chop saws.....

i burnt up a makita 14" chop saw, so i bought a dewalt 14", it has lasted for years.
i would prefer a cold saw, but they are mucho dinero & i don't have room for one here.
 
I think the biggest things are the base and the blades you use. Make sure you look at the base on them all before you purchase anything. I've got Milwaukee's 6180-20 (careful, they also have a less desirable version with a slightly different model number). I love the saw, plenty of power. As for blades, I know it hurts to spend $9-11 on a blade, but the $3-4 ones just won't cut anywhere near as well. Make sure you have a spare or two on hand.
 
if you have the funds, get a saw with a carbide tipped steel blade. way better than the abrasive blades. abrasive blades wear quick and max out the saws throw and you cant make a full cut. plus they are messy. the slag sticks to the saw and gets in every little crevice. i have an old belt driven saw similar to a cold saw style without the oil and gear splitter. super heavy duty and can be hooked up 240V or 120V. it will last me forever. but it is also super heavy, so i have a 10" delta chop saw i put an abrasive blade on for portability. just took off all the [plastic stuff that would melt, but works good as a portable saw for small projects.
 
oh and i have used the Milwaukee 6180-20 and is was a decent saw, but again if you can afford it, get the 6190-20 with the metal carbide tipped blade.
 
NorCalChris said:
I honestly was going to purchase one from HF, to see how it lasts. Theres a fab shop next to mine and he use's a Makita chop saw and a dewalt. Figured I might go with one of those when the HF fails.
Click to expand...

this makes no sense at all. :twak:
if you plan on buying a good one when the HF one fails, why not just buy the good one first instead of throwing your money away on some HF piece of crap???
 
x2 on avoiding hf crap.

I have a milwaukee, and never use it anymore, too messy, blade deflects under load, and did i mention its messy?
 
RCman said:
I think the biggest things are the base and the blades you use. Make sure you look at the base on them all before you purchase anything. I've got Milwaukee's 6180-20 (careful, they also have a less desirable version with a slightly different model number). I love the saw, plenty of power. As for blades, I know it hurts to spend $9-11 on a blade, but the $3-4 ones just won't cut anywhere near as well. Make sure you have a spare or two on hand.
Click to expand...

MoparManiac said:
x2 on everything RCMan said.
Click to expand...

X3 honestly dont got anything bad to say about mine
 
xcm said:
x2 on avoiding hf crap.

I have a milwaukee, and never use it anymore, too messy, blade deflects under load, and did i mention its messy?
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read carefully, as stated above.....

look for used name brand over cheap junk!

I have a Milwaukee myself, bought it off craigslist but it wasnt listed, guys wife left him, & he was selling off his shop to pay for the house, he just took pics of shop, & said come & look, he made a mistake & bought a house that took 2 incomes to pay for & when he lost one, he decided he would rather keep his home than all his possesions & would replace later.

I gave $75 for mine, I have seen similiar deals, depending on what you need to cut, I have seen kits to convert an angle grinder to use as a cut off saw

also as mentioned the blade does deflect! be prepared to grind to fit, or fill, they are not the most accurate way to cut by no means, but for some jobs, I do prefer, like making hand rails around a porch. I also have a 7" circular saw with an abrasive wheel for small jobs, or light "filing trimming" as well as my grinders, bought the saw for $20 at flea market.
 
Insert mandatory Milwaukee chopsaw photo here. 3.125" OD x .500" wall DOM D60 tubes, cut thru it like butter. My Rigid version one I got from Home Depot years ago just couldnt quite do the job, I kept stalling it out. This is MoparManiac's saw. Good blades are a must, so far Ive found my Rigid can cut anything else I work with (2x2x1/4, 2x4x1/4, 1.5x1/4 DOM, etc).


34gqceh.jpg
 
tudorXJ5sp said:
I gave $75 for mine, I have seen similiar deals, depending on what you need to cut, I have seen kits to convert an angle grinder to use as a cut off saw

also as mentioned the blade does deflect! be prepared to grind to fit, or fill, they are not the most accurate way to cut by no means, but for some jobs, I do prefer, like making hand rails around a porch. I also have a 7" circular saw with an abrasive wheel for small jobs, or light "filing trimming" as well as my grinders, bought the saw for $20 at flea market.
Click to expand...

x2 about circular saws with abrasive wheels... this is how i rip sheet metal into strips for random fab work.... strap a straight edge down X" from the desired cut, X being the saws offset from guard to actual kerf. Put it on a magnesium worm drive saw, and it RIPS HARD....
 
I had a Ryobi back when I was doing a lot more fab work. It was ok for a couple of years. When it died I bought a Craftsman (I usually avoid Craftsman power tools) and for once got the service contract. Within a year I burned out the motor and they replaced it for free. Strange though, they didn't pester me to renew the service contract the way they usually do. :)

My shop time has been cut way down so that second Craftsman is still going strong.

One suggestion, use a dedicated plug and have only the saw on that breaker circuit.
 
I also have a Milwaukee 6180-20 Chop Saw and use Norton blades with it. It works just fine... but I prefer to use my Milwaukee portaband if I can help it. It makes virtually zero mess when compared to the chop saw, its faster and much quieter.

Look into them too if you can... they can be had fairly cheap used. If used properly, a couple blades will last you quite a long time!
 
stumpXJ said:
I also have a Milwaukee 6180-20 Chop Saw and use Norton blades with it. It works just fine... but I prefer to use my Milwaukee portaband if I can help it. It makes virtually zero mess when compared to the chop saw, its faster and much quieter.

Look into them too if you can... they can be had fairly cheap used. If used properly, a couple blades will last you quite a long time!
Click to expand...

x2!
portaband for the win!
mine gets used so often that it has not been back in its box in over 20 years.
it is ALWAYS plugged in next to the vice. i use it almost every day.
 
never owned a portaband, but have used them when I was fabbing parts at a bike shop, & found I could cut faster with a reciprocating saw, & I have 2 Porta-Cable reciprocating saws, the shop also had a "china" floor model band saw to cut parts, & I despised it, piece of crap, the porta band or reciprocating saws will do good.
 
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