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has anyone used a wood Compound Miter saw for cutting steel before? and if so how did it work ? Attached Images
Reply:In general thats not a good idea. I know of several who have destroyed their saws doing this, usually very quickly.Those saws are not designed to take all the sparks and abrasive dust that come from using the abrasive chop saw wheels. You can toast the motor pretty quick, as well as melt the plastic parts with the hot metal sparks.As far as the carbide metal blades, I am pretty sure the standard wood saws run at way too high an RPM to use those blades. There may be a few blades out there that might work, but in general I doubt they will do a satisfactory job.You either want to get a dedicated abrasive chop saw, or one of the designated cold cut saws.One other thing. The standard wood saws don't have a clamp to lock the material. I've had metal ripped from a saw clamp in the past. This can be quite dangerous..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:The rpm is to high and will burn up the very expensive blade.Although I have used a steel demon blade in a worm drive with good results.
Reply:is there a portable chop saw for (steel) that you can cut Compound Miter ? the saw moves 45-degrees either to the left or right not the fence and clamp
Reply:Yes, cold-cutting blades will generally not work at the 4-5000 rpm of a miter saw; you'll generate too much heat and immediately dull the blade.  You can get away with using an abrasive cutting disc, but as DSW points out, the fine particles from the dissolving disc will eventually damage anything lubricated inside your motor.  One other reason to avoid it is that miter saws generally don't have an integrated clamp or vise to hold the material in place.  If you cut steel at anything other than a right angle (and even then, sometimes), you're liable to see the blade grab the material and throw it.  With nothing holding the steel in place, the stuff might find its way to your soft tissue.I tried using a miter saw as a poor man's cold-cut saw, even buying a spare motor for my miter saw as a back-up.  I didn't burn out my motor because I burned out my cold-cutting blade very quickly.You can get smaller higher-rpm blades for hand-held circular saws, for some reason.  I've used one with a conventional hand-held 7-1/4" saw.  I don't know how long the blade will last -- there are so few situations where I want to cut through sheets of steel, that I've only cut about 10 linear feet.
Reply:Originally Posted by aslippyis there a portable chop saw for (steel) that you can cut Compound Miter ? the saw moves 45-degrees either to the left or right not the fence and clamp
Reply:wow cut the steel nice..
Reply:I have the Evolution Rage 3 compound slide steel cutting miter saw.   It is a great saw and makes fine, accurate, repeatable miter cuts.   The blades are very expensive and don't last long for cutting thick metal, but are great for cutting thin metal.  The blades can be re-sharpened by a local blade service, which is cheaper than buying new blades.I have used my very nice Makita 14" miter saw for cutting steel with an abrasive blade and it is just like DSW said.  I melted the plastic part that moves the fence.   It also cut very slow and was hard on the motor.  Now I only use it for cutting aluminum with a carbide blade, which it is very well suited for.  Works great for aluminum.  Not good for steel.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op