Chop saw or angle grinder?

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I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to get an abrasive chop saw. Right now I do all my cutting with a cut off wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder. I would like to have a chop saw, but I'm not sure I would use it enough to make it worth having. I'm just a hobby fabricator/tinkerer that might do a project every month or two. Any thoughts? I know abrasive saws aren't the go-to saw for most, but I don't have a metal band saw (nor do I have room for one). Not sure if it's worth the $200 or just buy $200 worth of cut off wheels and stick with what I have.
Reply:Originally Posted by Ron_JI'm trying to decide if it's worth it to get an abrasive chop saw. Right now I do all my cutting with a cut off wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder. I would like to have a chop saw, but I'm not sure I would use it enough to make it worth having. I'm just a hobby fabricator/tinkerer that might do a project every month or two. Any thoughts? I know abrasive saws aren't the go-to saw for most, but I don't have a metal band saw (nor do I have room for one). Not sure if it's worth the $200 or just buy $200 worth of cut off wheels and stick with what I have.
Reply:I have a nice miter saw for wood, so I doubt I would use it to cut wood....but you never know.
Reply:Although I have multiple angle grinders, the abrasive chop saw is my go-to tool for simple straight and even angled cuts on stock for a few reasons:1. it is safer than an angle grinder2. Although it is not a precision tool, the cuts tend to be straighter and better controlled3. it is faster to prep for a cut because it is always set up in a cutting area where I can support long pieces of stock4. it cuts fasterEven a cheap abrasive cutoff saw is worth having around - you'll spend close to what you spend on a good angle grinder.Hobart LX235Victor 250 Oxy-Acetylene Rig (welding and cutting)Bobcat 773F-350, 1999, 4x4, 16' 10K# trailerOutdoor Wood Burner - 10 cords/year
Reply:Where are you located at? I have an old B&D abrasive chop saw I'd be willing to part with for a lot less than $200..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:I'm just an occasional tinkerer, but I like my cheap abrasive chop saw when I need straight cuts, which I am unable to manage with an angle grinder.I bought a Harbor Fright chop saw for cheap, I want to say it was less than $100 on sale, but I don't remember for sure.  Never having tried another chop saw I am going to venture out on a limb and say it's pretty awful as chop saws go, but I don't regret this particular purchase, it fills a need for a reasonable price point.Hobart Stickmate LX235
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWWhere are you located at? I have an old B&D abrasive chop saw I'd be willing to part with for a lot less than $200.
Reply:Originally Posted by CanoecruiserThe chop saw is messy so it is used outside only which is a limitation if the weather is lousy.  It's also loud and throws enough sparks that it can ignite dry grass.
Reply:Get a Milwaukee 6230 porta band and skip the chop saw."You can't out puke a buzzard"
Reply:Watch for sales or good low mileage deals on Craig's List. I bought a new Hitachi 14" north of the border on sale for $90... you should be able to do better down there.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:I don't think chop saws are all that accurate. In no way is it more accurate than a grinder with a marked line (I guess that depends on who's operating the grinder). The blades tend to deflect and make slanted cuts. I've only used them when fit up has room for error. The blades are a lot thicker than a cut off wheel and like to work harden thick parts. I've used a chopsaw for hundreds of hours of work on thin stuff, thick stuff, tubes, flat bar, solid stock, pushing down hard, not pushing at all, and no matter what, if I need a good fit up, I always expect to have to do some shaping with a grinder anyway. The only benefit I see of a chopsaw is speed if you need to make multiple cuts.Well this is in relation to the portable chopsaws that you are pricing. I've used some fixed chopsaws that cut very straight, but not in your budget or space requirements.Last edited by TheBFA; 04-27-2016 at 10:24 AM.
Reply:The porta band is a very good tool to use, very accurate, less noise, and no sparks. There is a limit to what you can cut because of the throat size, but I think anything you can fit in a chopsaw, you could cut with one, with the added benefit of cutting parts already fitted in place. They are quite a bit more pricey, but a more versatile tool that can do anything a chopsaw can except hold your part for you.
