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4:44 am
NWBA Member
June 8, 2010
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I bought a harbor freight chop saw, even knowing that most of their stuff is junk. This thing is advertised and says on the box that is will cut up to 4" square stock... I cut a piece of tubing about 2 1/2" x 1/4" wall and it took probably 20 minutes to get through it.
I next cut a piece of 1" square stock when the motor burst into flames!!! Good thing I bought the 2 year warranty! So, I realized that the saw is okay, just the blade is a:poop: I called my steel supplier and got a blade from them. I asked if it was a good blade and they told me this was the blade that they use on their saws. I'll tell you, it took 5 minutes to cut thru a piece of 5/8" x 1/4". What do you guys who do production stuff use???:help:
4:54 am
March 18, 2010
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Find the Makita blades, maybe Home Depot. You don't want a blade that lasts. You want one that wears away fast and exposes fresh grit.
“There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot,
but then there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence,
transform a yellow spot into the sun.” ~ Pablo Picasso ~
6:11 am
March 22, 2010
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Well first off I dont use a hot saw unless I really have to... To be honest about the only thing I use a hot/chop saw on is when I am cutting unknown high carbon or tool steel and when I am cutting hot material...
What kind of stuff are you chopping up mostly? I find a zip disk on a 5" grinder will cut most things faster and more accurately than a hot saw... ive cut 2" plate with a zip disk (wouldn't be my first choice but its doable)
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
11:30 pm
April 21, 2010
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I use DeWalt blades and have been happy with them on the hot saw that is in my storage building and stays there 99.9% of the time.
2:35 am
February 25, 2011
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Makita, Norton, and Dewalt all work well for me.
Author of book titled, "Civil War Blacksmithing", available on Amazon.com
4:56 am
May 22, 2010
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I have one of those Harbor Freight chop saws and it doesn't take me but a few minutes to chop thru ... I use makita, norton, chicago ... usually a 30 grit blade that wears away pretty fast, but it also cuts pretty fast ... not exactly accurate but it cuts fast.
Brad Roland :hot:
10:57 am
April 7, 2011
Offline
You may be bearing down on the blade and glazing the cutting edge so you are trying to cut with a piece of glass. Turn on the saw and lightly bump it against the stock your are trying to cut a few times to break the glazing off and ruff up the edge a little bit.
I use the Harbor Freight blades and seem to do just fine.
Wayne Coe
Artist Blacksmith
669 Peters Ford Road
Sunbright, Tennessee
423-628-6444
[EMAIL=waynecoe@highland.net]waynecoe@highland.net[/EMAIL]
http://www.waynecoeartistblacksmith.com
6:51 pm
January 15, 2011
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Walter 14" on a heavy duty Millwaukee chop saw, but I use zip cuts most days on a 5" angle grinder.
6:19 pm
June 24, 2010
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A blacksmith I respect told me that the Hilti blades are the best, so that's what I use. I like them fine, but haven't done enough comparison to know if they are really better than others.
1:09 am
NWBA Member
June 8, 2010
Offline
Larry L;11205 wrote: What kind of stuff are you chopping up mostly? I find a zip disk on a 5" grinder will cut most things faster and more accurately than a hot saw... ive cut 2" plate with a zip disk (wouldn't be my first choice but its doable)
I'm cutting mostly small bar stock... 1" square and smaller. What I want to do is to be able to cut a number of pieces, same size and fairly precisely, and do it without spending a lot of time 'cause we all know "time is money". Got 'ny good ideas??:unsure:
8:26 pm
January 15, 2011
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Lynn Gledhill;11235 wrote: I'm cutting mostly small bar stock... 1" square and smaller. What I want to do is to be able to cut a number of pieces, same size and fairly precisely, and do it without spending a lot of time 'cause we all know "time is money". Got 'ny good ideas??:unsure:
Lynn, I have been known to stack several pieces of the same dimension in my chop saw and let er rip.
5:56 pm
September 18, 2010
Offline
I started out with a harbor freight saw years ago. I have tried all kinds of blades the ones that work the best for me is the harbor freight ones cant beet the price I did a test and I went through 2 vermont america blades to cut the same amount of metal with one harbor freight blade.
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