Because I’m disabled I usually work with thinner steel so my main cutting choices are my cut off wheel and air saw. However, I'm giving some serious thought to a plasma cutter though. The one that always amazes me is watching people from the Indian sub continent cut thinner steels such as 18 gauge with cold chisels. They work incredibly fast and get accurate clean cuts. Great video, thank you.
Really enjoying your vids man. Can you in the future do a review on welding helmets and maybe explain some of the differences between budget and higher end models? Cheers.
One thing worth noting is that a cheap saw can be dramatically improved by a high-quality blade. I really like Diablo for circular saw blades and abrasive cutoff wheels.
I bought a little King portable band saw earlier this year, and at the same time picked up the stand that King makes that attaches to the saw to turn it into a horizontal band saw. It works *really* well. Like your Wen, it isn't the fastest thing in the world but for someone on a budget and (most importantly) a small shop, it's a great option. I'll likely get or build a stand to use it vertically too one of these days.
🤦♂️ I thought selecting a welding machine was a drag. But finding a versatile and reasonably economical cutting device is a double drag. Thanks for your insight.
I have most of these cutting tools in my shop. Just acquired a cheap inverter plasma cutter. Thanks for the bonus tip about using online CNC cutting services. As I have run out of room to keep all of these cutting tools around 😅
Man, this was great. Ive been hobby welding for a year or so and thought i knew what what was out there by now. But nope! 2 or 3 eye openers in this video. Thanks for sharing your valuable experience mang.
Thanks Tim for another great video. I've moved over to pulse mig with a Cebora pocket pulse and over the past 2 years have found it a brilliant allround technique especially with alluminium. Keep up the good work. Graham UK
For the horizontal band saw, they usually have a movable "stabilizer" it goes on the blade to keep it from twisting and messing up your square cut, just move it close to your steel and let the saw work it's way threw,
well... I really like your detail explanation of all tools... I am new on your channel... I want to learn more from you about welding and cutting and grinding tools... I AM YOUR SUBSCRIBER NOW... from INDIA...
The toothed cold cut saw or dry cut as you say throws huge and HOT chips. I have to wear long cuff welding gloves and a face shield. It sucks. But it makes the best and cleanest cuts you could ask for. I think the only thing I’d rather have is a high quality horizontal/vertical band saw. I have the one from HF and it doesn’t make square cuts to save its life. Or mine lol
@@rpavlik1 I tend to use a vise and change the blade position. Most recip saws have four positions for the blade. I have clamped the material to my workbench to get a good cutting angle. I would admit that a straight cut can be difficult. At Lowe's, I use my battery-powered recip saw to cut rebar to fit into my p/u. A drill press vise clamped to a wide board can assist with mobile cutting. I hope this helps . . .
Incredible video, really helpful. Having an angle grinder and a plasma cutter already, I was looking for the next cutting tool especially for aluminium construction profiles. Couldn't decide between portable bandsaw and horizontal bandsaw before, but the idea to DIY/buy a stand for the portable bandsaw later on is awesome - so I know what to get now, thanks! :-)
I would love to see a review on the Milwaukee handheld circular saw for cutting metal. The price is dropped from $900 to about $299. I got mine at Northern tool equipment but have not tried it yet.
I love my diamond wheels. The time you lose with the slower cutting speed, you more than get back by having a full size wheel for every cut, for the whole cut, without having to change them out. Plus, diamond wheels don't explode in your face or crack, causing kickback accidents. The only time I prefer an abrasive cutting disc is when I need a really narrow kerf, like cutting out tacks on an open root.
Great video! Super useful topic, too, that I think goes ignored by bigger channels because they take it for granted, but I'm pretty sure I used my grinder with cutting wheel for longer than my welding gun during my last project. I'm terrified of the cut off wheels on a grinder exploding all over, so I got a diamond blade when I saw it on the rack when I went to buy my new grinder. Pretty happy with it so far, it did raise a small burr but it came off with a single stroke of the file. Hard to know how much pressure to put on the grinder when using it, though, any tips? I see a lot of those Evolution dry cut saws on UA-cam, they seem pretty slick. Maybe someday. Video idea: how to clean off slag and spatter (from stick or flux core) - can't seem to do it as well as the videos show. Another idea: how to hold thin round stock for welding? The little magnet squares don't really hold... Ron Covell does wonders cutting with his jigsaw, though I think mostly aluminum... I like the little Subscribe on the CNC. A diy CNC might be more likely than other things in my future.
