how useful is a dual saw?

[Albert Lee]

Hi all.

Been given an opportunity to buy an Omga dual saw like the photo below.

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Can see it in action here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YwjPq6vVpB4


I have a small one man production shop, this would be a good addition to the workshop, at the moment I do have to swing my timber around to cut it again on the panel saw, this saw would save the time and labour involved... wondering if anyone has owned this kind of setup and any feedbacks on this type of machine? This type of saw is foot operated, no more pulling of the saw lever!

If I do buy it then I will need a bigger workshop once this baby turns up at the door step... its about 15 feet long.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I think those are generally used with metal these days since you clamp the metal and chop to length. Wood doesn't need clamping so a single stop can work. You can use it with wood for sure, but a Tigerstop and a jump saw is the high-tech way to do it these days.

If the price was really nice and I had a place to put it, I'd buy it. I've bought some silly machinery for the right price. This is one of my sillier acquisitions.... still useful though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSWptQ3O2QI

[Albert Lee]

Hi Loren

Thats a real nice clamp! must be real handy to have that in the workshop.... :)

The asking price is under $2500 USD for the entire setup, the thing is, I need to arrange someone to dismantle it, transport it and assemble it again. as its in another town about 1000 miles away.

Tigerstop is way overkill and too expensive for my workshop, plus I dont have the volume of work to justify the spend.

[Loren Woirhaye]

That's an elaborate spend and move for where I am but I understand used machinery is not as easy to come by in your country. Such a machine may assist in building a sideline to serve local contractors or something like that. I think sanding is the biggest time bottleneck in "woodworking" for a shop were hiring additional employees is a tricky thing (and yeah, I know a bit about employment laws in NZ).

An engineer on another forum calculated the clamp exerts 4-5 tons of pressure. I did not really acquire it for making cases since I use confirmat screws but I did have the idea I could make some curved things with it.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I think those are generally used with metal these days since you clamp the metal and chop to length. Wood doesn't need clamping so a single stop can work. You can use it with wood for sure, but a Tigerstop and a jump saw is the high-tech way to do it these days.

If the price was really nice and I had a place to put it, I'd buy it. I've bought some silly machinery for the right price. This is one of my sillier acquisitions.... still useful though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSWptQ3O2QI

Any lower cost makers of jump saws these days? I have a need for one for building pallets for my plant - maybe 25 to 30 per month tops, using rough-cut lumber. I've been looking for a used one, but aside from a few at IRS auctions, I have not had any luck.

[Rick Fisher]

You could cut studs on that saw.. ?

Really like the Handi Clamp... I like Pneumatic stuff that moves.. lol

[Peter Quinn]

I guess if you are into picture frames, picture framed molded doors, maybe certain types of flooring or mitered wall paneling where you do multiples of the same length with the same or opposing angles the dual saw could be an asset assuming it sets up accurately and dependably. You would probably additionally need a defecting saw or to defect as a preliminary stage. But for general cabinet work that thing looks like a space hog. If space is readily available and the thing is cheap or you have a real need for it's capabilities might be a good fit? I can remember making mitered herringbone flooring on a single head chop saw like that, a dual saw would have been great except defecting was done as the lengths were cut so it would not have been a 2X productivity gain. Can you actuate the heads independently on the fly, for instance keep one from dropping whe the other makes an end cut? That would make it more versatile.

[Albert Lee]

I guess if you are into picture frames, picture framed molded doors, maybe certain types of flooring or mitered wall paneling where you do multiples of the same length with the same or opposing angles the dual saw could be an asset assuming it sets up accurately and dependably. You would probably additionally need a defecting saw or to defect as a preliminary stage. But for general cabinet work that thing looks like a space hog. If space is readily available and the thing is cheap or you have a real need for it's capabilities might be a good fit? I can remember making mitered herringbone flooring on a single head chop saw like that, a dual saw would have been great except defecting was done as the lengths were cut so it would not have been a 2X productivity gain. Can you actuate the heads independently on the fly, for instance keep one from dropping whe the other makes an end cut? That would make it more versatile.

I make a lot of mitred chops, and they are all the same lengths, I have been doing the mitre cut on my panel saw because its more accurate, but it has come to a stage where I have to swing around the material to cut it again, handling 1 piece of 4x4 at 6 feet long is fine, but when you have 50+ its labour intensive.


That's an elaborate spend and move for where I am but I understand used machinery is not as easy to come by in your country. Such a machine may assist in building a sideline to serve local contractors or something like that. I think sanding is the biggest time bottleneck in "woodworking" for a shop were hiring additional employees is a tricky thing (and yeah, I know a bit about employment laws in NZ).

An engineer on another forum calculated the clamp exerts 4-5 tons of pressure. I did not really acquire it for making cases since I use confirmat screws but I did have the idea I could make some curved things with it.

Yeah NZ employment laws is pretty protective of the employee...

I have bought the saw anyway. Now I have treat the wife very nicely....

[Albert Lee]

I like pneumatic stuff too, been making stuff with my Masterwood mortiser, the pneumatic lock lever is a very handy tool that I will never go back to manual.

[Peter Quinn]

I make a lot of mitred chops, and they are all the same lengths, I have been doing the mitre cut on my panel saw because its more accurate, but it has come to a stage where I have to swing around the material to cut it again, handling 1 piece of 4x4 at 6 feet long is fine, but when you have 50+ its labour intensive.

Last place i worked used to do all the mitered flooring, wall panels, some other stuff on a panel saw. Man does that get old. I did a job once with 4K pieces hexagon walnut tiles. 4 cuts each piece plus defecting. Felt like it took 300 years, push the carriage, pull it back, unclamp work piece, reload, repeat. Joy. And as the pieces get larger that lift and spin bit gets tiring, slow, unproductive. They went with a single head pneumatic auto chop box much like the type you listed, was actually as or more accurate with a good stop system in place, material rolled in form one end, pack of wood ready to ship on the other, much better throughput. I'm interested to hear how accurate the two head system is, does it make both cuts at once?

[Albert Lee]

That's why I bought this dual head saw. I really dislike the repetitiveness of production run but for me it's easier to make $ from than one off item.

I have another Omga mitre saw, it is very accurate, heavy and does not buckle or flex, the mitre saw is cast iron... If setup properly I am sure the dual head will be as accurate as the user . As for the cutting , it can either both cut at the same time or cut one side only. I can't wait to have this baby sitting in my workshop. I have too many cuts I need to make to catchup with the back order from my client....