whats your take on dry cut circular saws?

[heshunseshun]

two part question:

A) to anyone who has used a dry cut circular saw, How are they? drawbacks? I have a drycut chopsaw and its great for me. Im thinking of selling my plasma to my buddy and replacing it with a milwaukee dry cut. Do they handle 1/4- 3/8 plate well?

B) if they are all they're cracked up to be, has anyone used a cordless verison? like the dewalt or preferably the milwaukee? do they hold up to the use or do they just eat batteries? is corded the way to go?

[FusionKing]

You didn't say what material you want to cut. I use an old clapped out black and Decker circular saw with a 40 tooth carbide everyday on aluminum.
Cuts 1/2 inch plate just fine. Just give the blade a good shot of WD-40 and let her rip!! WAY WAY cheaper than plasma
Just don't JAMB it in the material...you gota use yer head a little

Of course ferrous would have a different scenerio I suppose...then you might want to upgrade.

[Fishy Jim]

They don't replace plasma's versatility. You can't cut radii as easily with a circ saw.

Also, the saws are so cheap, it doesn't make sense to get rid of a plasma cutter to buy one.

[DDA52]

I have and use the saw in question. I highly recommend it. I cut everything from 24ga to 3/4 plate with it...just with different blades. It cuts all equally well. When you cut a 4x8 sheet of plate as easily as plywood, that is a good thing, IMO.

They will eat up a blade 10 times faster than a chopsaw style dry cut saw if you don't pay attention. But if you are careful on the binding and kickbacks, the blades last a reaonably long time.


I have never used a cordless version...and probably wouldn't want to. As much as I use mine to cut, there isn't a battery that could keep up with me.


FWIW, the Milwaukee blades suck. I use Metal Devil blades almost exclusively now.

[MAC702]

I have the 18V DeWalt. I love it. It does NOT replace a plasma cutter, though. I've cut everything including 1/4" plate with it, but it really excells at thin square tubing.

I've also put a dry-cut blade in a regular 7-1/4 circular saw, and was also very happy with it for cutting 2" pipe all day long.

[krackle]

I have an 18volt dewalt too, and it work great. came in a set with a drill and flashlight. the battery lasts forever, and recharges in an hour.

[croyall]

I love my milwaukee

I have the milwaukee dry cut circular saw. It works great. I have cut up to 3/4" plate (which is very slow). I can usually cut about 75' of 1/2" plate with one blade. On thinner stuff like 1/4" it acts like you are cutting wood with a good wood saw. My next purchase will be the bigger steel chop saw.

[Laiky]

I have the milwaukee dry cut circular saw. It works great. I have cut up to 3/4" plate (which is very slow). I can usually cut about 75' of 1/2" plate with one blade. On thinner stuff like 1/4" it acts like you are cutting wood with a good wood saw. My next purchase will be the bigger steel chop saw.

how much are the blades?

[DDA52]

My Metal Devils are 50 clams each. Bout the same for the Mil blades.

[MIKEDOGG]

slugger

I use a saw made by Slugger / Jancy that works decent on carbon steel, well on aluminum, and terribly on stainless. I dont recommend these types of saws unless only qualified personnel uses them; even then, when you start going through blades and stocking different blades for different thicknesses and material type costs rise. If the plasma works for the fabrication tasks you plan to do, stick with what works.

[DDA52]

Are you serious? Qualified personell??????? How does you think one becomes proficient with the saw....watching others?


Not to be bashing you, but I have had my saw for almost 2 years now and it is a weekly and sometimes daily driver, making two or three dozen cuts per week. In all that time, and thousands of cuts, I have only used 5-6 blades. I only use two types of blades at the moment...general/thick steel and thin/sheet steel. That covers the whole range that I do and works great. It can be done without breaking the bank because I do it.

[StillBoostin]

Having common sense works too. Dry cut chopsaw FTW.

James

[MIKEDOGG]

Dda52

When These Saws Are Used By 25 Different Employees At All Different Times Cutting All Types Of Materials With All Varying Thicknesses The Blades Dont Last A Life Time And The Operating Cost Is High Due To The Simple Fact That Consumables Are Entered Into The Job Process. Cut Rate (inches Per Minute) Of Material Is Definitely Not Fast Enough For Production Type Fabrication Where Someone Wants To Actually Make Money On A Real Scale. If On The Other Hand You Have No Employees Or Anyone To Aid With Piece Making And Or Fabrication, Yeah Use The Saw. For Me Thats Not The Case. If I Was A One Man Brigade I Would Probably Call The Saw My Buddy Also. Its Really Cool That You Are Really Into Your Saw And No Bashing Taken Man.

[Fishy Jim]

I use a saw made by Slugger / Jancy that works decent on carbon steel, well on aluminum, and terribly on stainless. I dont recommend these types of saws unless only qualified personnel uses them; even then, when you start going through blades and stocking different blades for different thicknesses and material type costs rise. If the plasma works for the fabrication tasks you plan to do, stick with what works.

If you don't train your employees to use a little common sense and let the saw do the work (unlike an abrasive where you'll load up your blade if you take it too slow), then I can see where you might start going through some blades and teeth regularly.

I don't see how you can compare one of these saws to plasma. Rework on the kerf is far more time consuming than simply taking the cut a little slower. You also have no additional perishable tooling consumption other than what little dulling you get on your carbide blade. Adding up the extra time, and abrasives will put the dry cut well out in front even before you look at finished cut results (the dry cut is beautiful on the exposed edge) and plasma consumables aren't exactly free either.

[MIKEDOGG]

Lets Box Fool

I Have Been On This Forum For Only A Few Weeks And I See That A Lot Of You Mother ****ers Out There Are Just Stirring Up **** And Thats All Cool But Thats Not What I Am Here For. I Am Simply Putting My Advice Out There For Respectful People And If You Disagree, Good For You. As For Plasma Consumables Yeah They Are Not Cheap But With The Right Machine, Operator, And Settings Excellent Cuts Can Be Made Cheaply, Efficiently And With Minimal Material Waste Due To A Little Thing Called Material Nesting. Obviously, If You Dont Have The Bucks To Shell Out For A Plasma Or The Need For Such Great Piece Generation, Yeah, Like I Said Buy The God **** Saw And Go Through Some Blades Bud.