I’ve had a wheel blow on a chop saw once at work. The saw contained it, but it got my attention really fast. I’ve never had one go on an angle grinder, but avoiding that possibility is a benefit of the diamond wheels. I’m a bit impatient, so I probably apply too much pressure a lot of the time, but it goes better when I make sure the motor doesn’t bog down and let the tool do the work. Thanks for comment and the video ideas!
@@TimWelds makes sense, thanks for the reply! To me they look like big versions of Dremel wheels, and those spend more time exploding than cutting, so that's probably part of my problem 😁 I have heard to not cheap out on grinder wheels, since they spin so fast: cheap out on the grinder if you must but get good wheels. Of course, by the time I heard that I already had a bunch of cheap wheels...
@@rpavlik1 I have learned to buy good wheels if I can. I have switched to my local welding shop for wheels because they seem to be better. I have Dewalt wheels as backups. No more Harbor Frieght wheels for me . . . YMMV.
@@danielchambers1958 yup. I was actually looking on AirGas Outlet the other day for no good reason and they had good quality abrasives for pretty darn cheap on there too
Believe it or not dull wood circular saw blades work great on aluminum plate as the larger tooth angle of the dulled saw teeth just about the right angle for that job. We had to cut very large sheets to be welded into leveling boxes for aircraft assembly much to large for chop or band saws or electric cutoffs would have been too slow.
Tim, Thanks for the thorough info on cutting tools. I have an extremely large welding table that is 1” thick steel. I want to cut it into 3 separate tables; two cuts. What is the best tool to cut through 1” plate? Each cut will be 48” long.
I would use an oxy-acetylene torch with an edge guide to make the cut nice and straight. It will need a big enough tip and tanks to cut that thickness (the acetylene is dissolved in the tank to keep it stable, so the rate of flow depends on the tank size). If it’s a one time deal and you don’t want to buy all the stuff, almost all mobile welding trucks have a torch setup and could make the cuts in less than an hour if you have everything supported and ready to go.
Wondering what a good option to cut down a steel pipe support for a basketball backboard next to my driveway would be? Besides being tall, it's about 3-4in diameter. It has a weird vertical crack in it and we don't use it anyway. The base is mounted in concrete next to the asphalt.
Buying a house soon, well moving in soon, and these types of videos and you channel is why i pay your internet and youtube premium, heres my like and subscribe....
I'm a 2nd year welding student. At home I have a stick welder/TIG and and flux core machine, but plan on getting a nice multiprocess machine later this year. I'm also taking TIG classes this year. Once I'm done with classes I want to do lots of projects at home (TIG and MIG). My question is I have been looking for affordable gas cylinders. An argon tank for TIG and an 80/20 for MIG. I've talked to local welding shops and they all say it's more affordable to buy a 250cf tank (compared to a 125cf). A buddy who owns a fab shop has a few extra cylinders he's willing to sell me much cheaper than the welding shop. He has two 125cf and he wants $200 each, and one 250cf that he wants $250 for. The 125cf tanks would be more convenient because I could mount both on a welding cart with all my welders. Or should I just bite the bullet and get the 250cf and a 125cf? If I did that, would it better to run the 80/20 in the 250cf or would you expect that I'd go through more argon than 80/20?
There's no wrong answer here, but here's where I've ended up. I only buy 125s. They're just easier to handle and move around, but still last long enough to be worth it. I have multiple of each so that I never have to rush to the gas supplier in the middle of a job. As far as usage goes, I use more Argon with TIG compared to C25 by a factor of 5 to 1. A lot of this has to do with running large cups and a lot of postflow. That price seems reasonable, just make sure they are blank neck cylinders that you will be able to exchange.
Even better than the plasma table is a water jet table because it doesn't heat warp the parts. Only problem is that they're ungodly expensive. I wonder where you could send out for that service.