Reply:Hard question to answer;  I have every metal-cutting tool I can think of (short of a track-torch, so far), and use them all. But I love tools, love being able to have tools and supplies at-hand. My tools aren't all new, by any means, and all of my welding gear is a couple of generations behind the current models, but new welders come at a price where I have to make the calculation you are making: Do I just WANT it, or can I justify it? You never told us what sorts of material you normally have to cut, but maybe like me you get a range of tasks, with nothing you could call "typical." Whatever, if you do pick up a chopsaw, here's a tip.  Keep one or two mostly-used-up grinding wheels that you have taken off your bench grinder. On some steels, a chopsaw blade will get loaded with smeared steel on its cutting edge, and will nearly stop cutting at all. When that happens, take one of those old worn-out grinding wheels in hand and carefully push it against the periphery of your running chopsaw blade, to remove the smeared steel.As you get used to your chopsaw, you will get a feel for how much pressure to apply in different situations, both to get straight cuts and to avoid having the blade get loaded-up, as above. I find that often when I push the blade to a point at which it is starting to chatter and bounce a bit, it cuts fast without loading up. Let your chopsaw spin up for a little while after a long hard cut, so that the internal fan cools the windings.  You definitely can burn out a motor.
Reply:I would skip the abrasive saw. A lot of noise, a lot of sparks and not more accurate than an angle grinder.A bandsaw is a different matter altogether.If you have room for an chop saw, you have room for a portable bandsaw. You want the mitering kind so you can cut angles.Excellent for pipes, square tubing, angle iron etc.Italian Femi bandsawhttp://www.trick-tools.com/Femi-782X...g-Edition-8946Last edited by Pete.S.; 04-27-2016 at 11:34 AM.
Reply:I have never even seen that style before. I would definitely pick that up over an abrasive saw.
Reply:show off!!!Charl
Reply:You should be able to find a chop saw on Craigs list for $100.00 or less, keep checking. I found a newer model Dewalt with the tee handle for a friend that still had the original wheel for $100.00 with stand. Deals are there but takes time to find.
Reply:Thanks for the opinions. I like the portable band saw Pete mentioned, but for all the more I would use it, $500 is a little more than I can justify right now.I don't really have anything in particular that I cut on a regular basis...in the past few months it's been anything from 2" square tube to 2" sch 80 pipe to 3/4 angle. And to this point, I haven't done anything that I couldn't dress up the edges if needed. Great...now I'm thinking that I need a cut off saw AND a portable band saw. You guys suck.
Reply:You could probably just stick with using the grinder until you start needing to make so many cuts that you need a quicker method. If you don't already have one, buy a pipe wrap or find something similar to use to mark your cut lines on pipe. Emory cloth strips work good, or any other straight material that doesn't have any elasticity that can wrap around the pipe.
Reply:http://www.amazon.com/D0748F-Diablo-.../dp/B00008WQ3BGet one of these steel cutting blades(15.00)put it on your skill saw...but be sure to wear safety glasses and a face shield cause it will sling the chips
Reply:The advantage of a horizontal/vertical bandsaw like Harbor Freight's or others over the Portaband is that you can start your cut and walk away. With the Portaband you have to hold it on the work until it's done cutting and it can be a bit slow with thick stock.
Reply:This one has a nice price tag on ithttp://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...0083_200660083 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:My Grizzly portaband came on a chop thingy like that. I monkeyed with it a few times before I threw the base away. It was 150 bucks.  $190 these days.
