Metal cutting saw

[bfullmer]

Do the metal cutting skil saws cut 1/4 thick flat stock very well ? Need to rip a 16 inch piece of 6 inch flat ?

 

[MJMJ]

Assuming you mean the circular saws made for metal? If so, yes. They work very well. Loud, but they cut like butter.

 

[Stephen Newell]

If you are going to do very much metal cutting you probably should buy a cheap saw with a metal guard. Metal cutting is hard on a saw and one with a plastic guard the sparks will burn right through it. As far as ripping steel I prefer to use a table saw for that.

 

[Frank(Mi.)]

As already stated the special saws made for metal are very good. I bought one of the blades from Amazon for my circular saw that was made for metal/steel and it cut through quarter inch steel just like cutting through plywood. You definitely need face sheild or goggles and ear protectors when using it...

 

[rockgrower]

They cut fine, the hard part will be finding a way to hold your material solid and still be able to have your saw ride flat on the piece that you are cutting. That is if I understand correctly and you are starting with a 6" piece. If you are ripping a 6" piece off of a larger piece, then it should be no problem.

 

[kcm.MN]

As MJMJ said, they work quite well. You need to pay closer attention than when cutting wood, and I also use my chainsaw helmet with face shield and hearing protectors. The metal chips fly freely, so BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR EYES! If you're sawing outside or have animals/kids in your shop, then I'd also recommend laying down as large a tarp as you have room for (for fast clean-up), or connect to a dry vac.

One last thing -- when cutting wood, one essentially lets the saw do the work. It has been my experience that the metal cutting blades do need a little more push than wood blades. Just be sure not to feed too fast into the metal, but also not too slow. Going too slow causes excessive and unnecessary heat buildup within the carbide teeth.

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

bfullmer; If you won't be cutting enough steel flat stock in the future to justify the expense of a metal cutting saw or even just the blade, you might consider using a cutting disc on an angle grinder. Your question didn't make it clear how much cutting you need to do, but if it's just one 16" cut, more or less, I can assure you that you can make the cut with no more than two cutting discs, and probably only one. You have to make multiple passes, but only the first one has to be precise (meaning you have to do it carefully). Subsequent passes ride in the groove of the first one. It's very easy. The amount of time setup would take depends your individual situation, but a 16" cut in 1/4" steel would take five minutes or less. Watch a YouTube video about it to see how easy it is.

Stan

 

[Welding man]

I have 2 Mlwaukee metal cutting saws. With a new blade they will cut 1/4 in plate about like cutting 5/8 in plywood with a regular skilsaw. I have cut 1 in plate with mine and cut 3/8 and 1/2 all the time. They have cut my Acet and oxygen bill in half.

 

[Farmer Rock]

Our local welding shop sells professional grade metal saws,and the owner told me that the demo for saw when he was introducing them in store,was cutting 800 yards of 3/8 steel plate with only 1 blade.I was shocked by that,but I have no reason not to believe him..of course those are some heavy duty saws and blades,but I see no reason why a consumer saw wouldn't cut 1/4 flat stock.

Rock

 

[MSD]

Second the Milwaukee's. They do cut.

 

[Jim in N.M.]

I have a Milwaukee metal cutting saw and it works great! The saw motor turns a little slower than a regular wood cutting saw. The only downside is It's a little pricy to be sitting on the shelf, but when you need it it's good to have! Jim in N.M.

 

[Dick L]

If your still pondering I cut one 2"X 4" X 24' 1/8" square tube and 2 24" 2"X 2" 1/8" square tube to build my new horse stalls. I used 1/16"X 7" abrasive discs in my 7 1/4 power saw. I could one side 24' long with one disc for about 6 bucks each.