14" Cut Off Saw Wheels

[D.Hayden]

I'm primarily a wood worker, but I need to build 4 3/4" x 3/4" 1/8" angle iron frames.. 32 45 degree cuts (hopefully) total

I have access to a 14" Chop saw.. but know nothing about the type of wheel to use

Any difference between the cheap ones or good ones?

24 Grit? 32 Grit? something different?

tia - Dave

[The Donald]

Don't buy the cheap ones they wobble and are out of balance. Makes a slightly miserable job suck, plus the cuts aren't square.

[Sarge]

For that much work I would go to a tool rental place and buy the blade. They will be able to get you what you need, tell you how long they might last etc. Plus, probably better than off the rack at lowe's.

[GrumpyOne]

For my saw, I use a regular 10" Delta miter saw, with a very thin 7" cutoff wheel. Much more precise than a chop saw....and cheaper. You will also be done much quicker than using the 14" disk, as the 14" is generally pretty thick, where as the ones for hand held grinders are thin and don't remove as much metal.

[D.Hayden]

Thanks.. I didn't want to use my miter saw, read nothing but bad things with that, and I didn't want to have to clean it off going back and forth from steel to wood on it.

I'll look at the Makita 32 grit blades.

it's funny, we don't have any rental places here anymore. A small one at the True Value, but nothing like a real rental shop

[GrumpyOne]

Thanks.. I didn't want to use my miter saw, read nothing but bad things with that, and I didn't want to have to clean it off going back and forth from steel to wood on it.

I'll look at the Makita 32 grit blades.

it's funny, we don't have any rental places here anymore. A small one at the True Value, but nothing like a real rental shop

I had an old Delta miter saw, so I converted it. I have a much newer/nicer saw for wood. FWIW, the Delta saw is usually only $90 or so at HD or Lowes...about $150 cheaper than a chop saw...and it does work just fine as a chop saw with that thin kerf blade.

[D.Hayden]

That's not a bad idea.. thanks i'll look into that

Think the little 7" saws would work for this too?

Grumpy.. last question.. any particular wheel you used?

Edited September 3, 2015 by D.Hayden

[toothandnail]

A 7" abrasive blade will make about 10 cuts before needing to be replaced. As far as retrofiting onto a wood chop saw, double check the RPM, most wood blades are way above any safe rated speed , abrasives can come apart, carbide will overheat/dull.

We do alot of metal cutting steel and alum. and a Carbide cold cut blade is the only way to go.

A carbide will outlast at least 50 abrasives, and the biggest + it's ALWAYS the same size.

[D.Hayden]

What type of saw and rpm are you running?

The Dewalt disks say max rpm 13,300..

Edited September 3, 2015 by D.Hayden

[GrumpyOne]

I use a DeWalt 7" x 1/16" wheel. And I have cut 60 pieces of rigid pipe (and it cuts it square and in about 30 seconds or less) and lost about 1/8" to 1/4" from the DeWalt blade, at the most. The miter saw spins much slower than a grinder. Those blades hold fantastically well if you don't force it into the work. With a grinder, at higher rpm's, the blade actually warps, and it's much harder to get a straight cut.

As for longevity of the blade, on a grinder, I have cut probably 8' in 3/8" plate steel, only losing 1" of blade or so.

[RPatton]

A friend of mine has a DeWalt multi-cutter saw. It's the Rolex of chop saws. It uses a 14" carbide blade and goes through steel like butter and the cuts aren't even warm to the touch. $400 on Amazon and perfect for the tool snob. I opted for the DeWalt chop saw for the masses, $100 at a pawn shop. It's like new and I like it.

For a one time use, if you could rent a multi-cutter saw that would be the way to go. You don't have to clean up the cuts because it actually cuts the steel rather than grinding it apart.

[MAC702]

This is really being overthought. You already have access to the chopsaw, and you aren't a metal worker by trade, so no need to have something awesome you can use after this small job.

I'll bet you can do the whole project with one blade, without even needing to adjust your back clamp to compensate for the blade getting slightly smaller before you are done.

I prefer the thinner blades (5/64"): they cut faster, even though they also wear faster. Again, this is a small job, so it really doesn't matter. Just get any 14" blade designed for cutting steel, and get it done.

USE THE CLAMP properly, especially when cutting mitered corners. If not clamped tightly, the blade will suck an angled workpiece into the blade, and can cause jams or crooked cuts. Check your angle every few cuts to make sure it hasn't changed. Set the blade up with an actual square; do not use the marks on the bed of the saw.

I have a DeWalt carbide Multi-Cutter, as well as two chop saws. The carbide is great, but you can live without it. You can't live without a chop saw, which has more uses.

If these are being welded, you probably don't need to clean up the chop-sawed cuts either, but while not a technique taught in the books, you can use the spinning chop saw blade itself, as long as you don't use a lot of side pressure on it, especially at the circumference.

Also, if these are being welded especially, I usually flatten the sharp edge of the mitered cut when on the vertical, called the end miter cut:

Lastly, you may not want to miter them. Consider notching them instead. This will be a cutting wheel in an angle grinder for the easiest way to do it, and will require more skill and experience with the tool to do it safely, but it can make an easier joint, depending on the application:

Here's the first one I saw on the Home Depot website that would get the job done. A metalworker like me would buy better ones, and by the case, more cheaply, but this is really all you need to get the job done: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Forney-14-in-x-3-32-in-x-1-in-Metal-Type-1-A36R-BF-Chop-Saw-Blade-71866/206452959

Edited September 28, 2015 by MAC702

[D.Hayden]

thanks for all the advice here, and the PMs as well.

I ended up getting another cheap 10" miter saw, and using a .045" metal cutoff wheel blade for it.

Finally picked up some steel yesterday and tried it out. The cuts are very clean. I do have to make an better accessory fence. I threw together one just to be able to make a few cuts (because of the 7" blade on 10" saw), but I made a few test pieces that I can relearn how to weld on

Mac.. thanks for the tips. If it was wood, I like that notched corner, but the miter is going to be easier for me with steel.