Hi folks, does anyone have experience of using various cut off saw blades?

 

I want to get an Evolution Raptor 355mm (14 inch) cut off saw, (not an abrasive chop saw), my only concern is that I regularly cut hardened steel and I don't want to ruin an expensive TCT blade.

 

The guy in the shop reckoned that the stainless steel blade Evolution make to fit the Raptor is suitable for cutting hardened steel, could that be true? I don't have any experience of working with stainless steel but the cynic in me is dubious.

 

Cheers

 

 

I know most of the ones I have used tore up the blades.    I use abrasive wheels for hardened and high alloy.   I know that JeremyK has tried various things in his shop and owns a saw, I hope he will chime in here whith his experiance on various alloys and hardness levels..

I work with a lot of hardened stainless do all the cutting and drilling before heat treat. Would that work for you?

Rich, if I understand you you're asking if I could anneal before cutting? To cut a long story short that's not an avenue I want to pursue at the minute.

Sounds like you need a carbide or tungsten tipped blade, low RPM and liquid cooled system

Hi folks, does anyone have experience of using various cut off saw blades?

 

I want to get an Evolution Raptor 355mm (14 inch) cut off saw, (not an abrasive chop saw), my only concern is that I regularly cut hardened steel and I don't want to ruin an expensive TCT blade.

 

The guy in the shop reckoned that the stainless steel blade Evolution make to fit the Raptor is suitable for cutting hardened steel, could that be true? I don't have any experience of working with stainless steel but the cynic in me is dubious.

 

Cheers

Why not contact the manufacturers and ask their recommendations, they are located in Sheffield, or if the guy is so confident they will do the job, then ask him to demo the sale machine on your sample.

http://www.evolutionpowertools.com/uk/

 

or try a google search, some vids on youtube show some in action,

 

Personally for going through hardened steel, I would stick with abrasive wheels for cost effectiveness

abrasive for anything hard, I use shss in a thomas cold saw for mild and have a small power hack saw for other stuff

I have a 12" metal devil blade and I have cut solid pieces of mild steel without significant wear on the blade.  I use an abrasive blade when it doesn't really matter if the end cut is really exact.  The metal devil blade does not leave any burrs. There are others that I have used with success like Tenryu.  This was purchased at Industrial Metal Supplies.  Expensive but worth the money when you need a precise cut.  I've used these blades on a wood chop saw by delta for over 10 years without any issues.  I like the ability to miter cuts and wood chop saws have a better mitering system on their saws.  Good luck.  

I have a 12" metal devil blade and I have cut solid pieces of mild steel without significant wear on the blade.  I use an abrasive blade when it doesn't really matter if the end cut is really exact.  The metal devil blade does not leave any burrs. There are others that I have used with success like Tenryu.  This was purchased at Industrial Metal Supplies.  Expensive but worth the money when you need a precise cut.  I've used these blades on a wood chop saw by delta for over 10 years without any issues.  I like the ability to miter cuts and wood chop saws have a better mitering system on their saws.  Good luck.  

 

You didnt mention about when you cut the Hardened steel..

The reason I asked abouit cutting ht SS is that all that I buy for blades comes annealed,,,

You cannot use a carbide tooth cut off saw for cutting heat treated steel.  Unless you like $100 ectomies. :o   I've found that for cutting hardened steels it's best to use a softer abrasive wheel.  It doesn't seem to build up heat as fast. 

The advantages of the carbide tooth chop saw make it a worth while tool to own, but like any tool use it properly.  

Cutting hardened steel is going to be exspencive no matter what you use. There's no free lunch. Carbide and tungsten tip tools can cut hard steel up to the point of hardness of the tip itself. The harder the steel and the faster the cut is made the faster the tool will break down. Abrasive saws are in the 3800s RPMs and work well. Carbide and tungsten saws can be run at high RPMs but they will heat up and have a short life.

If you use a low RPM saw ( 50 RPM ) that has a 1 HP motor or bigger and has a liquid cooling system your cut price will be much cheaper

Cheers for the replies folks.

 

I just dug a little deeper on the manufacturer's website and found a section I missed before about the stainless steel blade.

 

"Stainless Steel is the generic name given to a range of alloyed steels which are composed of steel, chromium and other materials. All Stainless Steels are extremely hard and notoriously difficult to cut.

 

Evolution's tests indicate that our blade will make approximately 5/6 cuts through 42/48mm outdoor grade Stainless Steel handrail before performance reduces significantly.

 

Performance and longevity of any Stainless Steel cutting blade will be directly related to the type of Stainless Steel being cut and the skill of the operator. The operator should allow the blade to do the work and not try to force the blade into the material by using excessive pressure. Gently does it is best!"

 

5 to 6 cuts from a £100 blade, no thanks. The hard stuff I cut is about 45mm solid round.

 

I'll save my pennies for an abrasive chop saw for that and just use this for mild.