Welding Tips and Tricks

Which is everyone's personal favorite tool for cutting metal, a portable bandsaw or a chop saw? I am looking at buying one or the other and I would use it for cutting pieces to length. I am leaning more toward the bandsaw but at the same time I have a huge scar on my hand from a bandsaw accident so I am considering a chop saw. I have ran both and don't like how loud the chop saw is but I like how easy it is to slap something on the saw and cut it precisely. I like the bandsaw for how quiet it is compared to the chop saw but don't like how there is nothing to brace the metal on to cut it.

Tough choice there Matt....

I like a chop saw for the portability and speed, because I do a fair amount of mobile work.

But, I'm always looking for a good, large bandsaw.

I'll keep using my DeWalt chop saw till I find a good bandsaw.

~John

Like AK says the chop saw is more potable - but I hate the things - noisy - dirty - less than perfect cut - usually with a big bur - I do as much cutting as possible with a band saw - if I have to cut something where the band saw is impractical I'll use it - & I always use it if the material is of unknown hardness - possibly if you get the cold cut off TCT model the results would be better - only downside is the blades are quite expensive & one touch on something hard ruins them - if you can cost a blade into your pricing on a job then I'd say the TCT saw is a viable option - Lanse got one a while back & did a review video - considering it was a cheap make I think it looked pretty good .

I get good clean, almost perfect cuts with an abrasive chopsaw.

I would prefer a 7x12 horizontal bandsaw.
Been keeping an eye out for one.

Matt,
Are you gonna be in shop, or out in the field???
What metals etc, are you ganna be cutting???

noddy,
I agree with you on the noise and mess, but most times I just drag it outside.

One of the benefits for me is the $5 a blade....
Not saying much, but it pays for its room and board quickly.

~John

I am with everyone else when they say it is a hard choice. Again depends on what you want. I do not like the chop saw for the noise and the debris that is associated with it. If your work is portable go with a porta-band. Once you get the feel for it, you will be able to make very accurate cuts. I have done work in plants that did not allow sparks of any kind, and the porta-band worked out very well.
For the shop I would go for the band saw and if you want one that is portable, but a smaller unit. I have seen process pipe welders bring a small band saw and set it outside. I have the smaller harbor freight band saw for the garage and while it is not a fast cutting saw or the most accurate, it does work well and I can take it on a job if it were necessary.
-Jonathan

How about a compromise ! I never used one of these - if I wanted the convenience / clean use & cut etc of a band saw - but the portability of the chop saw there is an in between band saw - not much bigger than a chop saw - not too heavy & adequate for light fab duty stuff - don't know who would supply them in the US - but below is a link from a tool supply here - any thoughts ?




http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-mo ... dv-bandsaw

I plan on using it in a shop on steel. I don't plan on cutting hardened stuff. I mainly want it to cut some 1/4" wall 2" square tubing. I make a lot of hitch covers and it is a pain in the butt to cut them square with a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a cut off wheel. I want it to do some more production work for our business. I plan on getting both eventually but I was trying to figure out which to get first.

I've an abrasive saw at work. Does fine up to 4" depth of cut. I'm constantly bugging them to get a port-o-band, though. A good quality one in practiced hands will make a near-flawless cut on pipe or square/rectangular tubing. You're limited to about 4 1/2" for a maximum cut in "full depth". However, tracing the surface, you can cut to 8" shd. 40 with really good accuracy, if you can roll the pipe.

I'd prefer to have both. And a Makita 6" grinder w/ cut-off blades for pipe or tube the other two won't handle.

Steve S

Matt,
Just for you I made a cut today with the porta-band It was not the best nor the worst. Enjoy.
-Jonathan

Thanks for sharing. I wish I had either one tonight. I had to cut a bunch of 1/4"x 2" flat stock tonight and had to use the old 4 1/2" angle grinder. Not so fun.

MCOE,

I have one solution for you, goto http://www.swagoffroad.com and check out the stand for the Portaband (I have V2.0).

