Cutting PM66 metal

[Jon Snider]

I’m going to keep my PM66 and put it on the back side of my slider, for dados and long skinny rips. I need to cut down the length about 20” to make it fit. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to safely cut the rectangular bar and the two thick angle irons?

Sawzall with metal blades (maybe lots)?

Thanks

Jon

[Tom M King]

If you want the cuts to be pretty, take them off, and pay someone with a Cold Saw to cut them. The cost might not be different than buying multiple blades.

[John K Jordan]

If you want the cuts to be pretty, take them off, and pay someone with a Cold Saw to cut them. The cost might not be different than buying multiple blades.

I agree with Tom. I cut the rails down on my PM66 when I added a sliding table attachment. I have a liquid cooled/lubricated horizontal metal-cutting bandsaw which easily gave smooth, square cuts.

Any machine shop could cut these for you quickly. Metal fabrication shops also have the bandsaws.

You can certainly cut them with a Sawzall. I like the Milwaukee "The Torch" blades. I've cut steel thicker than that - I use a variable speed saw and don't run it real fast. Pick the blade with the TPI recommended for that thickness. Be careful when cutting the big square tubing to use a blade long enough to go through both sides at once. The problem with the hand-held recip saw is it is almost impossible to make cuts that are straight, smooth, and square, especially on the square front rail.

Another way is with an abrasive wheel, either with a thin wheel on an angle grinder or a large disk chop saw. The problem with the angle grinder is like the reciprocating saw: getting a professional-looking cut end. The chop saw can make a decent cut. However, both will throw lots of sparks and put a lot of heat on the metal. I use the angle grinder a lot for quick cuts. I dislike the chop saw and quit using mine years ago.

JKJ

[Mike Kees]

I would buy a good quality hacksaw and use some elbow grease before I tackled this job with a sawzall. To my way of thinking I would want a neater cut than the beaver chewed look of a sawzall job. I also would not hesitate to cut it with a abrasive wheel in a metal chop saw. It will cut it square anyway. At my shop that is my main metal cutting tool,as I do not yet own a horizontal bandsaw.

[scott lipscomb]

If it were me, I'd grab the cordless angle grinder, mark it with a sharpie, free hand it just outside the line then sneak up on square. Would take about 7-10 minutes.

An angle grinder is a really handy thing to have for both metal and stone/concrete/ceramic and works on wood in a pinch.

[Darcy Warner]

Portaband. Probably the most used power tool I own.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I'd use my portaband for that, probably a little better than the sawzall. Then use an angle grinder and maybe a big file to square it up and make it smooth. A cut off disk in an angle grinder can make decent cuts as well, especially if you score the cut line first before going through.

Honestly a hacksaw with a good blade (I like the Lenox bimetal coarse tooh, I think 14 tpi) wouldn't be too bad considering it's only 3 cuts. The rectangular tubing is pretty thin gauge, front rail is 1\4" thick and back one is 3\16".

[Lon Crosby]

Put a good carbide tipped metal cutting blade on your chop saw (or your 7-1/4" saw for a little less precision). You'll be amazed.

[Alex Zeller]

You're over thinking it. The rectangular tube is very thin and will cut easy. The angle is thinker steel but it still will not be hard to cut. I assume you don't have most of the metal working tools listed by others so a sawzall (a variable speed model would be best) with a fine toothed blade would work fine, probably just one blade as long as you are careful. An old circular saw with a cut off wheel would work but will cause plenty of sparks and burn the paint. A hacksaw would also work. Just make sure to support the piece you're cutting off without pinching the blade.

[Jon Snider]

Thanks all for the advice!

[Jon Snider]

As a follow up I had good luck with an abrasive chop saw with a little clean up w file and grinder. Thanks again for help.