Metal Bandsaw or Cut-Off Saw?

[JoeHarris]

they have there uses trispectiv.

but for a straight cut end, il use the cut off saw.

Agreed. I love my vertical bandsaw but not for this kind of work. You would be standing there for ever and the cut wouldn't be straight in the end anyway. Get a cold cutoff you won't regret it!

[njhussey]

I got this horizontal band saw http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster...utting-bandsaw which I use for chopping up small billets etc. You've got to set it up and keep an eye on it bt it's pretty accurate. Advantage is that it'll cut at angles too which comes in handy and you can leave it going whilst doing something else.



If you're cutting lots of 90° cuts then a cut off saw would be better.

[alboy]

I used to cut a lot of steel and aly section, started off with a bandsaw but moved on to the cut off saw, would definitely say the cut off saw. Bandsaw was very slow and the cuts were not as accurate as the cut off, just need to be aware that the cut off saw produces a lot of swarf and plenty of sparks if cutting steel although the blades with teeth produce less sparks than the grinding wheel type. Would also choose the Bosch brand over sealey any day. I have also used the Fury saw, a capable machine for the money although a bit 'light weight'. Dewalt also make good machines but are not cheap but then again my dewalt sliding mitre saw has been going for over 15 years without a problem.

Al

[magicniner]

I like the Rage cutoff, I used mine to cut a lot of old type thick walled steel scaffold poles into 6' lengths, if I need a lot of cuts fast then out it comes, it would be nice to make a better base & vice arrangement for it. The Rage is not for Titanium or any but free-machining stainless though.
The Rapidor Manchester power hacksaw does most of the cutting in my workshop, it's not fast but it runs unattended up the corner leaving me free for other work during cuts, it handles just about anything up to about 6" diameter and the blades last an unprecedented length of time, my last blade was over a year old when it's cuts slowed noticeably signalling time for replacement.
The Sealey horizontal band saw fits between the two in terms of capabilities and doesn't get much use at the moment,

- Nick

[paulus.v]

Hi all,
I intend to build my own cut off saw and now I'm searching for a good blade primarily for steel cutting. I am looking for a 355 mm dia. blade.

I see that the Evolution steel blade has a new model at half the price. On the expensive one is written "made in japan". 100 vs. 50 EUR.
The Bosch blade is 90 EUR reduced from 264 EUR on amazon.de

I am confused about these price changes.. Could be that the "made in japan" blade will last twice as long as the cheaper one (probably chinese)? Is the bosch blade a better option? As I intend to occasionally cut other materials than steel, should I look for the evolution rage blade? Bosch says that their blade will not cut aluminium.

Any thoughts are really appreciated.

[Dangle_kt]

intersting, I have just bought a band saw, but have a chop saw (albeit with abrasive discs) in the garage already. Reason for the change is I really dislike the sparks and nearly offensive noise level of a chop saw.

It works a treat, but if I am going to be more regularly chopping stock up, I dont want to get lynched by the local neighbourhood watch witches. :D

So I'm going to give the bandsaw a whirl and see how I like it.

I'd be interested to know though if anyone has successfully fitted one of the steel blades (like above ^^^^) onto a chop saw that runs an abrasive disc currently?

[paulus.v]

I'd be interested to know though if anyone has successfully fitted one of the steel blades (like above ^^^^) onto a chop saw that runs an abrasive disc currently?

As far as I know the abrasive discs needs much higher RPM with lower torque. For a 355 mm steel blade you need 1400 RPM