Rookie question. I used a 125mm angle grinder with a new Dwalt black cutting wheel, using an adapter that made it look like the abrasive chop saw. With flat 6mm/30mm metal it took roughly 7 minutes for me to cut on and off to let it cool. Does that seem slow? It does to me.
That’s insanely slow, it should be about 20 seconds. Are you cutting on the flat side? That can cause things to heat up and glaze over. Cutting on the short edge will be better in a fixture like that.
I use a cordless ryobi miter saw from home depot for $109 with a diablo metal cutting blade ($30), its ok but the hold down arm clamp thing is junk, its too far from the blade. Its battery operated so limited amount of cuts. I like your small trajan chop saw though, i think its better than what i'm using. Was thinking of getting the ryobi cordless band saw but the cutting area is only 2.5"
Thank you for the video , my question is about the vertical bandsaw I understand that it is possible to do curved cuts and all , how about cutting carbone fiber bords or parts would it do a clean and neat cut i guess that would depend on the blade selection. Any info on that you can share ? i am looking into finding a way to cut CF parts other than a dremel , it is hard to stabilize and get good constant results , TY & Cheers
Cool, you didn't mention a power hack saw, I knew someone with a machine shop who would cut his stock with one if possible. Admittedly slower but once set up and cutting he could leave it alone and do other tasks as it would shut itself off after cutting through the stock thus actually saving time even though the tool was slower than others.
Nice video. Can you tell me where you got your small cylinders for your torch and who refills them for you? I know Home Depot and Lowe’s sale some but I heard some don’t have the dot 3 stamp on it so places won’t refill them. Thanks!
I think you'll be fine. I used a compressor like (4.6 CFM @ 90 PSI) that for a long time and it worked pretty good for me. I could run it out of air with the CNC table, but it didn't happen very often. I now have a 20 gallon tank with a higher output pump (12 CFM at 90 PSI) and it can refill and shut back off with the plasma cutter running.
Hi from Goa India. Will probably be buying my first welding machine thanks to your very good instructional/informative videos. My query: What is that work table with the holes that you use called? Is it possible to work on a wooden table instead whilst welding or metal cutting?
I have a wooden workbench but have it covered with a sheet metal top. I also added angle iron around the outside of the wooden frame and that too is covered by the sheet metal. It gives a great place to clamp things while welding or cutting.
Great video, as we have come to expect from you. You mentioned the problem with the chips from the dry-cut chop saw. I don't have such a saw so my idea is purely theoretical. Would it help to have a large and powerful magnet just behind the cutting area to catch the chips? If the magnet is inserted into a plastic bag, the magnet is kept clean and the chips can be disposed of by simply removing the magnet from the bag.
The carbide toothed chop saw is my go to. I did a comparison on 3 Evolution saws recently on my channel if you want to see a bit more about some different models.
How is it possible with thermal methods to cut something to exact size? I imagine the part of the material melted or burnt away is different depending on several factors like room temperature, cutting speed etc. This is really one of my biggest questions, especially if talking about cut outs from plates. For cutting profiles we had a large, very slowly running chopsaw with coolant in the metal workshop of a theatre I was working for. That one was very effective and easy to use. But also VERY large.
It does vary, but not as much as you would think. For a given material thickness and speed, the kerf width on my CNC is consistent within about 0.005". The main variation comes because it has to slow down to change directions. When setting up a tool path for CNC cutting, the software offsets to compensate for the kerf width. For hand cutting, the machine is as good as I am. That chop saw sounds awesome!
How do I keep the angle grinder from bouncing around when I start the cut? No matter how slow I go, the blade always walks around before it gets a bite, frustrates me to no end!
Sounds like you may not have your wheel centered on the shaft using the proper spacer or you may need a different type of wheel. With the right wheel running true, it should sink right in.
Awesome! He lived in Gooding. It was basically the middle of nowhere, but I loved going there as a kid. I got to drive his tractor and shoot my BB gun all day long.