A good portable band saw (Milwaukee, Variable Speed, Capacity: 4-7/8" x 4-7/8", Model 6232-6N, $299) can be used anywhere you need a portable metal saw. If you purchase a SWAG Portaband Table ($110) for the saw you now have a quick cutting saw for bar, tube, pipe, and plate. I recommend purchasing a Miter Gauge (I bought mine from Sears) and the foot switch.

The Portaband is easy to remove from the stand (about 30 seconds). The stand is made from 3/16" steel plate. Check out the video. Portaband saw blades are 3 for $14.97 at HD.

(Note: I noticed the Milwaukee band saw models have changed since I purchased mine, and SWAG defines what models their current (V4.0) vertical stand is designed for.)

WOB

Hacksaws are healthier and nearly carbon free (unless you fart).I recommend using blades made from recycled steel.
That being said, several of the dry cut saws are under $500.If you ever use one you'll throw all of those other idiotic ideas out the window.

All are good options depending on your budget and needs.
1. A Chop Saw is fairly inexpensive, with cheap blade replacement and will cut almost anything. I made a cutting table for mine that catches the sparks and mess. Well, most of it anyway. It's the go to cutting device in the shop.

2. A Dry Cutoff Saw is expensive with expensive blade replacement, but they make nice, fast cuts.

3. A horizontal Band Saw is expensive, but worth it. When properly tuned up, they make straight, cool cuts, but blade replacement cost is high. You have to have a variety of blades to cut various materials. An 8 TPI blade doesn't cut 1/8" Stainless Steel rod - at least not without destroying the blade. Similarly a 32 TPI blade doesn't cut through 8" solid stock very well. Still worth it to me, especially if you have a variety of materials to cut.

4. Cold Saws are great, but really expensive with high cost blades that can be ruined easily. They do make great miter cuts and are very accurate.

5. A Portable band saw is great if you cut small material (conduit, etc) or if you need portability. Accuracy is only as good as you can cut with it. My cuts are always crooked, but it usually doesn't matter.

The way I usually recommend a first saw purchase is determine what you will be mostly cutting, accuracy, cost and speed or repeatably required, then decide which machine fits the most of your requirements. Anything is better than using the angle grinder all the time! Good luck.

I'm surprised by the enthusiasm for chop saws: I have used a De Walt chop saw (abrasive cut off wheel) for some years, and it has served me well.

And I have a suite of angle grinders, which get a fair work out, still.

But in the last six months I purchased a portable band saw, nothing special, and with it I am more accurate, faster and work in a cleaner environment.

I make a lot of steel frames, often with mitred corners, and accuracy is a constant concern. The band saw wins hands down, in my book.

To All,

I too have an abrasive chop saw that I purchased 15-20 years ago, I still use it occasionally, but the heavy abrasive dust and extreme noise require breathing and hearing protection, and of course eye protection. I use this saw when accuracy is not an issue and I want a quick chop with virtually no setup.

I considered a cold saw for accuracy, low noise, and virtually no burrs (provides a milled finish). A good friend of mine and I went to a industrial tool show in Santa Clara CA, among many tools such as 5 axis vertical mills we watched a demonstration of a Doringer cold saw. It was amazing, but the $4,500 price tag was not acceptable to my wallet. My friend ordered one, a D350 with roller stock feed. Doringer also provides a fast sharpening service for it's customers.

What I have is a progressive set of relatively low cost saws that have their own niche for cutting a wide variety of material.
> Abrasive Cut-Off Saw: For coarse cutting of ferrous metals in the forms of Bar Sized Angles, Bar Sized Channels, Bar Sized Tees, Round Bar, Flat Bar, Rebar, I Beams, Flange Beams, Heavy Wall Tubing of all shapes, and Pipe.

> Portable Band Saw (PBS): You can saw most of the material types and shapes defined for the Abrasive Cut-Off Saw, and I can use it for sawing Aluminum, Magnesium, Brass, Copper, and other materials both thin and thick material. There is no abrasive dust, and the very little noise. Only eye protection is required. More accurate cuts can be accomplished by using a vertical sawing table (see http://www.swagoffroad.com) with the PBS installed and using a precision mitre gauge to control angles. Since the PBS blade is only 1/2" wide and has a small kerf of 0.020" it is ideal for sawing precision cuts on smaller parts when mounted in the vertical plane. A narrow kerf equals less material wasted when making a saw cut.

