Time for an ignorant question?

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I have a Ryobi chop saw.  A friend of mine gave me a huge cutting disc from his chop saw designed for a welder.  Can I use this on my Ryobi?  The arbor is the right size and I am a hobby guy not a pro by any stretch so it wouldnt get used much this way.  But i didnt want to get a HF one just for the clutter and cost if I already have one.I guess i am asking if the RPMs would be too high etc?  Anyone done something similar to this with bad or good results?
Reply:I tried a 10" abrasive wheel on an old miter saw that's on it's last legs, and I found that it didn't have the power to cut effectively on thicker material, like 2x2x3/16" tube .  Unless I can push hard enough, the wheel just makes sparks, but doesn't cut.  When the motor heats up, it loses power, so I have to back off, and when I back off, it mostly makes noise.I get better results with my 4-1/2" angle grinder and thin cut-off wheels.I doubt it's the fault of the abrasive wheel, though - I suspect the saw is just underpowered for that kind of work.  It was the cheapest one I could get 25 years ago.  Works fine on thinner stock.
Reply:The carbide bit blades are made to spin alot slower than an abrasive chop saw spins, in equal diameters.  If you were to put a 7-1/4" carbide blade on a 14" chop saw, it'll be spinning slow enough to use the carbide blade without wrecking the teeth quickly.  A 14" carbide blade on a chop saw will be spinning way too fast.   As the diameter decreases, operating rpm range of the blade increases.  About 1500 rpm is good for a 14" carbide blade, 2500 rpm for 10" and 3500 rpm for a 7-1/4".MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Not 100% sure just exactly what you are asking. If you are asking if you can use an abrasive blade in a wood saw, the answer is not for long before you smoke the saw. The wood saws are not designed to take the hot sparks and all the abrasive material thats a buy product of cutting steel. If the saw doesn't catch fire or melt from the hot sparks, chances are the motor will die from sucking up all that abrasive dust and metal particles. I've seen one die in less than one small project from this.As DR mentioned if you are trying to put a carbide metal cutting blade on a standard chopsaw. (wood or abrasive) chances are high it won't work because the saw rpm's are too high.You can run gas cutoff abrasive blades in an standard abrasive chop saw, because the gas saw runs at a higher RPM. Don't do it the other way around! The standard abrasive blades will flex, wobble and blow apart very quickly. Every now and then one of the guys I work with will ignore this and grab a standard blade at the store instead of the right ones ( I tell them to always buy the gas saw ones so we don't have to worry about what blade goes with what saw after the label goes on the first cut.) If they wind the saw up slow, they'll notice it right away. If they just slap it on and go full tilt, you usually hear the scream about 30 seconds after the saw winds up, as the blade blows apart pelting them with debris.When in doubt dump the blade and get the right one. All that shrapnel in your face at point blank range will leave more than just a mark. Same goes with abrasive blades that have gotten wet. They explode very easily after that so dump them as well..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Hi all, A company called Heleta makes a 14" carbide tipped metal cutting saw that works well.  Its the only one I have found that is rated for high enough speeds (3500 RPM)  to use in a chop saw.  I use mine in an old 14" abrasive cut off saw instead of the abrasive blade.  I cannot vouch for the safety of doing this but I have had no trouble and it cuts probably 5 times faster than the abrasive blade with a much cleaner cut.  For my legal disclaimer...don't try this, you may hurt yourself.  For the more experimental folks out there it might work for you too.
Reply:to the OP.... not good idea... i'll tell you why. when you are cutting metal, you should have a clamping system to keep the metal from jumping outta the saw if the blade binds or makes the metal spin. if it spins the metal, it can bind the blade and fling the metal with serious force and or the blade can explode causing some pretty major hurting...ive watched a fella try the very same thing you are talking about and he lives with some major scars on his face and half an ear because the blade caught and exploded..... just sayin.... your life, you play how you wannanothing fancy, just a few hot glue guns for metalwww.sicfabrications.com
Reply:to the OP.... not good idea... i'll tell you why. when you are cutting metal, you should have a clamping system to keep the metal from jumping outta the saw if the blade binds or makes the metal spin. if it spins the metal, it can bind the blade and fling the metal with serious force and or the blade can explode causing some pretty major hurting...ive watched a fella try the very same thing you are talking about and he lives with some major scars on his face and half an ear because the blade caught and exploded..... just sayin.... your life, you play how you wannanothing fancy, just a few hot glue guns for metalwww.sicfabrications.com
Reply:Mattlago,I used a wood cutting miter saw w/ an abrasive wheel on one project....really scary.  I removed all the plastic parts and stopped most of the smoke but it's still a risky deal.  Even though the disk didn't explode (not an unlikely event), the resulting cuts were really crappy....lot's of smeared metal that had to be ground off....lot's of nasty grit all over the place...lot's of noise....and lot's of time spent tearing the saw down to clean it so I could use it for wood working.   A major PITA.  And did I mention...IT'S REALLY DANGEROUS!  Then I got an import 7 x 12 horizontal band saw...unbeliveable!  Smooth cuts, relatively fast, can be used in a vertical position, forced coolant system...it's one of my most-used tools.  I know times are tough and these things cost around $800 but unless you just have a one-off project and don't intend to do much metal work, I strongly recommend saving up for one of these. And if you do end up using the chop saw, please get a face shield....it only takes one "Oh $hit" to mess things up forever.  Sorry if I'm sounding preachy...just concerned.Miller 211 w/ spool gunMiller Dynasty 200DXLongevity 60i IGBT plasmaO/A w/ crappy chinese torch/gaugesSouth Bend 10K latheGrizzly 4029 10x54 millGrizzly 7x12 hor bandsawangle grnders, bench grnder, bench belt sndr7.5 hp 80gal cmprsor
Reply:thank you everyone for the replies and explanation.im gonna go with "no ####head, read the manual" and look for the tool for the job,,, but i wanted to ask.  So thanks again.  Off to buy more tools...
Reply:Originally Posted by mattlago.  So thanks again.  Off to buy more tools...
Reply:Are you kidding?!?!?  I printed this off and showed her all your safety concerns.... gotta love it