Metal cutting blade for chop saw

[PaulJR]

I have a makita compound mitre saw, and I want a metal cutting blade for it.

The blade is 190mm with a 20mm bore.

I need to cut some steel balluster tubes - Richard Burbage Fusion II to be exact. I only need to cut 4 or 5 of them to length, so I don't want to go to huge expense.

Any body got any experience?

If I cant find one the other option is an angle grinder stand for my 4½" grinder and a couple of cutting discs, which should cost about £25, so the blade can't be super expensive.

 

[kjacko]

I would have thought a stihl saw hire (with metal blade) would be better....and possibly easier to get a straighter cut over an angle grinder.

A blade for a chop saw would cost similar i would have thought......if you can find one.

 

[catlad]

Hack saw will be the cheapest and safest option.

 

[PaulJR]

Hack saw will be the cheapest and safest option.

I think you're pulling my leg. Getting a straight & square cut on a polished chrome tube with a hacksaw? Not something I could manage, the ballusters are about £12 a pop, so I don't want to make too many mistakes.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

OK Paul, a couple of facts; cold cutting saws are designed to cut steel with a carbide tipped blade tend to run specially designed large blades at low speeds, e.g. 350mm, 72 teeth @ 1300 rpm. Woodworking saws tend to run smaller blades at much higher speeds, e.g. 190mm @ 6,000 rpm. THAT'S why woodworking mitre saws aren't suitable for cutting metal - they just run far too fast to be safe.

As to using a hacksaw being a leg pull, well no, I don't think so. If you'd done metalwork at school you'd have learned that a hand hacksaw, properly used, with a decent file to clean-up afterwards, can produce a very good result. But it takes a bit of skill and patience

If you haven't the skill to use a hacksaw, then the only alternative seems to be to buy something like an angle grinder with a cut-off stand. It's your call

 

[PaulJR]

OK Paul, a couple of facts; cold cutting saws are designed to cut steel with a carbide tipped blade tend to run specially designed large blades at low speeds, e.g. 350mm, 72 teeth @ 1300 rpm. Woodworking saws tend to run smaller blades at much higher speeds, e.g. 190mm @ 6,000 rpm. THAT'S why woodworking mitre saws aren't suitable for cutting metal - they just run far too fast to be safe.

As to using a hacksaw being a leg pull, well no, I don't think so. If you'd done metalwork at school you'd have learned that a hand hacksaw, properly used, with a decent file to clean-up afterwards, can produce a very good result. But it takes a bit of skill and patience

If you haven't the skill to use a hacksaw, then the only alternative seems to be to buy something like an angle grinder with a cut-off stand. It's your call

Thanks for the pointers - no I didn't do metal work at school, it wasn't availabe at my school. My experience of cutting chrome tube with a hacksaw is that I get a skew cut with a scratched finish.

The angle grinder stand is an option - I have a 4½ angle grinder and metal cutting discs are pennies, but even a budget stand like the ones Machine Mart sell are £20+

Evolution do a metal cutting disc for their "Rage" machines, which is the correct sizes, and I don't care if it goes blunt after 6 cuts, I only need to make 4. I wondered if anyone knew of a cutting blade that would do this.

These ballustrade spindles are Ø20mm tube probably less than a millimetre wall thickness, accuracy is what I am trying to achieve.

Lastly a plumbers pipe cutter will do the cut, but also necks the tube and the fixing will not fit onto it afterwards - I was warned off this method by the techies at Richard Burbage,

 

[Deluks]

Lastly a plumbers pipe cutter will do the cut, but also necks the tube and the fixing will not fit onto it afterwards - I was warned off this method by the techies at Richard Burbage,

It's what I would do, and clean up with a small round file as per previous suggestions.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

My experience of cutting chrome tube with a hacksaw is that I get a skew cut with a scratched finish.

Have you tried taping the pipe with masking tape where you want to cut, making a start cut with the edge of a half round or tri-hook (triangular) file drawn backwards across the metal then using the hacksaw? Cheap and chearful. Works for me

The angle grinder stand is an option - I have a 4½ angle grinder and metal cutting discs are pennies, but even a budget stand like the ones Machine Mart sell are £20+

Yes, but just how much did your ballusters cost?

Evolution do a metal cutting disc for their "Rage" machines, which is the correct sizes, and I don't care if it goes blunt after 6 cuts, I only need to make 4. I wondered if anyone knew of a cutting blade that would do this.

And it's designed for their machine. If you want to do this why not buy a Rage? (personally I wouldn't, but then....) I doubt you'd get any joiner on here to recommend putting that blade into another maker's woodworking saw for the reasons I've given above

PS Just checked - the Evo Rage 3 sliding compound mitre saw has a no-load speed of 2500 rpm, the 185mm metal cut-off saw (Rage 4) is also pretty slow which sort of confirms my gut feeling about blade speeds

 

[PaulJR]

OK thanks for all that, food for thought - I can make a few trial cuts on the shortest one I need.

I will try a pipe cutter first and see if I can file or swage the cut to accept the end fixing, it will be the cleanest cut.

I have found a draper blade that is labelled metal cutting, we'll see.
The mitre saw is the 18V one, max speed 2200 rpm.

I also have a multi tool, which might do a decent cut.

Reluctant to use a grinder as I think it will blue the chrome from the heat.

 

[ntb]

Your other option is to find a local engineering co. with a power hacksaw and bung them a tenner to do it for you.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Reluctant to use a grinder as I think it will blue the chrome from the heat.

Not if you rig up a coolant stream (soapy water in an old squeezy bottle)

 

[PaulJR]

all good ideas, I'll let you know how I get on.

It's all part of refurbishing our stairs, I need to get the new treads and risers fitted (over the old) first, but I should get it sorted at the weekend, hopefully.

 

[PaulJR]

Reluctant to use a grinder as I think it will blue the chrome from the heat.

Not if you rig up a coolant stream (soapy water in an old squeezy bottle)

Now you have given me an idea, I have one of those already - a pukka one for diamond core drilling through tiling (wetroom conversion last year), it would be a simple matter to adapt it for this.

 

[Flyingjockman]

Your other option is to find a local engineering co. with a power hacksaw and bung them a tenner to do it for you.

Good luck with that...unless your anywhere near China.