What is the safest way to load angle stock in either a chop saw or band saw for cutting? Both plates touching down so apex is up at 45 deg angle, or one plate vertical (away from operater) and the other flat?
What is the safest way to load angle stock in either a chop saw or band saw for cutting? Both plates touching down so apex is up at 45 deg angle, or one plate vertical (away from operater) and the other flat?
I was taught to turn the legs down and clamp them between the vise jaws. If you need to cut several pieces the same length we would either use a small heavy C-clamp or weld the other end of the stock. If it was thin material we might turn it on it's side and use a filler block so the vise wouldn't slip. The filler would be placed between the movable jaw and stock.
Filler could be anything from 2x2 piece of wood to a piece of scrap steel tubing. Just make sure the filler doesn't end up being cut to pieces.
+1 on the angle orientation. There is a caution however. This clamping orientation is unstable in that if the saw grabs it can pull the work up and free from the clamp. (see the two sketches) The first sketches depicts the setup. The second depicts a detailed view of the movable jaw clamping. If the workpiece lifts up slightly, it is free to continue rotating and will be loose. The typical design of cutoff saws places the clamping screw below the table which causes the fixed jaw to rotate slightly outward at the top which makes the situation worse. Normally the weight of the saw will prevent this but with a grab, the workpiece can jump.
The solution is to clamp more tightly so that the additional friction prevents the situation or to clamp the workpiece to the table with a C clamp or similar clamp.
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