Band Saw or Chop Saw?

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Hello:I'm getting started in welding and was wondering which type of saw is more preferred to cut metal.  I'm looking to purchase something to cut scrap metal that I have accumulated (various angle, flat bar, square tubing, and pipe at 3/4" to 3" widths).  I tried to find previous posts that compared the two cutting devices so I hope I'm not reviving an old topic.A good chop saw runs ~$200 - $250.  A horizontal band saw from JET was around $300 on Amazon, still within my budget.  It appears that the band saw would be a better buy since I don't need portability, but I would appreciate some advice from the forum before making a purchase.  Any pros or cons between the two? Do most people have both?  I understand the band saw will cut more accurate and neat.  I'm more interested in knowing if one covers most cuts or do you need both.Thanks.
Reply:I have both.  I have heard that cutting a lot of angle on a bandsaw will wear out the blade pretty fast as a cost of 15.00 - 20.00 per blade.  Bandsaws are much cleaner that chop saws.  The chop saws with the fibre disks throw that black dust every where.  I haven't used my chop saw since I purchased my bandsaw. Neil
Reply:i too would say bandsaw just cause of the disk dust created,    it really takes a toll on ya
Reply:Bandsaw,  Quieter, neater and almost as fast.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:Makita chop saw at Harbor freight- $169 - A good quality saw   Pack of 5 14" chop saw blades at Harbor Freight- $20- seem to last as long as any other brand.   A friend has a Makita exactly like mine he's used in a business for 10 yrs and it's still going strong.            My $.02,                       MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:I had the same dilemma and bought a chop saw.   It worked well but a friend had a nice jet bandsaw he lent me for a project I was working on.  Much cleaner, more accurate, less noisy (neighbors like that) and less tiring (start it up and do something else while it cuts.   End result is I still have both but use the bandsaw 95% of the time.   The Chopsaw is reduced to cutting rebar on jobsites.StevenInspiring Thought for the Day:Some people are like slinkies ... Not really good for anything....but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Reply:makita chop saw is bull****, i have to put up with that garbage all day at work
Reply:How long do Bandsaw blades last and cost?   I'd rather pay 4-5 dollars for a chop saw blade and listen to loud arse sound and have dust all over my concrete than to pay 15-20 bucks every time I need to bust out a bandsaw.
Reply:Good band saw blades far out last chop saw blades.  I current have one I have been using for 3 months.  I am sure over 1000 cuts.  Good blades are a must. Also, one must match the number teeth and style blade with the material being cut.  If you are having your blades fabricated, then they usually will reweld blades that break at the seam at no charge.  Cheap blades cost about the same as chop saw blades.    I haven't used my chop saw in about 1 year.  For one or two cuts at a time the chop saw is faster cutting. However, for gang cutting which is what I do the bandsaw is faster and cleaner and straighter.  Band saws also free you up to do other things while the saw is working.    With the chopsaw there is always a large burr which must be removed for accuracy.I use a portable band saw in the field.  Chop saw produces too many sparks.  Chop saws will embed metal into concrete so beware when cutting on patios or driveways.  When it rains it will leave rust marks.
Reply:Tapwelder, thats good to know.
Reply:Thanks everyone.I was leaning toward the bandsaw and you all convinced me its worth the extra cost.  Good point mentioned about the bandsaw being less noisy.  I live in a subdivision where my neighbors hear everything.  Advice appreciated.   I almost dropped $200 on a Dewalt chop saw Friday.  I'm glad I waited to ask your opinion.Thanks again.
Reply:Originally Posted by landmapperThanks everyone.I was leaning toward the bandsaw and you all convinced me its worth the extra cost.  Good point mentioned about the bandsaw being less noisy.  I live in a subdivision where my neighbors hear everything.  Advice appreciated.   I almost dropped $200 on a Dewalt chop saw Friday.  I'm glad I waited to ask your opinion.Thanks again.
Reply:another advantage of a band saw is, it can work unattended while you do something else and it will turn itself off when it's finished.
Reply:How long do Bandsaw blades last and cost? I'd rather pay 4-5 dollars for a chop saw blade and listen to loud arse sound and have dust all over my concrete than to pay 15-20 bucks every time I need to bust out a bandsaw.
Reply:A good chop saw, like my DeWalt DW871 is only $190 from places like www.tylertool.com.  I've also had the Ridgid, and loathe the clamp on it.A good chop saw is just as accurate as a bandsaw.  I make critical miter cuts with one every day.A bandsaw is NOWHERE near as fast as a chop saw.  Unless your cutting thin tubing, then 5 seconds instead of 2 seconds can be almost as fast, I guess?  But for heavy angle, a typical 15 second chop saw cut takes several minutes on the bandsaw.However, if you are experiencing premature blade wear by cutting angle of any size, you are running the wrong blade material, wrong blade pitch/rake, and/or wrong blade speed.BOTH saws are very good at what they do.  The noise issue has already been mentioned.  Often you have time to do a quick prep or weld while the bandsaw is cutting thick material.Also, look at carbide chop saws like the DeWalt Multicutter DW872.  I have one also and it is superb for cutting mild steel.  You can also get a stainless-cutting blade for it.  It's just as loud, but even faster, and makes metal chips instead of abrasive dust and keeps a fullsize blade throughout its blade life.
