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Metal-cutting saw question

To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Metal-cutting saw question
From: Chris Heerschap <shoptalk@db94.net>
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 11:20:10 -0500
I was working on some trim inside the house yesterday, and was cutting 
down a piece with nails in it.  I was being careful not to cut the 
nails, but not careful enough, apparently.  I managed to cut through a 
nail, but, to my surprise, it didn't seem to cause the blade or saw any 
problems.  (It's a delta compound miter saw with a 10" Freud 80-tooth 
carbide-tipped blade, which does *great* work in wood.)  As a matter of 
fact, the cut through the nail was near perfect, with a smooth, shiny 
surface where it was cut.

This got me to thinking.  I'm just about done with a welding class, and 
I want to start on my first project, and one of the challenges will be 
cutting the metal parts before welding.  If I could make the cuts on the 
miter saw, it would make life much easier, as there are some angle cuts 
to be made.  The saw blade doesn't list ferrous metals, and is "not 
recommended" for non-ferrous metals.  I started searching, and all I 
could find were non-ferrous blades in 10".

I did find chop saws, and "multi-cutter" saws with blades that look 
similar to my carbide blade, just larger (usually 14", some 12").  I 
know there's more to blade design than looks, but that's about all I know.

What I was wondering... if these "multi-cutter" saws can cut metals, 
including steel, why aren't there any blades similar to that for 10" 
saws?  Not that I plan on doing any compound miter cutting on steel 
angle iron, but it would be nice to use my existing tool instead of 
having to buy a new one from $150-$500+!  Heck, both have 15A motors.

What makes a blade good for cutting wood and not good for cutting metal, 
when it has the same carbide tips as metal cutting blades?


cmh
-- 
==================================Chris Heerschap=================





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