these saws (including the Makita) have stamped bases and crummy vises. Can you describe

*exactly* how a cast base improves the functionality of these saws? I can't, and I've used the Rigid which is one of the few that has a cast base. As for the vise, the cheapest ones I've used were just as good at material holding as the best. In fact, the vise on my cheapy holds *better* than the much fancier deal on my $400 Dewalt dry-cut, which BTW also has a stamped base. But I like the Dewalt vise better because it's tool-free, multi-position, and smoother to operate.

Wayne

Sounds good.

You see, on my saw, the vise is kind of wobbly and just lousy in a lot of small respects. I was hoping that with a cast base like on a dewalt, the vise would be a lot better practically. That's all.

I see. Well, that's interesting. Unless I find some great deal on a different saw, I will keep using what I've got.

i

I am thinking that with some supply of steel plate, it is not hard to make a thick steel base for the saw. I may try doing just that.

i

Having had both, I'd take a bandsaw any day. And, the chop saw has a lot of drift on it, too, and cutting miters is no exercise in precision. You have to just cut them, then clamp them at the angle and fill in the voids. Chop saws have a LOT of blade drift.

No to mention smoke, sparks, dirt, noise, ............ I could go on.

I had a chop saw stolen a year ago.

I think I will never own another, unless it is a $500 cold saw.

Steve

Pegleg inquired about chopsaws and to this I say: I was looking at the new Northern Hydraulic (Northern Tool&Equipment) catalog and they have A pretty fair selection of metal cutting saws in there. From cheapy 99 buck chopsaws and portable bandsaws to name brand saws. They even have A Milwaukee cold saw for just under 500 bucks but I kind of like the Makita chopsaw for 180 bucks on account of they throw in A Makita 4.5" grinder gratis. If my old Ryobi didn't get- er-done I'd buy one. And no,I don't work there.

H.R.

We bought an Ellis band saw 2 yrs ago and I could not be happier with it. Well built, quiet, and cuts like a laser. I have a Kalamazoo cold saw and an Everett abrasive saw that are sitting gathering dust now. We used to haul the Everett outside to cut because of noise, dust, and sparks. I think the Ellis is a bargain, you can check them out on their website and buy direct. Tim

Which Dewalt has a cast base? My DW872 sure doesn't. Not that I miss it, the stamped base seems plenty adequate except for not providing any means to attach add-ons (like a stop for multiple cuts), something Dewalt probably doesn't want people doing.

You'll have to use each model to evaluate its vise. They certainly don't need to be machinist-quality. The best enhancement you could have with any of them IMO is an accurate and positive stop at 90 and

1. AFAIK, none have that.

I don't see the point. Here's what I plan to do - build a two story stand. Dry cut on the top, abrasive on the bottom. C-shaped frame so there aren't any pillars on the front. Wheels of course. Tables about

8" wider than the saws. On the underside of the top table, a swiveling quick-lock tube, perhaps 2" square. Into this tube goes another tube about 10 ft. long, perhaps 1/16" wall, with an adjustable height leg support, and a couple of adjustable material supports (one for each side of saw). Another adjustable piece cantilevered off the leg to support material for the bottom saw. The idea is that the stand can be compact and wheeled around easily, yet have quickly-installed support for longer material.

Wayne

You can cure a lot of that drift on miters by holding some pressure against the blade with a piece of scrap until the kerf is established. I use a piece of 3/4" round stock with a 45 on the end.

Wayne

I had most drift on thick walled larger sizes of tubing. It would work better if I went slow, but who wants to stand there for ten minutes for one cut?

Yes, there are many things you can do to adjust for the poor performance of a tool. The one I like best is getting the right tool for the purpose. My patience isn't what it used to be, and I don't like taking a long time to do something with a tool that is acting neurotic.

Steve