Thread: Cold Saw Options: Triton, Cold Saw, Power Hacksaw

Originally Posted by Jarh73

I have done a bit of reading but can't quite answer my questions.

I'm working on some small production runs of a rear light bracket/spare wheel spacer for Nissan Patrols.

I have made the first 10 that I'm calling pre production models and it's been a great learning experience. Making a one off is totally different to making many!

Anyway I need to cut some 45 degree mitre joints on 25 x 25 x 2mm RHS.

My Hitachi cut off saw is simply not good enough, I have made jigs for it and gone to a lot of trouble to get it right but it's not particularly efficient or consistent.

The Triton Cold saw looks great and you can still get them just not 100% sure on spare blades and as they no longer make them that's a concern otherwise it ticks a lot of boxes. Price is good too.

I would love a Brobo style saw but cost is the draw back, keeping and eye out for second hand ones at the moment but I'd imagine they would be snapped up quickly.

Finally Hare and Forbes have horizontal bandsaws starting from $350, price is good concept is good but been burnt before by H&F so I'm a little suss.

Finally power hacksaws.

Any thoughts, opinions or options greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Justin

I've got one of the small H&F horiz bandsaws BS-4A and it's been great. It's a bit slow (probably 1 maybe 2 minutes per cut on your material), but you can cut batches of say 3 easy at 45 degrees (stacking 3 vertically), and at least 9 (stacking 3x3) for 90 degress, and you can do something while you're waiting for it to cut. You can up the cutting speed with better blade and adding a coolant system. Accuracy is pretty good once set up - certainly good enough if you have a jig for positioning your parts prior to welding and small variations in fit up don't matter.

Main drawback would be that switching between 45 and 90 degrees takes some adjustment (although there's plenty of mods out there for this saw that help), but with a bit of work planning you could churn out a surprising number even with this slow saw.

So I'd recommend the bandsaw as a cheap alternative, if you don't mind tinkering with it a bit to get it set up right.

Cheers

- Mick

Tinkering I can do!

Can the horizontal bandsaws handle stainless steel with the right blade?

Reason I ask is another project is stainless outdoor furniture.

Cheers

Justin

Hi Justin,
Have a look at this saw mate.SYDNEY TOOLS - Makita 305mm Metal Cutting Cold Saw
It is a Makita cold cut saw, It looks like an abrasive chop saw but it actually runs a Brobo type blade at slow revs.
I have a Mate that owns one and he swears by it. Price is good also as it costs no where near a Brobo.
Hope this helps you.
Matt

+1 to what Mick said, but mine takes no where near that time to cut thin wall stuff like that.
I have literally flogged mine over the years cutting stuff as big as 150mm round steel, 150mm beam etc and it has never gave up. Setting up to cut at 45 takes about 2 minutes if you leave the protractor and spanner close by, but the best thing is they are super quite. You can run these things at midnight and the neighbors want complain.

Stainless is not a problem and the best thing is blades are only $11 each or 11 for $110, and you can mix either 14 or 18 tooth, or a wood blades if you want one.

Dave

Originally Posted by Dave J

+1 to what Mick said, but mine takes no where near that time to cut thin wall stuff like that.
I have literally flogged mine over the years cutting stuff as big as 150mm round steel, 150mm beam etc and it has never gave up. Setting up to cut at 45 takes about 2 minutes if you leave the protractor and spanner close by, but the best thing is they are super quite. You can run these things at midnight and the neighbors want complain.

Stainless is not a problem and the best thing is blades are only $11 each or 11 for $110, and you can mix either 14 or 18 tooth, or a wood blades if you want one.

Dave

Does sound encouraging!

What size/brand is yours Dave?

Cheers

Justin

Originally Posted by matthew_g

Hi Justin,
Have a look at this saw mate.SYDNEY TOOLS - Makita 305mm Metal Cutting Cold Saw
It is a Makita cold cut saw, It looks like an abrasive chop saw but it actually runs a Brobo type blade at slow revs.
I have a Mate that owns one and he swears by it. Price is good also as it costs no where near a Brobo.
Hope this helps you.
Matt

I did see the Makita and thought that looks the goods, what I wasn't sure about was how well it would do mitre cuts. From pictures the vice arrangement wasn't much better than a normal drop saw.

Could easily be wrong about that, any thoughts on mitre cuts?

Cheers

Justin

The triton is great but very limiting, you can only cut about 40mm square stock.

Blades aren't a problem, got my last blade from masters for $40, it was an aluminium blade (bosch branded) but there should also be a steel one there, they can also be purchased on ebay.


Personally I'm looking at the BS-7L bandsaw as it comes with a coolant system.

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/B006

I just don't have the room if you wait for a sale it drops about $100 (possibly end of financial year sale coming up?)

I have the Triton metal cutting saw (don't think it's a cold saw though) and it's great.
I mostly used it to cut aluminium but the few pieces of mild steel I've cut have been very clean.

Originally Posted by Jarh73

Does sound encouraging!

What size/brand is yours Dave?

Cheers

Justin

From memory mine is 115 x 150 and is just your cheap Chinese one. I bought it used many years ago but it's still going strong.





The tray is usually full of swarf every couple of months, so you can see how much use it gets. The only thing I have ever replaced is the blade guide bearings, and thats only been a couple (even though I do keep promising it a full new set)

Dave

Originally Posted by Dave J

+1 to what Mick said, but mine takes no where near that time to cut thin wall stuff like that.

G'day Dave . Yeah, I reckon you're probably right - I've actually never timed it. Cheers - Mick

Oh yeah... have a look at some of Corgan's posts - sounds like similar projects. I think he was using a bandsaw on stainless and a cheap bench disk sander to clean up the mitres. Cheers - Mick

Hi,
Whilst this subject has been bought up, how does a bandsaw go on big solid section- like say 75 square? I have easily cut stuff this big one a Brobo, but wasn't sure about on a bandsaw. I only ask cause maybe my hitachi chop saw sort of died half way through a piece of 75mm a few months back......

Ewan

No problems, as I said above I cut up to 150mm solid/beam etc on mine. One good thing is you just go and do other stuff while it's running, then when it's finished it turns off.

Dave

Originally Posted by Dave J

No problems, as I said above I cut up to 150mm solid/beam etc on mine. One good thing is you just go and do other stuff while it's running, then when it's finished it turns off.

Dave

150 mm Solid!

That's a serious chunk of metal! (In the context of home workshop/hobby etc)

My 25x25x2mm RHS is nothing in comparison.

Will be handy for my next bed project too. I make bed frames out of 100x50 RHS.

Tossing up between these two:
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/B002

And

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/B003

Cheers

Justin