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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
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    East Gippsland
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    1

    Question Replacing an abrasive cut off saw - what to get & why?? Advice please...

    Hi all,

    I'm looking to upgrade from a 355mm Hitachi Abrasive cut off saw I've had for years. I want cleaner cuts that require less prep, better accuracy on angles if cutting 45's.

    The main thing I'm cutting with the abrasive cut off saw is SHS, RHS & flat (though the freehand plasma takes care of much of that now) and occassionally round bar stock up to about 20mm.

    I'm doing a lot more work in the shed, high end DIY setup. In the past year I've gotten into building fire places for sheds (not your basic truck rim job) built a large smoker in commercial use in a local restaurant and have bought a plasma , which then resulted in buying a CNC plasma & a bigger plasma - & build a powder coating oven, so there's a bit going on.

    I built my own welding bench but got material cut by supplier due to lack of decent saw, same with the table for the CNC Plasma. I would rather spend on equipment than labour for what I'm doing. Means I can change an idea or design after I have the material.

    Rarely work in more than 100x100 SHS and it's generally out in the field for posts so would probalby still use the cut off saw for that.

    I'm a little tight for space so that's a consideration.

    What do I upgrade to??

    - cold cut saw like
    https://www.industrialtool.com.au/pr...ld-steel-blade
    https://www.totaltools.com.au/108412...14-72905361230

    & if one of those which one & why? Clamp seems better on the Fein Slugger. Capacity on the ITM is a little more versatile.

    Or do I look at a bandsaw, or lubricant cooled cold cut saw, or a power hacksaw?

    I'd rather buy once and do it right for the most versatile to do what I want. I don't have room for all of them, or budget. Not averse to spending a couple of grand to get the right thing though - or second hand for that matter.

    It's a long time since I had access to any of the above at GMH in the Engineering Dept and we had all of the above. Wasn't my trade but I have used all of them at times in a past career. Just never understood the pros and cons of each. Asked a fitter or sheet metal worker which one to use and did what I was told. It was their gear. I was an electronic tech.

    Anyway, if you've read this far, thanks in advance for the advice.

    Thanks

    Dave
    Last edited by phoenixshed; 12th Nov 2021 at 11:27 AM. Reason: update

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    Southern Flinders Ranges
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    1,536

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    Bandsaw. Set it going and do something else while it’s cutting. The consumables are also cheaper than your other options.
    As for accuracy of mitre cuts, that sits with the operator, not the machine.

    There’s a few of us here that are Electronic techs too BTW.

  3. #3
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    7,182

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    The "cold cut" saws you refer to in your links are not really cold cut saws, they still emit lots of sparks, scatter swarf all over the place and are very noisy.
    A true cold cut saw runs at <20th of the speed of those saws, there's no sparks or swarf scatter and are very quiet - of course they cost a lot more.

    This is an example of a true cold cutting saw
    https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/S828

    I used various chops saws and angle grinders for years until I got myself a small second had bandsaw..
    They're not fast but you can walk away and leave them cutting while you do something else, and no sparks, no swarf and wheel grit scattered all over the shed, and they are also very quiet.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

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    Someone I know has one of these Evolution models and by their report it seems a good un.

    https://www.totaltools.com.au/145999...utting-s355cps

    Grahame

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Toorloo Arm, VIC
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    39
    Posts
    1,270

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    For the jobs you list, I would (and do) use a saw much like BobL linked with the appropriate blade. Don't now remember offhand how many teeth the one I'm running has, can have a look if desired, but it's absolutely perfect for all kinds of tubing, and setting mitres is very fast and easy. Fairly quiet, and doesn't throw swarf everywhere.

    Blades are an absolutely horrendous price, but they can be resharpened affordably (although maybe not down here, haven't looked). I've got a coarse one that was resharpened to have a smaller diameter and a couple less teeth, due to the previous owner managing to remove some teeth, so the life of the blades is potentially pretty long if you can deal with the reduction in diameter.. If you look after them though, and use the right pitch blade, should very rarely need to do anything with them anyway.

    I have a bandsaw too, a 7x12. I use it for cutting solid stock for machining, and it's good at that. Mitres are painful though since it's not a swivel head, I used it for some channel that wouldn't fit in the cold saw the other day - very slow to set up.

