[ttm]

Hi, I'm new around here, in fact my first post,

I did a search on the topic but only found a light comparison, so I'm going to ask a bit more, or could someone point me in the right direction online to learn more about metal cutting machines in general

anyhow herre is my mess <g>

I have a makita 3600 RPM, 12amp motor with a 14" blade mitre saw, this has all metal blade guard and all metal bed, it is a older unit, - as far as using it for metal, (or any good mitre or compound mitre saw)

what type of blade would be best for cutting steel (abrasive would be fine for most anything I do I assume), however I do have a aluminum project I want to do, the stock is about 1.5 * 3" solid aluminum that I need to cut with a long angle, what type of blade should I use and where can I find them or does this machine turn too many rpm's for soild aluminum?

thank you!

[eaglezsoar]

See this link: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW7747-14-Inch-Ferrous-Cutting/dp/B0000302QT/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1310910758&sr=8-2]Amazon.com: DEWALT DW7747 14-Inch 70 Tooth Heavy Gauge Ferrous Metal Cutting Saw Blade with 1-Inch Arbor: Home Improvement[/ame]

Your best resource for finding these blades is Google or Yahoo searches.
Search for 14" ferrous saw blade.

Amazon has several blades that large that I know will go through aluminum
like it was butter, I have no experience cutting steel. The blade above is
rated for steel, read and follow the manufacturers directions and wear your
eye protection.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

An abrasive wheel may become loaded with aluminum, a soft metal. Sort of like cutting cheese with a sharp knife.LOL

Dick Z

[mfgbydesign]

I use a carbide tipped blade for aluminum. Plywood blade works best (lots of teeth) but any high quality one will do.
For steel get a metal cutting abrasive blade from any hardware store that fits your circular saw. They are slow, use light but steady pressure, if you smell the blade you're pushing too hard. And watch the sparks, don't start any fires or burn yourself.

[ttm]

best I could make out on that blade it looked to have a max rpm of 1800 rpm, my saw runs 3200 rpm, any blades that can handle that rpm?

[Geof]

best I could make out on that blade it looked to have a max rpm of 1800 rpm, my saw runs 3200 rpm, any blades that can handle that rpm?

At that rpm the only blade for steel is an abrasive cut off blade but it is no good for aluminum. Also trying to cut steel thicker than about 1" diameter will be a long and noisy process.

For aluminum what you need is a 'triple chip' carbide blade made for non-ferrous metals. Freud is one brand but there are others. Something like 80 teeth or more will do a nice cut. On thick aluminum such as you want to cut it is a good idea to use coolant/cutting fluid otherwise the chips will sometimes pack in between the teeth and can cause a rough cut or even chip a tooth. If you don't have coolant you can use tapping fluid or ATF automatic transmission fluid just brushed onto the blade and workpiece before cutting. If you are doing lots of cuts proper coolant and a mister setup is a good idea.

EDIT: Forgot to mention make sure you clamp the work down very securely so your hand is well away from it. No hand holding the work when cutting aluminum. And (as mentioned) wear protective equipment, a full face mask as well as goggles is not a bad idea because very hot chips go everywhere.

[ttm]

At that rpm the only blade for steel is an abrasive cut off blade but it is no good for aluminum. Also trying to cut steel thicker than about 1" diameter will be a long and noisy process.

For aluminum what you need is a 'triple chip' carbide blade made for non-ferrous metals. Freud is one brand but there are others. Something like 80 teeth or more will do a nice cut. On thick aluminum such as you want to cut it is a good idea to use coolant/cutting fluid otherwise the chips will sometimes pack in between the teeth and can cause a rough cut or even chip a tooth. If you don't have coolant you can use tapping fluid or ATF automatic transmission fluid just brushed onto the blade and workpiece before cutting. If you are doing lots of cuts proper coolant and a mister setup is a good idea.

EDIT: Forgot to mention make sure you clamp the work down very securely so your hand is well away from it. No hand holding the work when cutting aluminum. And (as mentioned) wear protective equipment, a full face mask as well as goggles is not a bad idea because very hot chips go everywhere.

thanks! so I guess I can use this for light small steel safely, but still need to get a different machine to do the aluminum, can you recommend a brand machine to look for that might be reasonable?

when I searched I found huge machines that were far out of reach $$ to do the small job, and there are no machine shops that have a large enough saw to do accurate work in the area, milling is not a option too much waste of material, cutting with a band saw, then having it milled was also very high

again thank you!

[eaglezsoar]

best I could make out on that blade it looked to have a max rpm of 1800 rpm, my saw runs 3200 rpm, any blades that can handle that rpm?

You are correct in that 14" blades that run at 3200 rpm are extremely hard
to find. I did find one Company that produces cold cut steel saws that use
a 14" blade and spin at 3200 rpm. The site does not list the blade separately
but they do have a toll free number that you can call and get a price on the blade, here is the link: SOUTHERN-TOOL.COM: Baileigh CS-355M Cold Saw

[Geof]

thanks! so I guess I can use this for light small steel safely, but still need to get a different machine to do the aluminum,.....

Yes, steel tubing or small round bar using an abrasive blade.

But it is suitable for aluminum with the correct blade. You may not be able to find an inexpensive carbide triple chip blade 14" in diameter but you can get 10" and 12" and they may be suitable. What you need is enough blade accessible to get through your 3" material. Although going through 3" on a long angle may simply be impossible in which case you need a horizontal bandsaw.

[thedave]

I bought a "Steel Saw 2" by evolution power tools about 6 months ago. About $500 with an aluminum blade. I have cut up to 2" x 2" solid 6061 and several hundred .75" x 2" it is a great saw build quality is good. I also cut some 2" steel pipe with a 1/4" wall. Way faster and cleaner than an abrasive saw. Haven't used the band saw since I got it.