Dry Cut Saw Blades

ttreb4 · Fri Dec 19, 2014 6:13 pm

I have a Milwakee dry cut saw. I have been using the Fredo Metal Demon blades. My previous blade lasted quite a while. I recently purchased a new blade and it only lasted 3 weeks. I'm a hobbyist so I am not using it every day. I'm curious if there are better blades that will last and not having my wife chasing me with a pitchfork because I spent too much? I am only cutting 1/8" or thinner material.

shade-tree · Sat Jan 10, 2015 2:56 am

I used the original blade on my Milwaukee dry saw on-and-off for 2.5 years until it was stolen and it was only down to 13.5". Blade hardness is a trade off between cutting speed and life. My original was clearly a very hard blade and worked very well on thin (1/8") material. When used on anything over 1/4" it would load up when the metal heated up and would stop cutting. I tried water cooling (dangerous on electrical saws) with little success. I finally used a carbide wheel dressing stick to remove the buildup during the cut and cooled the heavier metal with compressed air - not a good solution but it got the job done. If your blades are not lasting, they are soft and therefore are cutting fast. For your thin stock try a hard one from Milwaukee. They make both types. Blades come in different grades, just like grinder wheels. For heavy stuff switch to the soft blade. There is a reason for inexpensive tools to be inexpensive. As I read elsewhere on this blog, it is not the price - it is the cost.
BTW, all the above relates to cutting 1010 - 1020 mild steel. Use the soft blade on hard steel.
Jon

WerkSpace · Sat Jan 17, 2015 3:48 am

This guy converted his cold cut saw to a track saw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9093a_TV_o
Is there a possibility of a kickback? It doesn't look too safe.

Sat Jan 17, 2015 8:26 am

Y U NO BUY A CIRULAR SAW?? HAHA.

WerkSpace · Sat Jan 17, 2015 7:52 pm

Regular saws spin too fast.

weldin mike 27 wrote:Y U NO BUY A CIRULAR SAW?? HAHA.

pgk · Tue Feb 17, 2015 3:13 pm

That is way cool!

Pete

WerkSpace wrote:This guy converted his cold cut saw to a track saw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9093a_TV_o
Is there a possibility of a kickback? It doesn't look too safe.

TRACKRANGER · Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:01 am

WerkSpace wrote:This guy converted his cold cut saw to a track saw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9093a_TV_o
Is there a possibility of a kickback? It doesn't look too safe.

Pretty impressive.
He seems more of a wood worker than a machinist, but the result is great!

motox · Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:36 am

nice job but it seems like a lot of wooden
parts to wear.
craig

Ratsathome · Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:31 am

WerkSpace wrote:Regular saws spin too fast.
weldin mike 27 wrote:Y U NO BUY A CIRULAR SAW?? HAHA.

What about the "Evolution" range. They are multi purpose saws that do wood and steel and their 14" do 2750rpm?

AndersK · Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:21 pm

Evolutuion works great in a regular saw. Just dont use a cheap one. Needs more torque to cut steel and that equals more power that equals heat which kills cheap saws. If the gears doesnt fail first.

Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:57 pm

WerkSpace wrote:Regular saws spin too fast.
weldin mike 27 wrote:Y U NO BUY A CIRULAR SAW?? HAHA.

I've used a saw, that looks just like any other circular saw but for the metal-chip catcher, that ran slower and use 7 1/4" dry-cut blades. I've cut 3/8" a36 plate with it.

For aluminum, I'll use a plain-ol' DeWalt circular saw with a 32-tooth carbide blade.

Steve S