Reply:I was thinking of buying the Dewalt 872 Multi Cut saw that uses a carbide blade instead of the abrasive wheel.  Is that a good middle ground between the chop saw and a band saw?Scott
Reply:Carbide saws work really great on aluminum.    This I know from experience with extrusions.    How the saws would work on other materials I don't know.   From the little bit of machining experience I have such saws might be useful on steel sections if feed rate can be controlled and the SFM kept reasonable.    My geuss is that the blades would have to be designed differently for steel vx aluminum.Thankdave   Originally Posted by SkyeyeI was thinking of buying the Dewalt 872 Multi Cut saw that uses a carbide blade instead of the abrasive wheel.  Is that a good middle ground between the chop saw and a band saw?Scott
Reply:Originally Posted by wizardCarbide saws work really great on aluminum.    This I know from experience with extrusions.    How the saws would work on other materials I don't know.   From the little bit of machining experience I have such saws might be useful on steel sections if feed rate can be controlled and the SFM kept reasonable.    My geuss is that the blades would have to be designed differently for steel vx aluminum.Thankdave
Reply:The DeWalt MultiCutter has a few threads here.  There are at least two of us that have them, maybe more.  Don uses his extensively, as do I.  They are great for mild steel.  If you occasionally cut unknown steel, you may dull the blade if the steel is hard, like bedframe is.  I learned that one the hard way.  The teeth are aggresive and you must make sure the material is clamped very well with the back of the clamp in the proper position, based on the size of the material.  Stacked material is not recommended, like you often get away with a chop saw.  Don't even think about a bundle of electrical conduit.
Reply:I also have a DeWalt 871 with a 14" General Purpose abrasive blade. However, I have terrible luck getting straight cuts. It seems to help if I slow down the cut to a snails pace (about 30 seconds to cut 1" mild steel angle), but I still get the blade drifting to the right. As it is, I wouldnt dream of trying to cut 45s on it with the hope of putting together a right angle. If anyone has suggestions, I would be grateful.Revenos
Reply:I also have both and probably use the band saw 3 times as much as I do the chop saw. The chop saw might cut faster, but I am not having to stay right there with the bandsaw while cutting. Don't have to be right there where the noise is like with the chop saw. I have used the band saw so far with mostly 18tpi blades, hard back blades, but have just recently bought a bi-metal blade so far haven't had to install it. Been hearing a lot of good comments about them.  I have also found out from past experiance if it is a bedframe material I am going to be cutting, to cut it on the chop saw. That metal will dull up a bandsaw blade in a hurray.
Reply:I haven't used my chop saw in over one year.  However, while working on this pipe rail job, I can definitely see a need for a good chop saw.While the bandsaw is most efficient for gang cutting,  a good chopsaw would have would have been handy for making individual miter cuts.  With this pipe rail there so many miters where- one end of the pipe is cut at one angle and the other end is cut at a different angle.  Lots of fence adjustments and single cuts a real waste of time on a bandsaw.   Now at near 500 cuts of 1-1/4 schecule 40 with same blade.I also have a DeWalt 871 with a 14" General Purpose abrasive blade. However, I have terrible luck getting straight cuts. It seems to help if I slow down the cut to a snails pace (about 30 seconds to cut 1" mild steel angle), but I still get the blade drifting to the right. As it is, I wouldnt dream of trying to cut 45s on it with the hope of putting together a right angle. If anyone has suggestions, I would be gratefu
Reply:You raised a good question here. Last month while trying to cut a piece of 4 inch round stock with my DeWalt chop saw the thing started to smoke and slow down to the point where it stopped working. Well I figured it was time to get a machine that could cut more efficient and cleaner. I purchased a vertical/horizontal metal cutting band saw with a built in coolant system and after a month using it I'm more than pleased. The collant system is a bit of a mess but it sure saves the blade.I ordered it with the most expensive blade I could get and after a month of using it almost every day it still cuts perfectly. I like the fact that I can put the metal in the vice and walk away while it's cutting and do something else.Another smaller item I put in the shop was a metal share. It's great for flat bar, round stock and angle and it sure is fast to use. I ended up putting a new armature in the chop saw but I don't think it will be getting much use from now on. Paulhttp://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/pictu...&NTITEM=B1108NMiller 302 Trailblazer/Custom TrailerMillermatic 350P/Spool gunMillermatic 252Miller Spectrum 875Miller Dynasty200DxHypertherm Powermax 85Tracker CNC 4X8 Pro Table (Down Draft)Visit us @ www.specialtyrepairscustommods.com