Ok, so my objections to friction saws and blades is everything you say, but also that they’re very unhealthy. There is powder from the metal, fiberglass and abrasive that lingers in the air sometimes an hour, or more, depending on how fine the powder is. It gets ALL over the shop. The fiberglass and abrasive powder is also carcinogenic. ALWAYS wear a good quality dust mask when using these things. Never use a friction blade in a carbide blade saw because it doesn’t spin quickly enough, won’t cut properly and will heat the metals almost to red heat. Never never use a carbide blade in a friction saw. Those blades are rated for, at most 1300-1600 rpm. A friction saw can run up to 5000 rpm. The blade can fling teeth at high speed all over the shop, and into you. The bearings aren’t made for the needed accuracy of these blades, and they will vibrate. Also, don’t use aluminum cutting blades for steel, ever. The teeth can break out. Steel cutting blades shouldn’t be used for aluminum because the aluminum will stick to, and weld to the teeth, which will stop the cutting, and damage the blade. Stainless will wear a steel blade quickly. Get a blade for SS and steel. A Diablo ceramic blade isn’t expensive and works well. By the way, because there’s confusion about acetylene /oxygen cutting torches. While you can weld steel with and other metals, you can only cut iron based metals.
@@TimWelds cool I got rid of mine Loved the cuts Tried evolution Olshin Freud And a couple other brands of blade All went dull in a few cuts like 1/16” thick tubing angle I was going to get a frequency drive to slow the blade but I just sold it I’m glad you like it I’m all band saw all the time Like your Chanel though
You can learn to weld. I'll show you exactly what to do in my affordable online welding courses at courses.timwelds.com.
I like your works sir TimWelds i have learned a lot from your videos, God bless you from Zimbabwe
Use cutting oil with the hacksaw. Makes a HUGE difference in the speed and ease of cutting, also saves the blade from premature wear.
Because I’m disabled I usually work with thinner steel so my main cutting choices are my cut off wheel and air saw. However, I'm giving some serious thought to a plasma cutter though. The one that always amazes me is watching people from the Indian sub continent cut thinner steels such as 18 gauge with cold chisels. They work incredibly fast and get accurate clean cuts.
Great video, thank you.
Really enjoying your vids man. Can you in the future do a review on welding helmets and maybe explain some of the differences between budget and higher end models? Cheers.
You are a stellar teacher. Thank you for your videos. Not only is it educational but you are great at speaking. +1 subscriber here. Cheers.
One thing worth noting is that a cheap saw can be dramatically improved by a high-quality blade. I really like Diablo for circular saw blades and abrasive cutoff wheels.
I bought a little King portable band saw earlier this year, and at the same time picked up the stand that King makes that attaches to the saw to turn it into a horizontal band saw. It works *really* well. Like your Wen, it isn't the fastest thing in the world but for someone on a budget and (most importantly) a small shop, it's a great option. I'll likely get or build a stand to use it vertically too one of these days.
Very cool! Thanks for watching and for the comment.
🤦♂️ I thought selecting a welding machine was a drag. But finding a versatile and reasonably economical cutting device is a double drag.
Thanks for your insight.
As a woodworker, made the mistake of one day working with metal, and now I'm on a huge metal kick. Love the material! lol
Same here dude
Same bro
Great video as usual Tim 👍🏼 thanks for sharing all the information. Someone new into working with metal can gain quite a bit from this.
I have most of these cutting tools in my shop. Just acquired a cheap inverter plasma cutter. Thanks for the bonus tip about using online CNC cutting services. As I have run out of room to keep all of these cutting tools around 😅
Man, this was great. Ive been hobby welding for a year or so and thought i knew what what was out there by now. But nope! 2 or 3 eye openers in this video. Thanks for sharing your valuable experience mang.
Grateful for learn more about cutting tools!
I keep drooling all over the idea of getting a CNC plasma table
Great explanation and clear comparison
Thanks Tim for another great video.
I've moved over to pulse mig with a Cebora pocket pulse and over the past 2 years have found it a brilliant allround technique especially with alluminium.
Keep up the good work.
Graham UK
Harbor Freight portable band saw works really well IF you ditch the blade that comes with it. I like the Milwaukee blades.
Awesome. Very comprehensive.
I love my Fein Slugger. Great saw!!!
Awesome! Those look really nice!
Great summary! Got to find that cnc video you teased...
I found this super helpful thanks
Jason
For the horizontal band saw, they usually have a movable "stabilizer" it goes on the blade to keep it from twisting and messing up your square cut, just move it close to your steel and let the saw work it's way threw,
Great video man, new sub trying to up my welding game.
