Rusty - $1500 seems a bit strong, but you can't argue with 17 years and no abrasive dust (which I'm convinced will get most of us in the end). To do the same job I bought an "Evolution" 355 saw which cuts stock beautifully, no burr - just mirror polished cuts, no dust - just little chips of steel. I've cut 4" square H beams with it - easy. The blades last way longer than they state too, as long as you don't mind a few more seconds on each cut - no problem if'you just lopping a handling length out of a 20' length. They're US made I believe, and pretty reasonably priced here in the UK. When it was new I needed to take a file to some of the castings to ensure the 90 degree cut was actually 90, but after that it's been great - wish I bought it earlier. The thought of waiting 10 minutes to cut 3/4" stock as one post reads here ... do it 4 or 5 seconds with one of these.
Dex