>Horizontal Band Saw: This type of saw is ideal when the material you are cutting requires a long time to cut. You can start the sawing process, then let the saw complete the cut while you work on something else (The saw shuts off automatically.). The blade on my saw is 3/4" wide and has a small kerf of 0.032". A narrow kerf equals less material wasted when making a saw cut. This saw can cut all materials listed under the Abrasive Cut-Off Saw and the Portable Band Saw. A stock roller feed rack is recommended.

Not a saw, but I had to include it.
> Plasma Cutter: This tool is a must-have if you are going to be cutting large sections of sheet or plate, and any thick material. The Kerf is greater than the saw blade cut but the speed of cutting is amazing, this tool will speed up any project and provide the capability to cut in any direction or pattern required. You will need a good Air Compressor to provide the cutting force, and you should plan to have enough electrical power to supply both the compressor and the plasma cutter when set to maximum current.

WOB

MCOE,

For myself, I prefer the bandsaw when it comes to precise cutting. At my work we have a chopsaw, bandsaw, and plasma cutter. Depending on the thickness of the material I use them all but I use the chopsaw for the Close-to length cutting, leaving a little extra,(I have seen sometimes the chopsaw can flex a tad leaving an angular end) then bringing it is close with the bandsaw for the precise length. I fabricated a rail-like table to hold material, you lay the material into it, clamp it down and with bearing rollers along the track base it feeds into the saw in a smooth, uniform and safely secured manner. It's a very easy fab to make actually. Just my humble opinion though.

Do you have a pic of your stand??

~John

Beach_Knuckle_Buster

I too would like to see a picture of your feed rail, I am always interested in other designs and techniques of dedicated craftsmen.

Thanks,
WOB

Chop saws are okay for just a few quick cuts, but when there are a whole lot, the bandsaw is the way to go. Chop saws are too loud for more than a few minutes and my arms get really tired trying to push down a chopsaw all day. A chopsaw will always leave a rough burr that has to be ground off or deburred. The horizontal bandsaw is much quieter, can cut a whole lot of pieces at once and you get a much cleaner cut. You can even set a feed rate on a bandsaw. Not half as much dust with a bandsaw, either.

Other Steve

Here is an update. I went to my local archery shop today to shoot my bow some and un stress after a horrible day. The owner of the shop is a retired welder and he caught me and wants me to make him some 3D archery target stands out of round stock. He wants 240 stands and it is a matter of cutting the round stock to a certain length doesn't have to be exact. He ask me if I had a chop saw to use and I said no but I was thinking about getting one or a bandsaw and he told me well you have a chop saw now. He just gave me a Black and Decker industrial saw, a handful of blades, a whole case, yes case, of grinding wheels and some welding gloves. He is even paying for the work on top of all the freebies. They are some great people here and so now I have a chop saw. I preferred the bandsaw but at least now I can afford to get the bandsaw and have a chop saw to boot.

Thats awesome Matt...

Good things come to those that wait....

Hey,

Thats a win. It'll most likely be better than some of the junk you can buy now days.

Mick

I haven't got to try it yet. We move out of our college apartment on Wednesday so from that point on I will be in the shop full time instead of two hours away for weeks at a time. It is an older saw that the guy took when the company he worked for went out of business and laid them off they said take what you want so he grabbed it and it has been in his garage ever since. He was cleaning out and was going to sell it in a yard sale and he thought of us and said we could have it and even gave us some work to boot. it seems solid. I really like some of the features better than the Dewalts I have looked at. I don't know how well it works but he said is worked great every day.

Good for you!!
Well not that you have a job with the chop saw, you can start saving for a band saw.
-Jonathan

I know what I am going to buy now since the chop saw was given to me, I don't have to buy it I can buy the band saw and have both. I was totally surprised when he gave it to us and didn't want anything for it.