Sabre saw for chopping rods?

[no704]

I’d maybe try a 4” cordless circular saw, if you can get a metal blade

[psomero]

i have a 12v milwaukee subcompact portaband that gets into places more easily than my jigsaw and I use it to cut anything that'll fit it's 1.5" throat

[Paul Alciatore]

I only talked about the saber saw because you were considering one. It would not be my first choice for my main metal cutting saw. But that may work for you. Frankly I like some of the other ideas here better; perhaps the hand held ban saw or that two blade circular saw.

I talked about my shop built router table but I also have a commercial one which only mounts a router. I have little room for using either of them so I drilled and taped some holes in the aluminum table of my wood table saw so I can mount it there. That brings it to a very nice height and provides a lot of stability due to the combined weight of the two. When I am not using that router table It presently sits against a wall. When I finally build a workbench on that wall I will make a storage arrangement where it can hang on the wall, out of the way.

An idea that came to me today is a miniature version of a router table for a saber saw could be built. It could be fastened to a bench top or held in a bench vise when used and sit in a drawer or nook when not.

Another trick I have seen is a tool mounted under a bench tip, on a hinged bracket. The hinge would be under the bench top and behind the front edge an inch or two (parallel to that front edge). When the tool is to be used it flips out from under the bench to just in front of the bench top and locks in that position. When the cutting is done, it flips back under the bench, completely out of the way.

And on that two car garage thing, yea I can fill up any amount of space that I have. FAST!

Way too many projects and too little time and SPACE!



Paul Alciatore It's a nice idea and one I'd definitely not thought of. I'd like a router table but I don't have the flat space for even the plate, let alone in/out-feed. Very jealous of your two-car garage. My wife asked how much space I'd like (hypothetically!) and that seemed to be a good size....but I don't doubt you can easily (over-)fill whatever you have.[/QUOTE]

[ChazzC]

Yes, the blades spin in opposite directions: smooth cuts with no kickback as I remember (been a couple of years since I’ve used it.

[JRouche]

Work is progressing on the drains in the back garden. Not by choice as such, it's one of those 'we really don't have much choice' situations. Anyway, they want to take the earth through my shop in buckets to a skip at the back. That means moving everything to make the aisle wide enough to not be dangerous.

Wow, you do have a nice cozy shop. Sometimes those are real nice. Easy to reach for what you need. And yours looks organized. Bummer re: water issues. I hope it clarifies soon. JR

[Cenedd]

Cenedd Sorry...I'll to show more restraint in the future

Sounds fair enough to me... would have been rude not to!
Interesting contraption too. Presumably the discs spin in opposing directions so that, being handheld, when it touches the material, it doesn't just bounce/spin off.

BCRider whereas I struggled with some small (8mm ish) pipe. Probably had too few teeth on the blade as it had a tendency to stick once I'd got into the middle.

Had to pack up my workshop this afternoon. Work is progressing on the drains in the back garden. Not by choice as such, it's one of those 'we really don't have much choice' situations. Anyway, they want to take the earth through my shop in buckets to a skip at the back. That means moving everything to make the aisle wide enough to not be dangerous.
Some is tidied, some thrown and some stowed*....and the handwheels taken off the lathe for an extra inch or two.
*The two half sheets of 18mm MDF (safely!) above your head as you come in are probably my favourite!

[BCRider]

You can cut virtually anything by hand given enough time and beer.

I prefer the easy way.

That's very true. And why I found myself a little bit gob smacked at how fast I got through the 3/4" bar with the new blade. It had been so long since I cut anything but a few 3/8 bolts with a hacksaw that I guess I'd forgotten.

I might use them more in the future since I'm on a bit of a physical health kick before old age takes it's final tole. A bit of hand tool work, if not taken to extremes is pretty good calisthenics.

[ChazzC]

Cenedd Sorry, I was watching these and when they sent me an offer that was ridiculously low I countered even lower and they accepted – you know I had to buy them:



I'll try to show more restraint in the future

[Bented]

You can cut virtually anything by hand given enough time and beer.

I prefer the easy way.

[boslab]

Tunnel = sewer or culvert drain to the planning lords, building regulations are the kings of the underworld over here
mark

[Cenedd]

I've been watching that series and it'd be nice. I think we're on clay so it'd be a horrible dig and problematic with ground water. Very cool though and very jealous!

[EddyCurr]

What I need is - as always - what I can't have; more space. Not without a lifestyle change (moving house and going further out) ...

.
Perhaps Colin Furze's "Iceberg Shed" might provide some inspiration
.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-...shire-61851694
Colin Furze: YouTuber allowed to build tunnel under garden
BBC 2022.06.20

.
Searches will return articles from several years ago featuring the bunker that the tunnel described above provides access to.

[ChazzC]

I think that the work envelope of the portaband is smaller than a sabre saw or even a manual hack saw

My DeWalt DWM120 can handle up to 4-3/4" x 5" stock per specs and verified with a rule:



Lengthwise it can go through anything I can support, but is practically limited to about 2' when mounted vertically (table is only 13-1/2" wide and the blade is 4-1/2" from the right edge) unless I position it in the middle of the the shop and provide extra support, and it would be easier to unmount the saw and take it outside.

My 12" hacksaws have 4-1/2" deep frames, and in theory you could cut something that is 9" —10" wide, but practically only about 6" so you can get a decent stroke.

My reciprocating saw can cut through any depth, but the 6" blade only has 5" of teeth, less the cutting stroke of 1-7/8" = 3-1/8" thick material. I do have 9" blades (8" teeth = 6" ± thickness), but I would only use these for demolition work where you could run into nails. Practically I don't think I'd try it for any metal thicker than 3" and deeper than 5" or 6", otherwise you could get binding.

[boslab]

I tend to use a rebar cutter up to 3/4 ( though it says 16mm max) quiet bit chewed but not that much, it wasn’t an expensive one, Chinese, unnamed.
works faultlessly.
mark

[Noitoen]

I think that the work envelope of the portaband is smaller than a sabre saw or even a manual hack saw