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14” metal saw

Susquatch

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Anyone ever install a metal cutting blade on a metal cutting chop saw that normally uses an abrasive wheel?

Anybody ever make a better vise for one of these?
 

DPittman

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Anyone ever install a metal cutting blade on a metal cutting chop saw that normally uses an abrasive wheel?

Anybody ever make a better vise for one of these?
I haven't done any of the above, but I can tell you that my metal carbide blade chop saw is a more rigid stronger design than my abrasive blade chop saw. I think the sloppiness and play in a typical abrasive chop saw could be disaster if a carbide tooth blade was used. Maybe there are newer abrasive saw blade saws that would work fine with?
The vise on my carbide blade saw is also much better than the one on my abrasive saw.
 

Susquatch

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I haven't done any of the above, but I can tell you that my metal carbide blade chop saw is a more rigid stronger design than my abrasive blade chop saw. I think the sloppiness and play in a typical abrasive chop saw could be disaster if a carbide tooth blade was used. Maybe there are newer abrasive saw blade saws that would work fine with?
The vise on my carbide blade saw is also much better than the one on my abrasive saw.

That about sums up my concerns. I never even considered putting a carbide blade on my abrasive chop saw until I saw the photo of the subject unit in this thread. It doesn't really look any different than mine. Perhaps even less rigid than mine. So it got me wondering....

Regardless, I hate the vise on mine. It's impossible to mount small stock or even long small stock. I have fabricobled ways to hold small stock but I always cringe when I do it and stand as far away from the danger zone as possible. A better vise would be a god-send.
 

DPittman

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That about sums up my concerns. I never even considered putting a carbide blade on my abrasive chop saw until I saw the photo of the subject unit in this thread. It doesn't really look any different than mine. Perhaps even less rigid than mine. So it got me wondering....

Regardless, I hate the vise on mine. It's impossible to mount small stock or even long small stock. I have fabricobled ways to hold small stock but I always cringe when I do it and stand as far away from the danger zone as possible. A better vise would be a good-send.
Oh ya the two saw types typically run at different rpm as well.
I think a poor vise on a carbide tooth saw would be also upping the disaster potential.
 

Susquatch

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Oh ya the two saw types typically run at different rpm as well.
I think a poor vise on a carbide tooth saw would be also upping the disaster potential.

That makes sense.

Ok, I'll close door on that hair-brained idea.

The improved vise idea is still alive and well though....... LOL!
 

little ol' e

Jus' a hobby guy
IMHO, they work great for cutting aluminum extrusion with a carbide saw blade.
Anything other than that, I wouldn't recommend them, even if improving the holding vice/base.

20201001_112356.jpg
 

Hacker

Super User
Anyone ever install a metal cutting blade on a metal cutting chop saw that normally uses an abrasive wheel?

Anybody ever make a better vise for one of these?
Yes I have. I was never totally comfortable with it, but it worked until I broke down and bought a Makita metal saw. The vice was not the issue with mine. It was running the blade at double the recommended speed with the light blade guards.
 

Susquatch

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Here is mine.

Screenshot_20230326_092328_Amazon Shopping.jpg
Anything other than that, I wouldn't recommend them, even if improving the holding vice/base.

I can see why you would say that. But one look at your shop and I don't think my needs are as intensive as yours. I literally wore out a previous unit I got at Princess Auto. But then again, I didn't have a band saw back then so it was used for everything I could get between its teeth.

I usually cut aluminium tubing with an old corded circular saw. But I can't weld aluminium so I don't do a lot of that.
 

Hacker

Super User
I used a Milwaukee cutoff saw with a carbide blade. Never had an incident and cut a lot of two and three in stock with it. Not sure about this but, I don't think the blade is very efficient at double the speed.
 

Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
Anyone ever install a metal cutting blade on a metal cutting chop saw that normally uses an abrasive wheel?

Anybody ever make a better vise for one of these?

You can do that but for aluminum only.

Most blades cannot make it over 2000 rpm. Most abrasive chop saw are at 4000 rpm. You need to slow down your chop saw to say 1500 rpm to even look into using carbide metal cutting blade.
 

kevin.decelles

Jack of all trades -- Master of none
Premium Member
I bought the evolution saw when it was only around Xmas. As @Tom Kitta said, rpm is sub 1500rpm and the rigidity of the saw/vise is probably 5x over my abrasive saw.

After running both I would not want to try the carbide on the abrasive .
 

Mcgyver

Ultra Member
Ya, got that message loud and clear already from an earlier post. Don't know what I was thinking.

It;s all good, so long as you remember to have the camera rolling :D

imo the only place to use those abrasive saws is the driveway.....man, they spray grit everywhere!
 

Susquatch

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imo the only place to use those abrasive saws is the driveway.....man, they spray grit everywhere!

That's sorta what I do. I put the saw inside the shop on the edge of the 16ft doorway sill right in the middle of the door opening so the dust sprays out onto the driveway and is unlikely to get tracked back in.
 
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