Best Circular blade for cutting steel?

[Nick Sorenson]

I'm trying to find a good steel cutting blade for use on a chop/radial/miter saw. I just tried Freud's Steel demon on some angle iron and it cut pretty nice actually.

Anyone have some recommendations on a good steel cutting circular blade? Lets say the best blade under $100.

[Lee Schierer]

Don't most people use an abrasive cutoff wheel for doing this?

[Peter Aeschliman]

That's what I was going to say. They make chop saws specifically for metalworking, and on such saws they use cut-off wheels, not saw blades. For example:

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-12-hp-14-industrial-cut-off-saw-68104.html

[Bruce Wrenn]

Both Morse and Freud make carbide tipped blades specifically for cutting steel. Others probably do also.

[Mike Heidrick]

Most dry ferrous metal cutting blades are 12" blades with a 1" bore and specific for those type sof saws as speed is the main factor. What specific saw are you using.

$100 will buy a chop saw and maybe even a HF metal cutting band saw. I use a metal bandsaw as there are virtually no sparks and there is very little burr.

[Rick Lizek]

You are over thinking this. Most everyone makes them now. You can get carbide tipped metal cutting saw blades from 7-1/4" and up. Abrasives blades are old school and most people aren't aware of the new technology. I first saw a demo of a hand held 7-1/4" circle saw for cutting steel 20 years ago and was very impressive. It was a German company called Jancy Engineering and the salesman cut 1/2" plate steel and there were almost no sparks compared the mess of an abrasive blade. Since then I've blades from Milwaukee, Makita, etc and haven't noticed a significant difference.

[Charles Lent]

There are many sources and sizes of metal cutting blades. Freud, Morse, and Milwaukee are popular brands. However, cutting steel with a woodworking saw is very hard on the blade. All of the saws that are being sold as "metal cutting saws" are built differently from saws that are made for cutting wood. Most significantly, the speeds of these saws is much lower, usually around 2000-2500 rpm. Trying to cut steel at 4500-5500 rpm wood cutting speeds kills these blades rapidly, and they aren't cheap. You can't cut steel the same way that you cut wood. If you stop a cut midway and then try to resume the cut the steel will have work hardened and you will damage the blade. If you try to free-hand a cut and bind the blade, even slightly, you will damage the blade. A straight edge for the saw to ride against is a necessity. Putting some wax or PAM cooking spray on the blade helps, especially when cutting aluminum. We have been using these saws for 4 years now and have learned these tricks the hard way. Don't try to use wood cutting saws to cut steel. It can be done for a few cuts, but that may be all you get out of the blade.

Abrasive saws make a lot of sparks (fire hazard), the dust is hard on your lungs, the cuts are rarely straight, and your work gets very hot. When you complete a cut you have to wait for the steel to cool before you can work with it. With a metal cutting saw the steel doesn't heat up significantly. You can pick up the parts with your bare hands right after completing a cut and the edges are straight with a look like they were cut on a mill. The only time that we use abrasive saws now is when cutting re-bar or hardened steel.

Charley

[John McClanahan]

Be careful if using an abrasive blade in a good miter saw. I did it once to cut some angle iron. The hot sparks stuck to the inside of the plastic blade guard, clouding it. The grit got into the spring loaded pivot, and it never worked as smooth after.

[Brian Weick]

I don't know what type of metal or what size your cutting but I would not use a wood miter saw to cut metal ......

I use a Bosch grinder with a cutting disk and it makes short work of cutting metal.....I think once you try It out for yourself you'll opt for the cutting disk...


I did use my circlar saw, cheap HF model,to cut 1/2" steel plate for the drive assembly base on my Oliver 20C and it did a great job but that CS is just used for that and nothing else.

It all depends on the size and ga of the metal your working with.


Good luck,



B,

[Clint Baxter]

Festool's TS75 has an optional blade for cutting ferrous metals. The saw also has adjustable speed so you're able to slow it down to the correct RPMs.

[Harry Hagan]

I'm trying to find a good steel cutting blade for use on a chop/radial/miter saw.

