Makita 10: wood type chop saw - is there a metal-cutting diamond blade that will work

[Planeman41]

I have an older Makita 10" wood-cutting chop saw that I have tried metal cutting with an abrasive cut-off blade. It works, but leaves a mess of fine abrasive and cuts slow. Is there a faster cutting blade that will work with that saw, maybe a diamond blade? I am cutting angle iron and steel tubing, not metal sheet.

[sasquatch]

Didn't those saws have an odd ball shaft size?

[lakeside53]

Nope... std size. I use one all the time, but with a super thin 10 inch abrasive.

Diamond? not for cutting steel.

Also.. it's much too fast for steel cutting carbide blades, and you'd need a good way to clamp down the material. They are scary enough on aluminum.

[garyhlucas]

Actually they are now selling diamond cut off blades for steel! They work real well too.

[gellfex]

Sounds like it's time for a 4x6 bandsaw! I thought I didn't need one till I had to get one for a particular job with a ton of stainless cutoffs, now I couldn't live without it. At Harbor Freight it'll set you back $208 (with a 20% coupon as usual). Mine is a similar cheap import, lots of the members have these I believe.

I've also heard that the abrasive dust will kill tools not designed for it. Common problem using tools on materials they're not designed for. I once killed a Porter-Cable router using it on aluminum when a piece of swarf went inside and shorted it.

[Seastar]

Sounds like it's time for a 4x6 bandsaw! I thought I didn't need one till I had to get one for a particular job with a ton of stainless cutoffs, now I couldn't live without it. At Harbor Freight it'll set you back $208 (with a 20% coupon as usual). Mine is a similar cheap import, lots of the members have these I believe.

I probably use my HF 4X6 saw more than any tool in the shop.
I would not bother with this hobby if I had to cut metal by hand. I have an abrasive metal chop saw that hasent been used for months and all of my hack saw blades are new.
Billi

[lakeside53]

I only use mine for cutting hardened steel, like saw blades (into other tools). Bandsaw every day.

[Planeman41]

Thanks for the thoughts and replies guys. I have a Harbor Freight 4 x 6 metal cutting bandsaw which does a nice job except for the blade coming loose a little too often. I am just trying to get some use from this old Makita saw since I recently acquired a Dewalt 12" sliding miter saw. I think I will look into that diamond saw suggested by garyhlucas.

[BCRider]

Thanks for the thoughts and replies guys. I have a Harbor Freight 4 x 6 metal cutting bandsaw which does a nice job except for the blade coming loose a little too often. I am just trying to get some use from this old Makita saw since I recently acquired a Dewalt 12" sliding miter saw. I think I will look into that diamond saw suggested by garyhlucas.

Mine likes to jump off the wheels a lot as well. I got around that by using more tension and setting the hold back spring to a higher setting so the "blade weight" was a bit lighter. The blade tension needs to be set so when you pluck the string that it's about the same or a touch higher a tone than the low E string of a bass guitar. Tap the letters on THIS BASS GUITAR TUNER to see what I mean

[SLK001]

I have a 14" chop saw that I used to use for cuts like these. I have since switched over to using 1/16" cutoff blades in angle grinders, both 4.5" and 7". I get a quicker cut that is also more accurate and clean than the chop saw provided.

[Paul Alciatore]

Wood saws go fast. That works for wood.

Metal saws go slow. That works for metal.

That is the most basic difference between wood and metal saws. The differences in the blade design is of lesser import.

Will a metal saw/blade cut wood? Yes. But not well.

Will a wood saw/blade cut metal? Yes. But, again, not well.

Why fight it?

If you really want to cut metal with a WOOD saw, use an abrasive blade. Diamond will work, but diamond is CARBON and the high speed and the heat generated will literally burn the diamond away so this will prove to be expensive. Diamond blades should be either run slow or with coolant to keep them cool. I would use a different abrasive: any hardware store has abrasive disks made for chop saws. Yea, abrasive dust all over the place. Been there! Done That! And there is no tee shirt for it. My METAL CUTTING band saw (4x6) is the second most used machine in my shop: the drill press is probably the most used as just about everything needs holes.

PS: Both types will cut your finger off. The wood saw will do it faster so less pain.

[garyhlucas]

Paul,
The diamond cutting wheels I used on a 4-1/2" grinder cutting both stainless welds and tubing cost $14 at Home Depot, 3 different brands. It outlasted the thin abrasive wheels at least 10 to 1! It stayed the same diameter the whole time so no trying to cut with a tiny worn down wheel, and the blade speed stayed high. There was no abrasive dust, only metal and very little smell. When the blade would no longer cut because the diamonds were worn away from the outside rim the diamonds on the side were still good for flat grinding. They say you can cool with water for even longer life but I was working on a job where that wasn't practical. I needed to fishmouth a 2" tube on a 4" diameter and roughed it out on the bandsaw. Then used a 4" diamond blade on an arbor and fed it sideways through the tubing in the mill. Did two of them and they came out really nice because the diameter hardly changed.

It's a new world concerning diamonds. I was at a trade show where a company was showing amorphous diamond thrust bearings in downhole drills at extreme pressures and temperatures. I can get pump seals with diamond coated faces for really abrasive material pumping.

[MattiJ]

Paul,
The diamond cutting wheels I used on a 4-1/2" grinder cutting both stainless welds and tubing cost $14 at Home Depot, 3 different brands. It outlasted the thin abrasive wheels at least 10 to 1! It stayed the same diameter the whole time so no trying to cut with a tiny worn down wheel, and the blade speed stayed high. There was no abrasive dust, only metal and very little smell. When the blade would no longer cut because the diamonds were worn away from the outside rim the diamonds on the side were still good for flat grinding. They say you can cool with water for even longer life but I was working on a job where that wasn't practical. I needed to fishmouth a 2" tube on a 4" diameter and roughed it out on the bandsaw. Then used a 4" diamond blade on an arbor and fed it sideways through the tubing in the mill. Did two of them and they came out really nice because the diameter hardly changed.

It's a new world concerning diamonds. I was at a trade show where a company was showing amorphous diamond thrust bearings in downhole drills at extreme pressures and temperatures. I can get pump seals with diamond coated faces for really abrasive material pumping.

What model or make of disks you used?

[dian]

interesting. what wheels are they? i see only this in that price range:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubi-4-1-2-in-Porcelain-Diamond-Blade-for-Dry-and-Wet-Cutting-31914/301239300

[MattiJ]

interesting. what wheels are they? i see only this in that price range:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubi-4-1...1914/301239300

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-4-5-in-Metal-Cutting-Diamond-Blade-HD-MTL45/204202513

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-4-5-in-Diamond-Wheel-for-Metal-Cutting-DDD045DIA101F/301454106

Quite mixed reviews so I'm interested to know what garyhlucas was using.