Cold Cut / Dry Cut Saws

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Hey everyone,I am looking at purchasing a "dry cut" or "cold cut" saw depending on who you talk too.  The claim is they are cheaper to and quicker to use then a chop saw or band saw (I guess more cuts per blade).  Spark free and the no hot pieces, as a result they can be handled right after they are cut.  Will mainly be cutting 2" box tubing steel and aluminum and flat bar in both cutting a lot of peices at once (50 - 100).I do have some odd angles that i need to cut sometimes like 76* that need to be cut often. I looked at the Milwaukee's 14 inch, just because we have had good luck with Milwaukee tools, but am open to other suggestions.Any body using these and have feedback?  Or should I be considering something else?Thanks,
Reply:I like the old traditional cold saw with a good HSS steel blade and coolant flooding the cut.  They are deadly accurate but slow.  If not used carefully they can be an expensive way to cut.  The blades can be fractured by careless operators.There are power feed cold saws but they get pretty expensive.   I would seriously look at some of the better quality horizontal band saws that have a rotating head.  You can set and walk away from a cut.   You mentioned aluminum and the only efficient way to cut aluminum is with a quality woodworking mitre saw with a carbide blade intended for aluminum.  The trick to long life of the carbide blade is to use saw wax.  Coat both sides of the blade then make one cut in a chunk of 4 by 4 wood to take off the excess.  A thin coating on the blade will slowly work its way to the carbide tips over several hours of use giving the required lube and preventing gumming up of the gullets.
Reply:I have a milwaukee and I love it. Sparkless, no. Better than an abrasive saw machine, absolutely. It's drawbacks, blades are expensive and if you try to cut hardened stuff, your blade will be garbage,real soon. Mild steel, it's great. Cool yes. One or two passes with a file is all it takes to be burr free.   If you have a band saw, an abrasive chop saw and torches, you'll need this tool, too. It's just one tool that has limited uses. All the dry cut saws I've looked at only want you to cut 1/2" thick or less. So to cut 50 pieces at once, I'd saw you DON'T want a dry cut.Aluminum, I don't know about, except that they do make different blades for aluminum, stainless, and aluminum. I wouldn't let any of your friends use it, either. Unless you want to buy another $40 to 100 blade.
Reply:lotechman thanks for the heads up on the wax.  Mr_fixit thanks for the feedback too.  How long does the blade last on your milwaukee dry cut saw?  I am a little confused about the in ability to only cut up to a 1/2" material and 50 pieces.  When I say I cut 50 to 100 pieces at once I really mean consecutively.  I setup a stop than take a long piece of steel or aluminum and cut a piece slide it through and cut another and so on as quick as possible.  Will these blades last like that?Maybe I should just get a mitre saw with carbide blade for the aluminum, and stick with a chop saw for steel?Thanks !
Reply:I misunderstood.  I thought you meant multiple pieces at once.. It should work fine for single pieces over and over again.I only got the saw in the last couple months. I killed one blade trying to cut items I wasn't supposed to. I was trying to cut hardened auger bits and 1" thick plate that might have also been harder than mild steel. Sine it was a new toy, I was cutting everything that day.... Since then I 've replaced the blade and made about 50 cuts,  and I haven't noticed any change in the cutting ability of the blade..... I'm now using  some Freud blades I got from ebay for about 4 for $140....Maybe someone else who has had a saw like this longer can chime in?
Reply:I had to cut aluminum box tubing for a job and used a 12in aluminum blade on my 14in chop saw and I used bees wax for lub as it didn't affect the weld. It worked ok but if I had to do it very often I would get a cold saw as the speed is slower then the chop saw.also the cheepest and easeist way to get bees wax is a toilet base seal you can get them at any hardware store for about $1.