Thanks!
Thanks Tim, awesome as always!
Thanks for the very efficient description.
Thank you for the videos. Number 12. Waterjet cutting
clear explain... good learn... thanks!!
Before I had a saw, I turned the good ol tombstone to 225 and burned through with the rod. Works quite well.
you got me with the subscribe cut out. im all in. i look forward to watching more videos!
well... I really like your detail explanation of all tools... I am new on your channel... I want to learn more from you about welding and cutting and grinding tools... I AM YOUR SUBSCRIBER NOW... from INDIA...
The reason I prefer band saws over all others is there are no sparks. Being a home shop I try to reduce the chances of fire as much as possible.
excellent video !! congratulations
Really liked and needed to see this video, thanks real useful video.
very helpful, thankyou
The toothed cold cut saw or dry cut as you say throws huge and HOT chips. I have to wear long cuff welding gloves and a face shield. It sucks. But it makes the best and cleanest cuts you could ask for. I think the only thing I’d rather have is a high quality horizontal/vertical band saw. I have the one from HF and it doesn’t make square cuts to save its life. Or mine lol
Brilliant, thank you.
Just stumbled across your videos. Thank you for a great job, explained very well. Very educational.
Amazing tutorial this is.thanks
Hey Tim..... I have used a recip saw with a diablo carbon blade..... works on 3/8 plate.... good video!
How do you hold the workpiece for the recip saw? I've got one, so I'd be thrilled to find out another way to use it.
Awesome! I used to work on railings and used a recip saw a lot to tear out old stuff; they work great!
@@rpavlik1 I tend to use a vise and change the blade position. Most recip saws have four positions for the blade. I have clamped the material to my workbench to get a good cutting angle. I would admit that a straight cut can be difficult. At Lowe's, I use my battery-powered recip saw to cut rebar to fit into my p/u. A drill press vise clamped to a wide board can assist with mobile cutting. I hope this helps . . .
@@danielchambers1958 you bet, thanks! I like the idea of mounting the drill press vise on a panel, too. Gonna do that for sure.
Incredible video, really helpful. Having an angle grinder and a plasma cutter already, I was looking for the next cutting tool especially for aluminium construction profiles. Couldn't decide between portable bandsaw and horizontal bandsaw before, but the idea to DIY/buy a stand for the portable bandsaw later on is awesome - so I know what to get now, thanks! :-)
Thanx Tim
I would love to see a review on the Milwaukee handheld circular saw for cutting metal. The price is dropped from $900 to about $299. I got mine at Northern tool equipment but have not tried it yet.
One more useful tool for drill rod etc: 42 inch Knipex Bolt Cutters
I love my new metal devil 9in circular saw
Cordless grinder replaced the hacksaw
I love my diamond wheels. The time you lose with the slower cutting speed, you more than get back by having a full size wheel for every cut, for the whole cut, without having to change them out. Plus, diamond wheels don't explode in your face or crack, causing kickback accidents. The only time I prefer an abrasive cutting disc is when I need a really narrow kerf, like cutting out tacks on an open root.
are there any type of saw for metal like mitter saw for woodworkers to cut metal into any angle?
Great video! Super useful topic, too, that I think goes ignored by bigger channels because they take it for granted, but I'm pretty sure I used my grinder with cutting wheel for longer than my welding gun during my last project.
I'm terrified of the cut off wheels on a grinder exploding all over, so I got a diamond blade when I saw it on the rack when I went to buy my new grinder. Pretty happy with it so far, it did raise a small burr but it came off with a single stroke of the file. Hard to know how much pressure to put on the grinder when using it, though, any tips?
I see a lot of those Evolution dry cut saws on UA-cam, they seem pretty slick. Maybe someday.
Video idea: how to clean off slag and spatter (from stick or flux core) - can't seem to do it as well as the videos show. Another idea: how to hold thin round stock for welding? The little magnet squares don't really hold...
Ron Covell does wonders cutting with his jigsaw, though I think mostly aluminum...
I like the little Subscribe on the CNC. A diy CNC might be more likely than other things in my future.
