Mitre saw blades

[2SlickNick]

So the wife surprised me again.... This time with a Craftsman 10" compound mitre saw. Yay yay.
Anyways I love it, but I need some metal cutting blades. Cheapest i see is about $50
I assume I would want the blade because it makes less sparks and cuts better than an abrasive wheel, right....
Could i use a 10" abrasive wheel if I wanted to?
Where, what blades do you guys use??

[Masteryota]

Originally Posted by 2SlickNick

So the wife surprised me again.... This time with a Craftsman 10" compound mitre saw. Yay yay.
Anyways I love it, but I need some metal cutting blades. Cheapest i see is about $50
I assume I would want the blade because it makes less sparks and cuts better than an abrasive wheel, right....
Could i use a 10" abrasive wheel if I wanted to?
Where, what blades do you guys use??

LOL, I was just looking at something like this on craigslist, and doing some research, I found that the miter box saws that are purposely made for cutting wood, have a smaller motor and spin the blade at the wrong RPM for abrasive and metal cutting blades. A real bummer for me, as there are tons of nice makitas listed here since we were one of the harder hit areas in the recession as far as construction goes.

I thought about getting a slightly smaller abrasive wheel than the saw calls for, to speed up the wheel a bit, and then start by cutting slowly and see what happens. I read here and there about some saws are ok, and some grenade the head bearings almost immediately. Believe me, I am looking pretty hard since deciding to ditch the stock swingarm and build anew.

[x-bird]

I've thought about getting a chop saw for just metal use, but decided not to after finding no local sources for blades that could handle steel tubing. in the long run, a band saw is your better choice.

[2SlickNick]

I have not used it yet. I did find this saw blade http://www.ebay.com/itm/OSHLUN-SBF-1...item338341e75b
which is to run at rpms 5200 or less. My 15 amp mitre saw runs at 48 rpms.

Also came across this and...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGvexh3-HL8


That is the same blade. The description says it should work i like the option of having a saw that cuts both metal and wood with just the change of blades.

[Masteryota]

I know I am a pessimist, but all I can imagine is the teeth on that blade catching a piece of pipe or angle and slinging into something important. I know the abrasive wheels are semi inconvenient, but they can be much safer. I will be looking into acquiring a chop saw after I get this other project finished.

[ckau]

Originally Posted by Masteryota

I know I am a pessimist, but all I can imagine is the teeth on that blade catching a piece of pipe or angle and slinging into something important. .

I agree, seems like too aggressive to cut any thing small or irregular like angle or thin wall tubing. A chop saw with a abrasive disc is the best bet for any buggy related type of project. there's several alternatives to the chop saw thing but they are dedicated cutting machines and a little pricy unless your into production.

[2SlickNick]

Thanks for your opinions guys. I remain an optimist. I did see the reviews of pros and cons. I did go ahead and order a blade. I did order this blade. The one lowes sells is a 52 tooth and $79.
I will let you know how all works out.

[2SlickNick]

I figured 80 tooth should be better than 52

[2SlickNick]

Just an update,;everyone. My blade should be here tomorrow. I will let you know my findings.
I have been doing some reading and cold cut steel blades are more precise than the abrasive. Only thing is chop saws are geared with more torque and less rpm's than a mitre saw.
Fortunately my mitre saw has a max rpm of 4800.The cold cut blade has a maximum of rpm of 5200 . keeping me in the safe zone. I will have my shop vac collecting the shavings as I chop. (BIG PIMPIN)
Tomorrows agenda: Cold as balls with some bur free metal cutting.

[2SlickNick]

Okay. So blade arrived. I mounted it and the shop vac, too.
Used a piece of 3/4'' x 3/4'' square tube. That blade melted through like butter.....
Did some 45 degree mitres and some 45 degree bevels. "same thing it went through.....
Came out bur free and cool to the touch. Great blade.
It is safe to say this is a great blade for tubing off any kind and shape.

I then moved to the heavy duty 1.5'' x 1.5'' , 1/8'' thick stanless steel angle.
Figured I moved start with a 45 degree mitre cut. it initially cut through, but the started getting real loud metal cutting sound ( which is not abnormal ) it did cut through. But I want this blade to last. That is some HD stuff. And that is where the lower geared and high torque chop saws run at 2500-3200 rpms.
The high rpm on mitre saw is ideal for the tubing and precision cuts.