Anything welding

So I'm trying to decide what saw to buy for cutting tube and flat stock. I generally won't be cutting anything bigger than 3x3. Been contemplating a band saw or a higher quality carbide chop saw. I'm just getting very tired of having to clean up cuts that aren't squared after using my abrasive chop saw. So what would you guys do? I'd say I've got about $500 bucks I could spend on a saw realistically.

 

Portable band saw. Nothing else.

The harbor freight version will last any home user a lifetime.

 

How long to blades on these saws typically last? I’ve had close to zero experience with band saws.

 

If you are cutting new metal with no rust, they will last months.

Rust dulls them fast for some reason.

I think I use my BS alot. I go thru maybe six a year if cutting clean metal.

I just got done cutting up an old utility trailer. I killed a blade in an afternoon.

The advantage of them is they make no Sparks, they are quiet, blades last a long time and they make very clean cuts.

The main drawback is they are quite heavy and they may not be able to get in tight spots because of their bulk.

 

I've been watching battery technology lately. I really want to try out a battery powered BS.

 

Picked up a Slugger at my local welding shop a few months back.

Fein 232-72905361120 Slugger Metal Cutting Chop Saw44; 144;300 RPM

https://www.amazon.com/Fein-232-729...F8&qid=1531759310&sr=8-4&keywords=slugger+saw

No regrets thus far, definitely beats the angle grinder method I was using until I bit the bullet and splurged on that Slugger.

 

I have the Milwaukee 12v mini BS. Small capacity but just as smooth as my corded one. One day I will probably upgrade to the cordless model

 

I have a Carolina H10 bandsaw my blades last till some idiot does something stupid the one on the saw has been on a couple years

I use lots of lube cheap stuff from Advance Auto

if the steel is rusty I clean it where the cut will be Gotta be cleaned to weld or paint any how

Room was never a issue

 

Made a rolling base for my bender today so I can move it around and have it be portable. Took me about 30 mins and it is super nice to be able to move it around and not have it bolted to the ground now

 

Band saw all day. Perfectly straight cuts. Can start it and walk away while doing other tasks. Quite. Minimal mess. Never used a portable one but the harbor freight ones on wheels have lasted us several years and we go through roughly 3 blades a year (we replace them when the cuts start to angle or wonder) and are easily found at our local mcfadendales. And way safer than any other method of cutting and makes it easier to do multiple cuts with an extender arm to mark the exact distance for a cut.

 

Nothing makes you appreciate ANY cutter till you've had to do cuts with a roller cutter on CRES 300 thats approx 3/4" wall.

 

My problem with a bandsaw is that they’re so slow! I have a lot of sliders that I have to build for people and I don’t have the time to wait for the band saw. I have a love/hate relationship with my dewalt drycut saw. Its very fast and cuts pretty damn straight but it’s loud and makes a mess. If I could close to the same speed with a bandsaw I’d make the switch but I’ve just never seen a bandsaw cut that fast

 

I was originally looking at the Makita LC1230 chop saw, but I’m just not sure I can justify that price when I could have the HF bandsaw for a little over 200. Speed would be nice however I’m more interested in the precision and repeatability a band saw has to offer. That and I can use it in the upright position for other applications as well.

But please feel free to convince me otherwise. I haven’t bought anything yet and that Makita looks mighty tempting, and smaller I might add.

 

Use hearing muffs and a face shield. Make a sheet metal collector and put a bucket under it. Make one out of cardboard first. Problems solved! Oh, and use hearing muffs and a face shield.

 

I have a chip collector on mine that hooks to a shop vac with a metal housing. Keeps the mess down. Hearing protection is a must in metal working.

 

WHAT??

 

My decades old HF horizontal bandsaw is slow but accurate. I added an out feed table so I can set a stop block for repeatable cuts. Once I have a piece cut, I set the next piece to cut and prep the first one for welding. Then repeat.
I obviously do not do production work, but I do like to work as efficiently as I can even with my hobby

 

Definitely use the face shield and hearing protection and just recently started using a cardboard shield around the saw to prevent the chips from flying everywhere. Still loud and messy haha but I still like it and it works well.

Pictures? Is the chip collector a factory part of your saw or an accessory, I like this idea.

 

@Shmellmopwho what all tools do you use on a regular basis for your fab work? Been looking through some of your threads and like the work you do. It’s similar to what I’d like the capabilities to do.

 

Thanks man, I appreciate that. I’m a hobby fabricator that has turned hobby into a side business. Definitely don’t consider myself on the level of a lot of other dudes in this thread but I feel like I do pretty well and it’s fun and I make some pretty decent money on the side.


Hobart 210 MIG welder
JD2 model 3 bender with 1.75” tube die (6.5” radius 180 degrees) (converted to hydraulic)
Eastwood tube notcher
Dewalt 14” multicutter dry cut saw
Dewalt grinder with lots of cutoff wheels and flap discs

Those are the main tools I use for fabbing sliders

Other useful tools that I don’t necessarily need but come in handy a lot are

Husky 30 gal air compressor (to run air over hydro on the tube bender)
Harbor freight 20 ton press with swag Offroad DIY press brake kit (for bending plate)

Definitely should have yourself a decent metal top bench for welding on. I recently got a welding table from weldtables.com and I really like it because it has all the 5/8” holes on it for using fixture clamps on to clamp down your projects.


That’s pretty much what I can think of right now haha. Hope that helps