Cold Saw Questions

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Hi everyoneDoes anyone know anything about a Captain Cold Saw? I have an opportunity to get one that needs some work at a price I can afford, and have always wanted one. What do you all think? [url=]
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[/url]It has been set up to run hydraulically but I want to put it back to manual operation. The coolant pump works, motor is good, I will have to hook up a two speed switch and a handle.The other question I have is, if I end up with this, what blades should I get? I fabricate with almost anything, from mild steel, steel tubing, aluminum both solid and tubing, 3 x 6" x1/4" steel angle,  and 1/4 through 1" solid aluminum plate, and some brass. I was hoping to only buy a couple of different blades but not at all informed in this area. Your advice would certainly be appreciated.thanks again,mikee
Reply:Never heard of the brand.But its definitely japanese, and therefore is probably pretty good quality.This website lists it for replacement blades, says its a 300mm.http://www.kurematsu.com/e-seihin1-1.htmYours is a 27/54 rpm machine, as I read the nameplate.That means the slow speed, 27 rpm, is right for stainless- what they call "chromium" on your nameplate.And the 54 rpm speed is for mild steel.Its too slow for efficient sawing of aluminum or bronze.For non ferrous metals like those, most manufacturers made a 50/ 80 rpm saw. (speeds are approximate- usually mild is cut at 40 to 55 rpm in a saw this size.Its a great saw for steel. But even at twice the speed, its only marginal for aluminum- I have one of the mild/non ferrous saws (not Murahashi- mine is german) and it leaves a pretty rough finish on aluminum, nowhere near as good as a carbide bladed woodworking chop saw does, and far inferior to a real aluminum coldsaw, which would look like yours, but run at 2000 to 4000 rpm.I would buy blades from one of the big cold saw suppliers- like these guys=http://www.coldsawstore.com/?gclid=C...FSMyiQoduzn0Cwor these guys-http://www.patmooneysaws.com/p-sawblades.aspor, close to you, Doringer, who is who I use to sharpen my blades- I UPS em down, they send em back sharp a week or so later. Dont drop the saw on the metal, and a blade will last you years.http://www.doringer.com/and tell them the size of material you use most.I find with mine, I get away with 2 blades- one on the saw, one to put on when the first one gets sent out to resharpen. They are a standard tooth count for each size for steel. I would recommend buying the real cold saw coolant- I bought a 5 gallon tub of it, mix it 20 to 1 water to coolant, and it has lasted me 10 years or so. It dries clear and non sticky, doesnt affect welding, and doesnt stink or burn. Non toxic. Was the saw originally manual? Most of the hydraulic models of saw drop straight down, and the manuals are hinged. Hard to change over, as the hydraulics tend to fall down on your hands and steel when the hydraulic cylinder isnt there to hold it up.There are three types. Manual. Semi Auto, which is Powered down feed, but manual up.And full auto- programmable, automatic up, down, and, usually, bar feed. Is this one Semi Auto? If so, I wouldnt change it. I would buy it, but realize you might have to have custom blades made for the size and pin pattern, which is a bit odd.Is it 3 phase? Mine ran for years on a cheapo static converter, but now I have real 3 phase, and it is happier.
Reply:We have a scotchman saw with a 90 tooth blade for aluminum and thick steel and a 180 or 220 blade for .065 stainless tube and other thinner materials.  We make a hundred or more cuts a week on average on stainless tube and I think we go through a blade every 2-3 weeks.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Thanks for the replies Ries and Sn0border, they were very informative and helpful. I do  not have the saw yet and have not even seen it in person. It is scheduled for delivery some time next week, hopefully this coming Tuesday.Yes, it is a 3 phase unit but that is not a problem as I have 3 phase power. My understanding is that this was converted to hydraulic, so I'm assuming it was a manual saw prior to that. I don't do much stainless work, is that the only time I will need the slower speed?  I was also told it needed electrical repair, as there is no motor switch because it was part of the hydraulic operation. When I convert it back to manual operation, would I be better off just making it run at 54 rpm a giving up the second slower speed? If so, would i just need to purchase the 90 tooth blade?thanks again,mikee
Reply:Sounds like converting to manual wont be too much trouble. Mine has a spring operated blade guard, but from the pics, it does look like yours drops vertically, instead of hinging- not sure how that will work. You may need to come up with some kind of spring to keep the saw body up when not cutting.Usually the motor is wired to run at either speed, so its just a simple switch to turn it from high to low, and then a second main power off and on switch. So its probably not a big deal to keep both speeds.At your high speed, it will dull blades quickly on stainless (dont ask how I know that) So for any stainless, I recommend wiring it to be able to use the low speed.But for everything else, your 54 rpm will work - best on mild, but probably ok on nonferrous as well.As for tooth count- that depends on blade diameter. Your saw is, I believe, a 300mm diameter, about 12". If SnoBorders Scotchman was a 300mm, then 90 might be right- but I dont think Scotchman makes that size- I think they make 275mm and 350mm saws. So, best to talk to a blade company, tell em the average thickness of material you want to cut, and buy the tooth count they recommend. I know for bandsaw blades, they recommend 3 teeth minimum in the material at any time- so 1" material can be cut with 4 tpi, which, times 36, is 120 tpi for a 12" blade. Whereas 16 gage likes more teeth. With a cold saw, I find its not as critical to use a really fine tooth blade, my general purpose blade cuts 16gage tubing and 2" solid,  but if you do a lot of one thing, it makes sense to buy the blade accordingly.My saw is a 350mm, or 14", and I think the tooth count is something like 140.