Bad idea. You'll ruin your wood saw and the blade too. Use a saw designed to cut metal. Also, take care to ensure the hot metal cuttings don't land on something that can be damaged (like my plastic sawhorses).:rolleyes:

[ian maybury]

They wear quite fast, but there's a reasonably new generation of very thin (maybe 1.5mm) thick metal cutting discs about that are quite effective, and don't produce a lot by way of sparks. I wouldn't want to run one in woodworking equipment, or even in the workshop as they produce a lot of dust though. They go well in an angle grinder.

ian

[Peter Aeschliman]

Great information in this thread!

[Andrew Joiner]

I have one of these http://www.harborfreight.com/7-1-4-quarter-inch-c5-carbide-tipped-circular-saw-blade-94642.html in a cheap Skil saw. Cuts through steel almost as fast as wood. Leaves a smooth edge. I'll never use an abrasive blade again.

[Charles Lent]

We have had very good luck with the Harbor Freight 94642 metal cutting blades and were buying them 5 at a time. That is, until our local store stopped carrying them last year. Although these Harbor Freight blades are rated to work at wood saw speeds they don't work very well at that speed. They do work very well in a metal cutting saw at 2500 rpm and will last through a few thousand cuts, if you follow the rest of my cutting and blade life suggestions. The correct speed for metal cutting produces almost no visible sparks. There will be a few, occasionally, but most chips don't get hot enough to make sparks when the cut is being made at the right speed.

Whenever cutting metal with power saws you need good safety protection. Always use leather gloves, safety glasses and a face shield (yes, both), a hat, a leather apron, and welding sleeves or a long sleeve heavy cotton shirt. Any exposed skin will get burned. The hot chips go everywhere.

Charley

[Andrew Joiner]

Thanks for the RPM recommendation, Charley. I'll get the proper low RPM saw if I get into cutting a lot of steel.

[Jacob Reverb]

The best circular saw blade for cutting steel is a porta-band like this (http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-6225-Speed-Portable-Band/dp/B00004T9QI/).

[Charles Lent]

A porta-band is good, but it's slow cutting and you can't cut a 4' X 10' sheet of steel in half with one. It's a hack saw with a motor. We have the DeWalt porta-band and the accessory table that's available from SWAG Off Road. It can cut straight and slight curves on small pieces, but it can't cut large pieces of sheet steel if the cut is more than 5" from the edge. For straight cuts on sheet stock we have the Milwaukee 8" metal cutting circular saw and use it for up to about 3/4" thick. For most bar, pipe, and angle stock we use a Milwaukee 14" steel cutting chop saw. We also have torch sets for the really big stuff that doesn't require as much accuracy. All can cut steel very well and all have their place. Some cuts are just handled better by certain tools than by others, just as both an axe and a table saw can cut wood, but you wouldn't try to cut a tree down with a table saw or build a cabinet with an axe.

Charley

[Lee Schierer]

I'm not sure I would want to cut steel on any saw that is routinely used to cut wood. The chance of starting a fire is just too great and The steel chips will linger for a long time contaminating projects and the working portions of the saw.

[Eric DeSilva]

I use an Evolution Rage chop saw all the time for cutting steel. For general use, it is much, much faster and leaves a cleaner cut than a metal cutting bandsaw. The cuts are far superior to an abrasive saw--I found that abrasive blades would deflect off-square a lot, left a mess, and heated up the metal. The newer carbide TCT saws are infinitely superior. You can buy the Evolution saws through Sears, among other places, and I know they also make a Circ Saw version. Highly recommended.

[Jacob Reverb]

A porta-band is good, but it's slow cutting and you can't cut a 4' X 10' sheet of steel in half with one.

He said he wanted the blade for a chop/radial/miter saw.

You're not going to cut too much sheet or plate with that, either.

[joseph f merz]

http://www.mcgillswarehouse.com/ I picked up one from this site and use it in an old miter saw .inexpensive .Have bought there wood cutting blades also .Use the 12" in my miter saw when I am working with wood with potential nails .They are great for the money . But as for the metal cutting blades I do not have alot of experience .http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-RAGE-Multipurpose-Cutting-Circular/dp/B000WEKO0A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337747236&sr=8-2 .I own this also and it really is great to have .