Thread: Metal Cutting Disks

I picked up one of these in Bunnings yesterday, never seen them before, maybe I lead a sheltered life? Has anyone got any experience with them?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/lenox-12...blade_p6350751

LENOX MetalMax

1972930-lenox-power-tool-accessories-metal-max-cutting-wheel-12inch-in-pack.png

I guess that ends that old argument about cutting steel with diamonds.

Ray

PS I see they go up to 14" for metal chop saws. Bit on the exxy side tho.
Lenox 14" x 1" Hole Metal Max Diamond Edge Cut Off Wheel for Chop Saw #1972929 | eBay

I'm going to try one on my thin kerf metal cutting table saw.

Lots of benefits;
- disc radius won't change with wear.
- Far less disc changes
- no chipping or shattering
- less grinding dust , especially the bonding resins and fibres found in wheels
- According to the spec, it handles multiple types of metal including steel, sheet metal, stainless steel, rebar, cast iron, aluminum**and non-ferrous metals

** When cutting aluminum, it is recommended to apply cutting wax or other type of saw lubricant to avoid chip welding.

Interesting haven't seen these before either. Wonder how they would go with thicker plate such as 10mm as I've done this before without issue with those thin abrasive discs.

I've used something of similar appearance to cut roofing iron, not sure if it had diamonds or not, but it worked well. On site they were referred to as screamers, use hearing protection.

Just picked a 125mm wheel up from Bunnings and had a bit of a play.

The diamond grit studded rim is between 1.60 and 1.70 mm thick, the metal disc is 1.3 mm thick
By comparison a 1 mm Makita abrasive wheel is between 1.35 and 1.25 mm thick, a 1/4 used abrasive wheel is between 1.17 and 1.15 mm thick ~10 mm back from the cutting edge.

The Kerfs produced while cutting 5mm thick mild steel are
~1.85 mm for the diamond disc, ~1.38 by a new abrasive disc and 1.22 mm by the used abrasive disc.

The noise levels running the wheels on my TS @50Hz (11960 rpm) are
92.5 dB for the diamond and 95.6 by the abrasive wheel
On an angle grinder the same abrasive wheel was 96.5.
The apparent difference is even greater because the diamond wheel makes a smoother, higher pitch sound - I think its produced by the slots in the wheel, while the abrasive wheel makes more of a growling rattle.

The burrs look like this.
LHS are underneath or cut exit, RHS are the cut entrances
Top is diamond, middle is new abrasive and bottom is used abrasive wheel.

LennoxCuttingW.jpg

The diamond wheel didn't seem to need any extra force to make the cut even though the kerf is wider.

There's definitely fewer sparks coming from the diamond wheel

I see Flexovit has a similar wheel that claims to cut concrete and ceramic, it looks thicker still and is about $5 more for the 125mm diameter wheel.

Makes sense to market these wheels as such, considering your standard masonry diamond wheels go through reo without any dramas, my god did one wheel cop a lot of abuse when I did a stint in construction.

Thanks for the quick test Bob, I used the news disk on a few small jobs, I think they run quieter and smoother, definitely less sparks, which means less fires to put out

The only down side I can see is the price, and whether that turns out to be a factor will depend on how long they last.

One unexpected benefit, is that when working in a tight spot, with the abrasive disks I always end up swapping to a new disk before the old one is completely worn down, I usually keep the partially worn disks, but then never actually use them until I've completely run out of new ones.

Not having the size change is a big plus.

Ray

PS I wonder how they go on masonry?

Originally Posted by RayG

One unexpected benefit, is that when working in a tight spot, with the abrasive disks I always end up swapping to a new disk before the old one is completely worn down, I usually keep the partially worn disks, but then never actually use them until I've completely run out of new ones.

Yep, although occasionally I find the reverse, some tight spots may not allow access to a full size disc, so the smaller ones come in handy.

I also change to a new disk often, usually because of needing the extra diameter to cut thru. I do however use up the partial disks on thinner materials. It is easier to control the smaller disks, especially when cutting thin metal that can cause chatter and rapid disk wear.

One thing that it is worth taking care with tho is starting back in a cut with a new disk. It can jam because it is thicker at the edge as mentioned by Bob above. I really hate wrecking brand new disks first up.

I will be waiting for some reviews to see how cost effective these disks are.

Keith Fenner did a review on some Dewalt ceramic cutting disks recently.

PS I wonder how they go on masonry?

Diamond? Pretty good I would think. The only difference being the way the diamond is attached. I would still use a proper masonry disk, but for a quick job when it was all you had it would probably work.

If these disks do last 30 times as long then thay would be cheaper than what I currently use, $72 per 50. One problem is that a major mistake could cost $25 instead of $1.44. Worth trying anyway.

Dean

Originally Posted by Oldneweng

Diamond? Pretty good I would think. The only difference being the way the diamond is attached. I would still use a proper masonry disk, but for a quick job when it was all you had it would probably work.

The Flexovit version are a steel and masonry combo but they cost ~$5 more.