Reply:I use a 6" Metabo grinder with .045 cutoff wheels for probably 90% of the cutting, slitting, notching I do. Granted a bandsaw is a great tool to have , but that grinder will beat the hell out of a porta band for a large number of jobs and is relatively a cheap investment all things considered. I paid about $240 for the last one I bought. 13.5 amp motor, lots of power. They make a very nice tool. I'll likely never buy anything else save for another little grinder I use for a dedicated sander when the DeWalt I have wears out. Besides that, it's Metabo all the way.I have plasma, a band saw and a cold saw. Cutoff wheel gets used more than the rest combined. Takes a little skill to get good with one, and clamping the workpiece is usually a good idea. I have made very precise cuts with one and prefer it for most cutting jobs I do.Kinda up to you at the end of the day tho. The grinder is a multi use tool and will serve you for many years to come.IMHO of courseLast edited by 7A749; 04-27-2016 at 10:45 PM.Expert Garage Hack....https://www.facebook.com/steven.webber.948
Reply:I don't much like a cut off saw either, messy, loud and throws sparks everywhere. Try cutting hard metal with a band saw and watch what happens to the blade. My brother tried to cut some bed frame angle with his vertical/horizontal jet band saw, he stopped over to use my cutoff saw.I ended up stopping at the blue box store on my way home yesterday and picked up the DeWalt chop saw for a project I have planned this weekend. I think I'll keep my eyes open for a band saw.I made a couple cuts with the saw last night on some 1 1/2" sch 80 pipe. A little slow going, but it cut straight and fairly clean. I think it will work for what I have planned. Anyone have any suggestions for a better cutting disk? I'm assuming that some are better than others.
Reply:Originally Posted by Ron_JI ended up stopping at the blue box store on my way home yesterday and picked up the DeWalt chop saw for a project I have planned this weekend. I think I'll keep my eyes open for a band saw.I made a couple cuts with the saw last night on some 1 1/2" sch 80 pipe. A little slow going, but it cut straight and fairly clean. I think it will work for what I have planned. Anyone have any suggestions for a better cutting disk? I'm assuming that some are better than others.
Reply:Originally Posted by kctgbMy brother tried to cut some bed frame angle with his vertical/horizontal jet band saw, he stopped over to use my cutoff saw.
Reply:We have at least 5 angle grinders in the shop.  You can get flaf wheels and cut off discs for aluminum that are the cats paw. Haha we have a pair of angle grinders for steel and a pair for aluminum and another for metal finishing with 3m pads.We had a chop saw but it's out in the shed now, haven't used it in a couple years. It just made too big of mess and was too noisy.  We have a nice lay down band saw for larger steel and stainless and a miter saw with carbide blade for aluminum. Most smaller stuff gets cut with cutoff grinders.I've worked in several shops with chop saws and I simply don't like them.  If I'm fabricating and welding I wind up dressing the cut anyway.  I'd rather use a band saw. I'd say nay on the chop saw.
Reply:I have both, and each have their place. Abrasive chop saw offers a relatively clean cut, increased speed over an angle grinder, and is a lot safer (as my side job as an EMT I've seen a couple of injuries due to cutting with an angle grinder).
Reply:Yeah,I've thinned-out several of my tools some time ago, including a Makita chop saw, oxy-acetylene torch, plasma cutter, and rely on a couple of angle grinders and a jig saw for most metal cutting.But I've been thinking of getting a DeWalt deep-cut portable bandsaw (probably cordless) and a Swag table and mitre gauge for it.Also, a cordless DeWalt circular saw with a metal cutting blade might be good too as a bare-tool purchase, to kind of break in to the orbit of Dewalt cordless tools, with their interchangable 20 volt lithium batteries.Last edited by C. Livingstone; 04-29-2016 at 05:18 PM.
Reply:Just buy a used chop saw off craigslist.  It might not be new, but if you want to tinker it gets you farther than a 4 1/2" grinder (Plus without spending $ 200). Forney C5 Arc WelderLincoln Idealarc 250-250 Ac/Dc Arc WelderMiller Bobcat 225g PlusLincoln PowerMig 200Forney O/A Rig
Reply:Go for a 14" chop saw, you won't regret it.
Reply:I bought a rigid chop saw it wasn't very much but cutting angle iron is a breeze now you need one if you're a welder and I'm just a backyard weekend welder  Originally Posted by Ron_JI'm trying to decide if it's worth it to get an abrasive chop saw. Right now I do all my cutting with a cut off wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder. I would like to have a chop saw, but I'm not sure I would use it enough to make it worth having. I'm just a hobby fabricator/tinkerer that might do a project every month or two. Any thoughts? I know abrasive saws aren't the go-to saw for most, but I don't have a metal band saw (nor do I have room for one). Not sure if it's worth the $200 or just buy $200 worth of cut off wheels and stick with what I have.