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From: Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Non Abrasive Metal Cutting Chop Saw
Date: Wed, 21 May 2025 13:30:37 -0700
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Evolution is the name that really brought these to the public attention, 
but lots of companies are selling them.  Fein, Makita, Milwaukee and 
others.  Basically a lower RPM version of an abrasive chop saw using a 
carbide blade for cutting mild steel and aluminum.

Now I know that regular wood cutting tools can cut aluminum and even to 
a lesser degree steel, but this seems to be a departure from that.  I've 
cut aluminum on a table and on a radial arm saw.  The biggest issue is 
chip welding (with aluminum) filling up the gullets of the teeth.  Oil, 
wax, and other things can reduce but not eliminate that problem due to 
the heat generated.  Its why I run flood coolant for all my CNC machines 
cutting aluminum.

A typical chop saw runs around 4000rpm.  These slower (slower) chop saws 
run around 1300 which should reduce heat buildup.  Are any of you guys 
running these regularly for aluminum?  It does appear that there are 
aluminum specific blades available.  Do they work a lot better than the 
mild steel cutting blades that normally come with one of these saws?  Do 
you experience chip welding cutting aluminum with one of these saws with 
either blade?

How do you like it?

I do have a hand held metal cutting circular saw already.  I've used if 
for stainless steel sheet (very hard on blades) and for aluminum thicker 
than its rated for.  Its about the size of a carpentry beam saw.  It 
works okay, but it doesn't "seem" to be any slower than my Skil worm 
drive I use for wood cutting.  To be fair I haven't put a sticker on it 
so I can check it with the optical tach.

I also have a couple horizontal band saws.  One I run with coolant for 
aluminum.  They work, but they are "Harbor Freight" saws.  Keeping them 
aligned and square is a constant chore.  Usually I just cut the pieces 
long, then square and cut to length on the manual mill beofre moving the 
blank to one of the CNC mills.  I waste a couple inches over the course 
of chopping blanks from a 12ft (standard stock length) piece of bar 
stock.  A couple inches of waste is no big deal, but a couple inches 
added onto the remnant at the end of the bar can mean one more blank and 
one more completed part.


-- 
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff


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