I’ve had a wheel blow on a chop saw once at work. The saw contained it, but it got my attention really fast. I’ve never had one go on an angle grinder, but avoiding that possibility is a benefit of the diamond wheels.
I’m a bit impatient, so I probably apply too much pressure a lot of the time, but it goes better when I make sure the motor doesn’t bog down and let the tool do the work.
Thanks for comment and the video ideas!
@@TimWelds makes sense, thanks for the reply! To me they look like big versions of Dremel wheels, and those spend more time exploding than cutting, so that's probably part of my problem 😁 I have heard to not cheap out on grinder wheels, since they spin so fast: cheap out on the grinder if you must but get good wheels. Of course, by the time I heard that I already had a bunch of cheap wheels...
@@rpavlik1 I have learned to buy good wheels if I can. I have switched to my local welding shop for wheels because they seem to be better. I have Dewalt wheels as backups. No more Harbor Frieght wheels for me . . . YMMV.
@@danielchambers1958 yup. I was actually looking on AirGas Outlet the other day for no good reason and they had good quality abrasives for pretty darn cheap on there too
Believe it or not dull wood circular saw blades work great on aluminum plate as the larger tooth angle of the dulled saw teeth just about the right angle for that job. We had to cut very large sheets to be welded into leveling boxes for aircraft assembly much to large for chop or band saws or electric cutoffs would have been too slow.
Thanks! I would add an electric nibbler and a shear can be helpful. Keep up the great videos!
The portable bandsaw vs the small horizontal bandsaw, if you could only have one which would you choose?
Tim, Thanks for the thorough info on cutting tools. I have an extremely large welding table that is 1” thick steel. I want to cut it into 3 separate tables; two cuts. What is the best tool to cut through 1” plate? Each cut will be 48” long.
I would use an oxy-acetylene torch with an edge guide to make the cut nice and straight. It will need a big enough tip and tanks to cut that thickness (the acetylene is dissolved in the tank to keep it stable, so the rate of flow depends on the tank size). If it’s a one time deal and you don’t want to buy all the stuff, almost all mobile welding trucks have a torch setup and could make the cuts in less than an hour if you have everything supported and ready to go.
Wondering what a good option to cut down a steel pipe support for a basketball backboard next to my driveway would be? Besides being tall, it's about 3-4in diameter. It has a weird vertical crack in it and we don't use it anyway. The base is mounted in concrete next to the asphalt.
My vote is for a video about the small CNC plasma cutter.
Buying a house soon, well moving in soon, and these types of videos and you channel is why i pay your internet and youtube premium, heres my like and subscribe....
Does your buddy down the street have a video of his portaband to horizontal bandsaw build?
I'm a 2nd year welding student. At home I have a stick welder/TIG and and flux core machine, but plan on getting a nice multiprocess machine later this year. I'm also taking TIG classes this year. Once I'm done with classes I want to do lots of projects at home (TIG and MIG). My question is I have been looking for affordable gas cylinders. An argon tank for TIG and an 80/20 for MIG. I've talked to local welding shops and they all say it's more affordable to buy a 250cf tank (compared to a 125cf). A buddy who owns a fab shop has a few extra cylinders he's willing to sell me much cheaper than the welding shop. He has two 125cf and he wants $200 each, and one 250cf that he wants $250 for. The 125cf tanks would be more convenient because I could mount both on a welding cart with all my welders. Or should I just bite the bullet and get the 250cf and a 125cf? If I did that, would it better to run the 80/20 in the 250cf or would you expect that I'd go through more argon than 80/20?
There's no wrong answer here, but here's where I've ended up. I only buy 125s. They're just easier to handle and move around, but still last long enough to be worth it. I have multiple of each so that I never have to rush to the gas supplier in the middle of a job. As far as usage goes, I use more Argon with TIG compared to C25 by a factor of 5 to 1. A lot of this has to do with running large cups and a lot of postflow. That price seems reasonable, just make sure they are blank neck cylinders that you will be able to exchange.
@@TimWelds Thanks!!
Even better than the plasma table is a water jet table because it doesn't heat warp the parts. Only problem is that they're ungodly expensive. I wonder where you could send out for that service.
