Cutting Metal on a Wood saw

[smidsy]

Hei Guys,
Doing a one off furniture project in metal and I need to do some fairly accurate 45 degree cuts.
A metal saw is beyond my budget but bunnings are selling a GMC mitre saw for $98.
What is to stop me buying this beast and replacing the saw blade with a metal cutting wheel?

I know for starters that there is a big power difference but I'm cutting 1.6mm furniture so I figure the saw would cope as long as I don't thrash it.

Apart from the size of material the two machines would cope with, is there any other issues I can't see.

Cheers
Paul

[Barry_White]

That would be no problem I did it for years with my Makita drop saw before I bought a Cutoff machine. But what about a GMC Cutoff machine.

[Edd]

GMC cutoff machines look almost identical to the Makita ones. They are cheap(er) copies. They would do the job, but I don't think they do 45°. The compound mitre saw will work, but bear in mind it's plastic and will get rather knocked around with excessive work. What you're doing sounds fine though

[glock40sw]

G'day.
Just do what I did.
Get an Irwin TCT steel cutting saw blade and put it on a cheap GMC $49 drop saw.
I use it for all steel cutting up to 50x50mm solid bar.
Works great.
Just use very very good eye protection.
Swarf does come back at you a bit.

Super clean cuts and mitre cuts are clean and accurate as well.
When finished, run a magnet over it inside a plastic lunch bag to collect all the swarf. Then turn the bag inside out and...walla...all swarf is in the bag. Not stuck to the magnet.

[martrix]

G'day.
Just do what I did.
Get an Irwin TCT steel cutting saw blade and put it on a cheap GMC $49 drop saw.
I use it for all steel cutting up to 50x50mm solid bar.
Works great.
Just use very very good eye protection.
Swarf does come back at you a bit.

Super clean cuts and mitre cuts are clean and accurate as well.
When finished, run a magnet over it inside a plastic lunch bag to collect all the swarf. Then turn the bag inside out and...walla...all swarf is in the bag. Not stuck to the magnet.

Does that mean you dont need any lubricant for cutting steel?

I am cutting steel for some machine bases with a hacksaw and angle grinder, and it bites!

might look into the cheapy GMC and the steel cuttin blade!

[chrisb691]

Hei Guys,
Doing a one off furniture project in metal and I need to do some fairly accurate 45 degree cuts.
A metal saw is beyond my budget but bunnings are selling a GMC mitre saw for $98.
What is to stop me buying this beast and replacing the saw blade with a metal cutting wheel?

I know for starters that there is a big power difference but I'm cutting 1.6mm furniture so I figure the saw would cope as long as I don't thrash it.

Apart from the size of material the two machines would cope with, is there any other issues I can't see.

Cheers
Paul

Check the blade size, and arbor size, on the GMC. The one I looked at, a couple of months ago, had non-standard sizes. Can't remember the blade size, but the arbor was 24mm. You can only get these from GMC.

[chrisb691]

Bunnings in Mordialloc (Melbourne) are selling a 255mm cutoff saw for $98, and it has a protractor fence.

[glock40sw]

Does that mean you dont need any lubricant for cutting steel?

I am cutting steel for some machine bases with a hacksaw and angle grinder, and it bites!

might look into the cheapy GMC and the steel cuttin blade!

Yep.
NO lube.
I made 2 bases for my lathe (1200kg) useing 75x50 angle . The saw cut through it with ease.

I turned up a shim on the lathe to fit the blade to the GMC spindle.
There is a slight difference.

[martrix]

I notice that the speed of SCMS compared to the dedicated Makita cut off saw is greatly different.
The makita seems to be about half the speed of a drop saw, so does that mean it is not suitable to put a steel cutting blade on a normal 4000rpm speed SCMS?

[smidsy]

Hei Guys,
Thanks for all the info, I ended up getting the $99 special today from Bunnings.

Can anyone tell me where in Perth I can get one of these Irwin cutting blades, had a quick look in the yellow pages and can't seem to any where that deals specifically in blades.
Cheers
Paul

[glock40sw]

Hei Guys,
Thanks for all the info, I ended up getting the $99 special today from Bunnings.

Can anyone tell me where in Perth I can get one of these Irwin cutting blades, had a quick look in the yellow pages and can't seem to any where that deals specifically in blades.
Cheers
Paul

Didn't Bunnies have the blade ????

The Grafton Store has them in stock.
I was looking at them on Sunday.

Ask the head Bunny in the tools section.

[smidsy]

I'll check them out, to be honest I wasn't too keen on buying the blade at the same the time lest they sus what I want the saw for.
Cheers
Paul