Metal chop saw - non abrassive-- wow

[softtail]

Picked up a Makita LC1230 a while back. Early impressions... very impressed. Cuts like butter even through solid steel bar, parts are cool to touch immediately, not too loud, not too messy. I see the bandsaw and hacksaw collecting a lot of dust.

[ConductorX]

I have the Evolution 10" compound miter saw and the Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw, love them both. I still use my other cutting tools for various jobs.

[Axkiker]

The more I read about these the more I want one.

[QSIMDO]

Is the Makita that much more of saw than the Evolution to justify the higher price?

[Doozer]

The noise they make is horrifying.
They scare the heck out of me.
I am just waiting for a bind-up
and for a tooth to fly off and nail me
main artery. No freaking thank you sir!

-Doozer

[Black Forest]

I have a carbide toothed cut-off saw and Doozer is right, the noise is horrifying. BUT they are quick and cut through much faster than a bandsaw. I use mine when I don't feel like setting up the bandsaw for a cut. The finish is actually better than the bandsaw but it is not as accurate as my bandsaw.

[Edwin Dirnbeck]

Any cheap harbor freight horizontal bandsaw will easily if slowly cut off multiple pieces of 4 inch solid d-2 tool steel. Will your saw do this? Edwin Dirnbeck

[Mcgyver]

These should leave a better cut than a band saw - squareness and finish. That's imo is their advantage - for many parts no subsequent machining is required. Except for that, I don't see the appeal, mostly because I can put some huge piece in the bandsaw and work on other things while it cuts away. How long it takes to cut doesn't matter....its how much of my time it takes. The chop saw would need a power feed to compete.

[jmarkwolf]

The noise they make is horrifying.
They scare the heck out of me.
I am just waiting for a bind-up
and for a tooth to fly off and nail me
main artery. No freaking thank you sir!

-Doozer

They scare the hell out me also. But they are convenient.

[softtail]

Any cheap harbor freight horizontal bandsaw will easily if slowly cut off multiple pieces of 4 inch solid d-2 tool steel. Will your saw do this? Edwin Dirnbeck

I suspect so and quicker. Send me a chunk and I'll try.

[softtail]

The noise they make is horrifying.
They scare the heck out of me.
I am just waiting for a bind-up
and for a tooth to fly off and nail me
main artery. No freaking thank you sir!

-Doozer

This saw is pretty quiet.. my Johnson saw makes damn near as much noise and has to stay running waay longer for comparable cut. More expensive chop saws are quieter and have better vises among other things. The blade enclosure is comprehensive as well.

[enginuity]

If you examine the cost per cut for these saws you'll find that they are much more expensive to operate when compared to a bandsaw.

They work well but I find the blades are expensive.

[platypus2020]

I have a Milwaukee 14" dry cut saw, with a carbide blade, it's been my primary saw for about the last 7-8 years. It uses the 60 tooth carbide tipped blades, it cost about $25 to have it resharpened, the last time it was $35, because they replaced 3 chipped teeth.

I also have a 7" x 12" drop bandsaw and Wilton cold cut saw, the Milwaukee, gives a great square cut, is much quicker and easier to use, than the other saws (large pieces are still cut in the other saws).

[Fasttrack]

For the naysayers out there, you'll find that industry uses high end cold saws extensively. They work faster, quieter, cooler and produce better cuts than bandsaws or abrasive saws. Quality blades can be resharpened and that, combined with the fact that they cut much faster, equates to cheaper operation. Next time you buy an odd length of stock, look at the end. It was either sheared or cut with a cold saw.

Whether or not lower end cold saws can compete in a home shop environment is a different matter.

Edit: I see that there is a growing distinction between "cold cut" saws and "dry cut" saws. What are now being called cold cut saws seem to be the slow, coolant flooded variety while the dry cut saws are basically cold saws but without the coolant. Depending on which models you're comparing, the dry cut saws may also spin faster.

[The Artful Bodger]

I have a somewhat elderly cold saw with a slow turning HSS circular saw blade, it makes very little noise (none at all until I switch it on) and always cuts square. Anything I can machine with HSS it can easily cut.