Band saw or chop saw

[Abunawwas]

Hey guys,
I'm looking to cut up to 8" 16ga steel tubing at up to a 45 degree angle. Needs to be a pretty precise cut. I was looking at band saws but am worried with something so big that the saw could easily get off track. Any suggestions? Thanks

[jmccustomknives]

If you are wanting to cut up to 8" diameter tubing then a band saw is the way to go.  They do make saws for this procedure.  If it was 4" or less then a chop saw wood do the trick.

[DSW]

My midsize horizontal bandsaw will handle 8" tube  but it needs a bit of help at the start since the saw is very vertical with something 8" tall in the saw. I think mine is rated at 12 x 6 or something close to that off the top of my head. I know it slices thru 8" cylinders without too much of a problem. I did have to attach a 2x2 1/4" chunk of angle iron as a "weight" to help the saw along for the 1st 1/3rd  of the cut. The way I have it riggedI wedge the angle in and start the cut, then 1/3rd of the way thru, I simply pull off the angle iron weight and it continues on it's own. If the hydraulic down feed was a bit less screwed up, the piston might be able to handle the added weight all the time, but right now if I don't remove it, the weight speeds up th esaw drop in the last 1/2 of it's fall and can bind the blade as it tries to cut too fast.

 

 

If you NEED a big saw, I'd look for a used industrial one. A buddy of mine managed to get a huge one dirt cheap. The saw was so large he couldn't swing the arm fully vertical in his 9' high ceilinged shop. However it would easily cut the angles on large wide flanges he needed cut for a few specialty jobs and the saw paid for itself almost immediately. One downside of the saw was that because it was a large saw, most blades were pretty course. If he needed a really fine toothed blade, he had to get them custom made for him, or weld up his own from bulk blade material ( the way he went eventually.) He did have his original small horizontal for small stock so it wasn't a big deal the other wasn't well suited for really thin stuff.

 

Look under used machinery in your area. If you added your location to your profile so we had some idea where you were located, some one might even be able to make a specific suggestion where to look.

[arftist]

You will not have much luck cutting 16 ga in a band saw. Aside from the great difficulty of clamping it in the saw (which could be overcome with enough ingenuity) band saw teeth are just too far apart. 

 

Here is the math;

 

16 ga =.0598"

1/32" =.03125

 

That is just over tooth per thickness. Unless you can find a finer tooth blade than 32 tpi you will have constant problems especially considering how flimsy 8"x16 ga tube is. 

 

I recommend a hand held angle grinder with an .045 high quality cutoff wheel. 

Alternatively a plasma cutter, cut slightly large the grind back to the line with 80 grit sanding wheel on an angle grinder with a flexible backer. 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I would stick with a band saw myself. Using a plug inside will help with the clamping. You can find fine pitch blades through industrial suppliers. Try Sawblades.com .

[iron quake]

Big Gun has the best idea. Super Cut bandsaw bimetal blades are fantastic and they will ship the same day. A wood plug will work just fine and needs only bridge across the center of the tube not the whole diameter, i.e 2x4. Adjust the blade guides as close to the work as you can and set the feed rate pretty slow, the rate will increase as the saw gets to horizontal so beware. A saw that pumps coolant will help you as well, any saw big enough to handle the material will have that.

[bosox]

Get yourself a band saw machine. You'll never regret it.

[Ironman50]

I bought a used 7*12 band saw in good price. Really functional and been using this for all my cutting application.