Do You Still Use Your Abrasive Saw(s)

They have their place. Good if the material is chrome plated or case hardened, the abrasive saw doesn't care. Was making a metal railing a while back. Replaced the fixed jaw on the abrasive saw with a piece of angle iron long enough to set up a stop for the spindles. Worked like a charm.
But to be truthful it was the first time in over a year I dug it out from under the plasma table.

Greg
 
I use the abrasive when the band saw won't cut it.[/QUOTE


Had a big stainless job; lots of parts to cut. Went to the 7x12 band saw out of habit; it's dang accurate. Learned my lesson about half hour in after I fried the new blade. That's when you have to snap out of it and realize that you're using the wrong machine. 20 years experience at this stuff but sometimes I get tunnel vision. Got out the chop saw and it ran with no complaints; faster too, for the last couple days now. Messy, dirty, noisy but sometimes down and dirty is the only way to get it done. I never get rid of a tool; there is always a use for it that crops up and it will prove itself invaluable.
 
As Greg said, only for hard stuff. Otherwise it goes in the horizontal bandsaw.
 
I never much cared for an abrasive cutoff saw - for all the usual reasons - noisy, dirty, smelly etc.

I'm guessing 10-12 years ago Harbor Freight got a deal on refurbished DeWalt tools and they had a great price on the DeWalt cold saw.

Like a regular chop saw except designed for metal. Slow blade speed, carbide blade and a vise. Much better - probably just as noisy but cleaner cuts, no smell of blade adhesive and overall a better sawing experience. Fast, too.

Sold the abrasive cutoff saw at our next garage sale and never looked back.

Stu
 
I use around 100 6" abrasive cut off wheels a year and my plasma cutter and band saw blades
and around two 14" abrasive blades.
 
Between dry cut, cold cut saws, bandsaws, drop bandsaws and plasma cutters, my 14” Milwaukee chop saw, has sat unused for 8-10 years, hopefully it will stay that way until the close the casket lid. I hate them, poor cut quality, dirty, noisy and highly inaccurate, I guess they do serve a purpose, but none that I would use again. I had the saw on CL twice, no one showed any interest, now it just a plastic crate with stuff piled on it, in the basement.
 
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Im with Chris and got a dry cut saw. Evolution Rage 2. Carbide cuts fast clean and stays cool. I dont plan on ever using my Dewalt abrasive chop saw. I still use a grinder with cutoff wheels for some stuff.
 
Seems like I use it every day, soo many projects going on.
 
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