Rookie question. I used a 125mm angle grinder with a new Dwalt black cutting wheel, using an adapter that made it look like the abrasive chop saw. With flat 6mm/30mm metal it took roughly 7 minutes for me to cut on and off to let it cool. Does that seem slow? It does to me.
That’s insanely slow, it should be about 20 seconds. Are you cutting on the flat side? That can cause things to heat up and glaze over. Cutting on the short edge will be better in a fixture like that.
@@TimWelds thanks tim yeah it was the flat side. I'll try as you suggested
What about the Snipping tools? For sheet metal ?
Where can I buy that cnc plasma cutting table? The one with the subscribe sign. I'm starting a small business and need one rush. Thanks!
I use a cordless ryobi miter saw from home depot for $109 with a diablo metal cutting blade ($30), its ok but the hold down arm clamp thing is junk, its too far from the blade. Its battery operated so limited amount of cuts. I like your small trajan chop saw though, i think its better than what i'm using. Was thinking of getting the ryobi cordless band saw but the cutting area is only 2.5"
Thank you for the video , my question is about the vertical bandsaw I understand that it is possible to do curved cuts and all , how about cutting carbone fiber bords or parts would it do a clean and neat cut i guess that would depend on the blade selection. Any info on that you can share ? i am looking into finding a way to cut CF parts other than a dremel , it is hard to stabilize and get good constant results , TY & Cheers
I know this video is three years old, but Harbor Freight now has a table that will convert your porta band into a horizontal band saw.
the swivel on the horizontal makes it easier to cut long material
How long do the dry cut blades last?
Cool, you didn't mention a power hack saw, I knew someone with a machine shop who would cut his stock with one if possible. Admittedly slower but once set up and cutting he could
leave it alone and do other tasks as it would shut itself off after cutting through the stock thus actually saving time even though the tool was slower than others.
Nice video. Can you tell me where you got your small cylinders for your torch and who refills them for you? I know Home Depot and Lowe’s sale some but I heard some don’t have the dot 3 stamp on it so places won’t refill them. Thanks!
How much this plasma cutter cost where to buy? a need to make 50mm holes in square tubes
Hi Tim. What kind of air requirements do you need for the plasma cutter? I’m thinking about buying a BestArc and have a 20 gallon v twin compressor.
I think you'll be fine. I used a compressor like (4.6 CFM @ 90 PSI) that for a long time and it worked pretty good for me. I could run it out of air with the CNC table, but it didn't happen very often. I now have a 20 gallon tank with a higher output pump (12 CFM at 90 PSI) and it can refill and shut back off with the plasma cutter running.
@@TimWelds great! Thanks for the response!
Hi from Goa India. Will probably be buying my first welding machine thanks to your very good instructional/informative videos.
My query: What is that work table with the holes that you use called? Is it possible to work on a wooden table instead whilst welding or metal cutting?
I have a wooden workbench but have it covered with a sheet metal top. I also added angle iron around the outside of the wooden frame and that too is covered by the sheet metal. It gives a great place to clamp things while welding or cutting.
Great video, as we have come to expect from you. You mentioned the problem with the chips from the dry-cut chop saw. I don't have such a saw so my idea is purely theoretical.
Would it help to have a large and powerful magnet just behind the cutting area to catch the chips? If the magnet is inserted into a plastic bag, the magnet is kept clean and the chips can be disposed of by simply removing the magnet from the bag.
Hey Tim,
What do you recommend for cutting miters to join corners with welding?
The carbide toothed chop saw is my go to. I did a comparison on 3 Evolution saws recently on my channel if you want to see a bit more about some different models.
@@TimWelds Thank you Tim, I will check it out now.
How is it possible with thermal methods to cut something to exact size? I imagine the part of the material melted or burnt away is different depending on several factors like room temperature, cutting speed etc.
This is really one of my biggest questions, especially if talking about cut outs from plates.
For cutting profiles we had a large, very slowly running chopsaw with coolant in the metal workshop of a theatre I was working for. That one was very effective and easy to use. But also VERY large.
It does vary, but not as much as you would think. For a given material thickness and speed, the kerf width on my CNC is consistent within about 0.005". The main variation comes because it has to slow down to change directions. When setting up a tool path for CNC cutting, the software offsets to compensate for the kerf width. For hand cutting, the machine is as good as I am.