    Basically around here anything solid over about 10-16mm goes in the bandsaw, any tube (RHS/round etc) goes straight in the cold saw. The cold saw does do solid of any size that will fit (with a suitable blade), but at about 20mm the bandsaw starts to match it for speed, and anything over the bandsaw kills it for speed, with the added bonus of not having to hang off the handle. Thus I always keep the fine pitch blade on the cold saw for the tubing which it absolutely flies through with a beautiful clean cut, and keep the coarse variable pitch blade on the bandsaw for the solids.

    Think I've changed blades on them about once in the last 10 years, and that was the bandsaw blade that broke at the weld...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    666

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    I have an old cast iron bandsaw that I converted to cut steel with a reduction drive. I was sick of using abrasive wheels as the mess and noise was horrible. Used to use an angle grinder, then bought a chop saw.

    The bandsaw is so much nicer to use, quieter by a long margin and the swarf either stays on the table or just at the foot of the saw.

    It successfully cuts 100mm x 40mm solid bar and I can’t imagine going back to anything else. One of those ones that you can run long stick through would be perfect as you can set and forget. Do the bandsaw!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    1,322

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    I've got both the Fein Slugger carbide saw and the common 4x6 bandsaw. If you are wanting to work fast and get stuff done, the carbide saw is the go - I doubt there is anything faster for cutting steel cleanly and accurately.

    If you're working at a bit more of a leisurely pace, a bandsaw is perfect. Once you tool about and get it all dialled in to cut square in all dimensions, you can set up a job to cut and walk away. It's very quiet, and emits a clang when it's finished. You can also set up more delicate items with less clamping support in the bandsaw, as the forces are relatively light, and you can fabricate all manner of fixtures to facilitate custom cuts.

    But if I need something just cut quick and clean, it's the carbide saw every time.

    While I'm very happy with my Slugger, I've also heard the Evolution gear is pretty good.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Dandenong
    Posts
    76

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    I second the Fein Slugger saw, it is an absolutely amazing bit of kit!

    Reasonably quiet IMHO, powerful, bugger all sparks, not much heat generated. And no fine abrasive dust flying everywhere!

    I cut a bunch of rounds from a length of solid 100mm diameter steel bar!

    It did them all with ease, and the finish was superb, whereas in the past using a chop saw to cut up just 50mm rounds used to be an ordeal in horrific noise, heat and dust (and it eventually blew the chopsaw motor), I couldn't even imagine doing 100mm rounds with a chop saw!

    I had a large cold saw from H&F that I ended up selling as it was just too big to be practical for me and as a consequence I never used it. I also have a BS-5 metal bandsaw from H&F which while is a great little saw, but I find I hardly use it as the Fein is so much more convenient, and far better suited to the size stuff I cut. Apart from the Fein being way, way faster and cleaner to use. The closest I've come in ease of use is my horizontal hydraulic hacksaw (which is a really frikkin cool bit of machinery!) which I found much easier to use than the bandsaw, but since getting the Fein I don't use that at all either, so I'll be selling that one now!

    I spent quite a bit of time researching smaller cold saws, and the Fein seemed to come up trumps everytime from what I could see.

    Couldn't recommend it high enough. Build quality is phenomenal, the blade guards are really clever, the only possible negative thing I could say about it is the chain catch is pretty crappily designed, but this is such a trivial thing really.
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  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
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    Geelong, Australia
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    2,651

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    I’ve got a bandsaw, a bit larger than most here at around 450x250 capacity.
    Great for larger solid stock and bundle cutting of multiple pieces the same length.
    It’s not a swivel type though so is a PITA for mitre cuts. Thankfully most of my work is square cuts.

    As others have mentioned a BS can be set up and left to cut while you get on with other things, but if you’re doing mainly RHS/tube work then they are slow for a single cut compared to a proper Brobo style cold cut saw.
    I haven’t used one of the carbide saws like the slugger but have a good mate who works from home and has been through the abrasive saws, various carbide types and finally bought a used Brobo cold saw after about 10 years of telling himself he couldn’t justify the expense. Absolutely loves it and wishes he’d done it years ago. Clean cuts, quiet, and quick accurate setup for angles.
    He’s mainly doing RHS up to about 75mm, and occasional solid to about 40mm.

    If you go to any steel supplier their go-to saw will be a cold saw, and they will use it for everything up to about 40mm solid and 100mm tube. Bigger than that it’s off to the bandsaw.

    If I could only have one saw it would be a swivel head bandsaw and I’d go to the effort of setting it up on a decent bench with rollers etc.
    If I could have 2 it would be my existing bandsaw for the solids and a Brobo style cold saw for the rest.
    This is all assuming it’s mainly steel being cut.

    Steve

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