Cold cutting saw

Date 07-19-2004 01:55

I've used one in school and it is great, the blades can be sharpened by a skilled sharpening shop. The only complaint I have is that it is very loud with a screaching schrill attack on the ears, even earplugs with ear muffs didn't help!!!!
pjseaman

By swnorris (****)

Date 07-19-2004 13:26

Hi thirdeye,

We have an Evolution saw and a Milwaukee. In my opinion, the Evolution is the better saw. I bought the Evolution first. We had a big job that had a bunch of plain C15 x 33.9 and rather than tying up our saws with something that required no fabrication, I bought this saw and had a guy cut these channels to length in our storage yard with the Evolution. This saw cut through the channel faster than our band saws. It works good on cuts for stair stringers too. It uses a nine inch blade versus an eight inch for the Milwaukee. It also sells for about $100 more than the Milwaukee. The titanuium blades last longer than the tungsten blades. We have had the Evolution for several months it has paid for itself several times. The blade doesn't last as long as I hoped it would, but we pretty much maxed out its cutting capacity on the channel. I'm sure it would last a lot longer on smaller shapes. Last week a salesman came into the front office with a Milwaukee and the field crew supervisor bought it. We used it in the shop to cut one leg down from 3" to 1 1/2" on ten pieces of light gage bent plate 10' long, and the blade was dull afterwards. I called our Evolution supplier to check on the cost of blades for the new saw and he told me that he had heard of several complaints about the gearbox in the Milwaukee and that the saw just dosen't hold up. Of course every salesman will tell you theirs is the best. I'm sure you could get your local reps out for a demo to help you draw your own conclusions.

By CHGuilford (****)

Date 07-19-2004 16:28

I don't know the actual brand of saw that we use. It's not a Milwaukee but very similar. But it works very well for cutting steel grating and small angle or channel. Much faster and neater that torch cuting. Noise? Well, you get a lot of noise with almost anything to do with metal work. Just be sure to use ear plugs or muffs.

Chet Guilford

By TimGary (****)

Date 07-26-2004 15:08

We've purchased a couple of the Milwaukee's lately.
The first job I used it for was cutting 2" x 8" x 3/16" rect. tubing, and it worked like a dream. The blade lasted through the whole job, about 500 cuts.
Then while I was out of the shop, one of my not too bright guys decided to rip 1/2" grade 50 plate with the saw. It completed the job, about 20' of cut, but he burnt the motor in the process.
Since then I've got a new one and use it often. It works really good on bar grating, but that is kind of rough on the blade. However, if you respect the saw and don't abuse it, the blade will last a good long time.
They have 2 different blades, 42 tpi for thicker metal and 51 tpi for sheet metal. (Those tpi's might be a little off as I'm quoting from an over used memory)
In short, the saw will pay for itself over and over in rapid succession.

Tim

By thirdeye (***)

Date 07-26-2004 19:55

Thanks everyone for the replys. My use would mostly be thinner stuff (16GA to 1/4"). I just missed seeing one in use at a jobsite, but I did see the cuts it made and they were very nice! I also have a posting on the Hobart WeldTalk board on this same subject.

By rugg

Date 07-26-2004 22:21

i thought a cold saw was the low RPM (20-100, roughly) saw that uses coolant?? no noise, no heat, fast acurate cuts. expensive though.

By TimGary (****)

Date 07-27-2004 12:11

The saw we're discussing is a suped-up circular saw that cuts dry, with a carbide toothed blade.