Is a dry cut saw the same as a cold saw?

I have the DeWalt cut off saw with carbide blade for metal. It runs at 1400 rpm. If Susan intends to slow down the Everett to match the carbide blade rpm requirement, I feel like this would be a good approach. My DeWalt does and excellent job on mild steel up to 2" thick and does not make the kid of mess an abrasive saw does. I wish the base and vice on my saw were of better quality and perhaps she will have this advantage with the Everett. The only issue I can foresee is some loss of torque running the motor at lower speed but it sounds like she may replace the motor also.
Robert
 
The only experience I have with a "cold saw" was in a steel mill where we took 5X7 billets and converted them to 3/4 X 3/4 angles. Had a cold saw on the line in case we had a cobble and needed to cut a billet before it got to the flying shear. It was in no way related to what is being asked here and I just threw it out for the heck of it. BTW, the blade was around 48 inches diameter and the stand moved with the billet.

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Cold saw operates at much lower speeds then abrasive cut off wheel, so you are looking at running the motor at something like 6 Hz, and adding coolant not really very practical. There are dry carbide tipped metal cutting blades like the Diablo that are designed for cutoff saws operated at higher RPM, might be OK for aluminum or mild steel, but scare the crap out of me it they grab and trying to cut smaller stock. A 5 Hp motor with a toothed blade, I think I would soil my pants using it.

 
One thing to be wary of is the rated RPM differences between abrasive wheels and carbide tipped blades. They can be quite varied. And then more importantly, there are many differences in RPM in each product family depending on size, thickness and type.

Key point is that if you intend to use a blade that is not sold with the saw, make sure your blade is rated to stay at or below your motor RPM.


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I appreciate the words of caution in regards to speed.
 
The only experience I have with a "cold saw" was in a steel mill where we took 5X7 billets and converted them to 3/4 X 3/4 angles. Had a cold saw on the line in case we had a cobble and needed to cut a billet before it got to the flying shear. It was in no way related to what is being asked here and I just threw it out for the heck of it. BTW, the blade was around 48 inches diameter and the stand moved with the billet.

w it down may not be a viable option. Cold saw is a different animal. If you are cutting a lot of metal stock a horizontal metal bandsaw would probably be a better option with less mess and noise. The Everett chop saw are not inexpensive, I would assume they have a good resale value (or trade).
Understood, but I was planning on using carbide metal cutting blades that, I believe, were made for 2000-2400 rpm. So, when I saw I plan on going slow
I think Susan's intention is to use a VFD on an abrasive chop saw with the intention of using a dry saw blade. I'm not certain on the Everett, but I'm guessing 3450RPM or higher.

In contrast, I have an Evolution 380 that runs at a no load speed of 1450 RPM and the 14" carbide tipped blade is rated for max speed of 1600RPM.

The Everett website has a lot of useful information. I didn't know much about them so thanks Susan for introducing me to yet another potential machine to look out for!

Here is a link to their page on saw selection. Sounds like a phone call might be helpful to them.

What's your opinion of your Evolution saw?
 
What's your opinion of your Evolution saw?

Highly recommend. I’ve had it for about a year and have made, many, many cuts all in steel. I have the 14” 66T carbide blade just ordered a spare since I have a couple of projects going right now.

You have to wear earmuffs. I also wear a face shield just in case.

The other thing I like is that it is fast, no dust just chips.


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Cold saw operates at much lower speeds then abrasive cut off wheel, so you are looking at running the motor at something like 6 Hz, and adding coolant not really very practical. There are dry carbide tipped metal cutting blades like the Diablo that are designed for cutoff saws operated at higher RPM, might be OK for aluminum or mild steel, but scare the crap out of me it they grab and trying to cut smaller stock. A 5 Hp motor with a toothed blade, I think I would soil my pants using it.

For a brief second, quite awhile ago, I had the crazy idea of making a metal cutting saw out of a Dewalt radial arm saw after visiting The Original Saw company's website.