That chop saw sounds awesome!
That’s really interesting. I thought it would vary much more. Thanks for the answer. Oh and happy Easter.
Its just the thickness and the blade size. 1in is the smallest i would go for bandsaw
Start with cold chisels then save money on plasma torches. I would sell handforged chisels for a plasma cutter with the help of my rocket stove.
How do I keep the angle grinder from bouncing around when I start the cut? No matter how slow I go, the blade always walks around before it gets a bite, frustrates me to no end!
Sounds like you may not have your wheel centered on the shaft using the proper spacer or you may need a different type of wheel. With the right wheel running true, it should sink right in.
what Tim said but it also does require a steady hand to hit the mark
@@TimWelds Thanks!
No water jet?
17:28 What the !!!!! was that a Dalek in the video??? XD
My old Fein vacuums look like Daleks. Unfortunately, the new ones don’t.
Definitely. They had a coupon for Daleks at Harbor Freight, so I picked one up.
"subscribe" cut out 😂❤
you forgot to do water jet 😌
haha the cutting table "subscribe"
alright fine. i will.
Cool
Thanks!
Harbor friend angle grinder is the best angle grinder.
you are cutting the angle iron @6:43 at the wrong angle. Start at 90 degree angle
Dude I live in Idaho!!!! Where did your grandpa live?
Awesome! He lived in Gooding. It was basically the middle of nowhere, but I loved going there as a kid. I got to drive his tractor and shoot my BB gun all day long.
@@TimWelds I was hoping you lived here too lol. That’s cool. Grew up in star before it became a hotspot. Same deal
Anyone knows if someone make a carbide tipped 14 inch blade that can be used on conventional chop saws, ( High RPM) instead of the abrasive blade?
er and where is the best tool of all for cutting bar and anle and most anything, the cold cut super brown , better than all those blaes
Spt the gap in the constant chitchat :)
Good review but I thought you'd touch on the good old guillotine!
Ok, so my objections to friction saws and blades is everything you say, but also that they’re very unhealthy. There is powder from the metal, fiberglass and abrasive that lingers in the air sometimes an hour, or more, depending on how fine the powder is. It gets ALL over the shop. The fiberglass and abrasive powder is also carcinogenic. ALWAYS wear a good quality dust mask when using these things.
Never use a friction blade in a carbide blade saw because it doesn’t spin quickly enough, won’t cut properly and will heat the metals almost to red heat. Never never use a carbide blade in a friction saw. Those blades are rated for, at most 1300-1600 rpm. A friction saw can run up to 5000 rpm. The blade can fling teeth at high speed all over the shop, and into you. The bearings aren’t made for the needed accuracy of these blades, and they will vibrate. Also, don’t use aluminum cutting blades for steel, ever. The teeth can break out. Steel cutting blades shouldn’t be used for aluminum because the aluminum will stick to, and weld to the teeth, which will stop the cutting, and damage the blade. Stainless will wear a steel blade quickly. Get a blade for SS and steel. A Diablo ceramic blade isn’t expensive and works well.
By the way, because there’s confusion about acetylene /oxygen cutting torches. While you can weld steel with and other metals, you can only cut iron based metals.
Thanks Mel! The dust is nasty stuff. That brings to mind plasma cutting, which also produces a lingering fume to be cautious of.
@@TimWelds very true. Welding in too, general, but specifically stainless.
Lazer and water jet
Damn you have money, or had it!
Prep prep prep ... weld
I have had the evolution and many types of blades.
It wears so fast I would say you are about $20 a cut.
I’ve made thousands of cuts per blade and they still perform like new. I’d look into how you’re using it because they really work great.
@@TimWelds cool
I got rid of mine
Loved the cuts
Tried evolution
Olshin
Freud And a couple other brands of blade
All went dull in a few cuts like 1/16” thick tubing angle
I was going to get a frequency drive to slow the blade but I just sold it
I’m glad you like it
I’m all band saw all the time
Like your Chanel though
You forgot stick welder :)
👍❤
This video really proves the importance of putting pineapple on pizza.
Same as below . I will give you $25 for your old chop saw .
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼🍺😎
Nibbler!