Chop/Dry saw question

synthesist

synthesist

So many knives so little time
Joined
Sep 14, 2004
Messages
933
I have a shot at a "virtually" new 14" abrasive chop saw. Cheap....................

I would prefer to use a metal cutting carbide saw blade to a 14" abrasive blade. I pretty much abhor cutoff wheels of all sizes not that that keeps me from using boxes of Dremel sized ones. I haven't had to cut any bricks or concrete recently (crosses fingers and prays).

Anyway I did a little research and discovered that dry saws run a lot slower (12-1500 rpm) then abrasive saws (3000+ rpm). Which sorta scares me. Ripping the teeth off a $150 blade would suck. To say nothing of scaring the crap outta me.

Anyone have any wisdom to share here? Would I be better just sucking it up and buying a new DeWalt drysaw?

Thanks in advance your advice.

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
 
I cant say anything about the carbide blade, but a diamond blade in a handheld concrete saw cuts through re-bar like butter
 
My friend has one and they do run much slower. They cut like a dream though (quick and precise). He cuts and welds tube steel so it makes his life much easier. I'd like one but don't use my chop saw that much and can't personally justify the upgrade.

Brett
 
I have one that I use for mild tube and non ferrous when doing metal fab..
Other than that, you're better off with the abrasive saw- you won't get precise miter cuts, but you won't go through $150 blades because you hit a hard spot in a piece of damascus, either. It's just not worth it unless you do a lot of fabrication work.
Our blade steel, in theory, comes annealed, but you know how that is...nope. I have one right on my work bench and I won't use it on blade steels.
 
Thanks for all the shared wisdom.....................

I'm gonna pull the trigger on the 14" abrasive saw for $100, which is cheaper then a carbide blade for the slower dry saw.

I can always stick it on CL if I hate it.

Thanks again

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
 
But, if you're into a fair amount of fab work, what are the thoughts on a dry saw compared to a band saw? You can get a starter for under $300 at Northerntool.com. I keep looking at one because of the relative impreciseness of the band saw for square cuts.
 
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