I recall reading somewhere that they originally took Dewalt's old metal cutting radial arm saws, and upgraded the electro-mechanical brake, and added a VFD. Their 16" model retails for about $7,700!!!

Anyways, after looking at their brochure for this saw, and seeing how they had their pneaumatic clamps were set up, and how they used T-slotted aluminum extrusions for manual clamping ,it made me feel that anyone, with enough initiative, can make the same saw for waaaay less than $7,700.

However, even though I occasionally saw some of those rare old black Dewalt metal cutting radial arm saws for sale on Craigslist at steal prices , the reality of my 1-car garage (with a table saw that I still need to get rid off), stopped me from pursuing that project. Hence, I picked up this Everett saw instead.

I have a cute little vintage 12" power hacksaw (with little cast iron legs that look like lathe legs) that I plan on using. This Everett saw will be for those times when the little hacksaw is too slow or small.
 

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Highly recommend. I’ve had it for about a year and have made, many, many cuts all in steel. I have the 14” 66T carbide blade just ordered a spare since I have a couple of projects going right now.

You have to wear earmuffs. I also wear a face shield just in case.

The other thing I like is that it is fast, no dust just chips.


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I picked up from a pawn shop awhile ago, an Evolution Rage multi-material 14" circular saw. This size model was only sold outside of the United States for some reason, and I only used the multi-cutting blade on wood so far. I was thinking I might get more use out of it by installing a steel cutting blade, and clamping it between 2 Workmates (where you can fold up one jaw so in clamps vertically). So, with the use of a straight edge, and my 2 Workmate 400's clamping the steel at both ends, I might not kill myself should I try to cut a piece too long for my other 2 saws. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea, please let me know :)
 
I picked up a Jepson mitering Dry cut saw a couple years ago. The 10" blade spins at 1500rpm. It does a nice job and I usually use it mostly for miter cuts.
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The minimal screw clamps on the Jepson do a very sufficient job of holding the piece of metal being cut. I certainly would never use it without the work piece being clamped down.

For 90 degree cuts I prefer my Wells bandsaw.

For the OP I would consider changing the pulleys on that abrasive saw to get the blade speed down to ~1500rpm for use with a dry cut blade. A VFD will reduce the speed but you will also loose torque and power. At the right blade speed I think that abrasive saw would make a very nice dry cut saw. That long handle should allow you good control over the speed of the cut. You don't want to put much pressure at all on a dry saw while it is cutting or you will chip and loose teeth. The long handle should allow for moving the blade down slower during the cut. Dry cut saws slice off pretty big chips that come off red hot. Dry cut saws are supposed to put the heat of the cut into the chip instead of the piece of metal being cut which minimizes distortion. Having the red hot chips hit uncovered skin is not a fun sensation.

I have a 3ph 12" Walker Turner 3hp Radial Arm Saw with a heavy cast iron base that I run with a VFD. I was going to use a 12" dry cut blade on it but there isn't enough torque by the time I slowed the blade speed down and it stalls when using a dry cut blade. I run abrasive blades at ~3600rpm on it now. I paid $50 for the WT RAS rust bucket then replaced all the bearings and stripped and repainted the whole thing. I have a 7.5hp 16" Redstar RAS that I use for woodworking so I will probably sell off the Walker Turner.
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I have a dry saw (Makita LC1230) and it's pretty handy - its my go-to for many types of cuts. It runs at 1700RPM and the cuts are smoooooth. Downside is that you can only cut ferrous metals; SS and AL will kill the typical blades used for these. I've never looked to see if they made blades specifically for other types of metal. I also avoid very thick stock: HBS for those cuts.

I think if you were able to get the speed to ~1400RPM you'd have a solid platform for a dry saw. I'd make sure you can find decent 12" blades though; every dry saw I've seen is 14". It looks like the Everett can't miter? I use the miter all the time b/c my typical use is for square tube and angle iron for frames. I'm sure you could rig up a fixture-type table or new sub-base with a rotating fence though.
 
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