Is It Possible To Cut Metal With A Miter Saw

Can a miter saw cut metal Saw blade.

Can a miter saw cut metal

Saw blade. Weapon of your miter saw. And it depends on its quality, efficiency and purpose what kind of material you can work with with your miter saw.

Naturally, the main material for which miter saws are used is wood of various species (soft and hard), as well as wood products. Veneer, plywood, chipboard, etc. However, modern miter saws are increasingly used for processing other materials: plastic, plastics, laminate and even soft metals.

is it possible to cut metal with a miter saw

With all the variety of choices, the main characteristics of saw blades intended for use specifically on end saws are diameter sizes. Landing and external.

The classic rim for most miter saws is 30 mm.

This characteristic varies greatly between saw blade manufacturers. Of course, there are the most common disc sizes. It. 210 mm, 216 mm, 255 mm, 305 mm.

Important! All manufacturers of miter saws describe in the instructions for use of the equipment what diameter of the saw blades is standard for a particular saw. Do not risk using discs of non-standard diameter on your trimming! Its mechanism is designed to work with specific disc sizes, and the use of non-standard consumables can provoke strong runout, the appearance of chips and burrs along the mowing line of the cut (which is often mistakenly attributed to the low quality of the saw blade), curvature of the mowing line of the cut, as well as rapid overheating of the end motor saws. The parameters of the protective cover on the unit are also designed for this, which do not just do not allow the use of enlarged saw blades.

However, there are far more serious and less obvious differences between saw blades from different manufacturers. It. The method of their manufacture, the material of the saw blades, as well as the sharpening and geometric shape of the cutting teeth.

Solid saw blades are not suitable even for semi-professional use. They become blunt faster, require a set of teeth, give a cut of the worst quality. Practically nobody produces them.

There is also a way in which discs are made in production. For example, the highest quality discs (consider the example of Bosch) are cut from blanks exclusively using a laser. This allows for the highest possible seating accuracy of the saw blades on the miter saw shaft, as well as the best possible balancing of the blades and, accordingly, their increased durability in use. The cutting edges of the discs are also specially processed to increase their service life without the need for additional sharpening.

Thicker teeth withstand side loads better!

The angle of the cutting teeth is specially selected for the material to be cut.

In particular, for cutting metal tiles, plastic and aluminum, saw blades with cutting teeth are used, which have a negative angle of inclination of 5 degrees. Here it is important that the teeth have different shapes of sharpening: odd. Trapezoidal (for rough sawing), even. Straight (for fine cutting of thin materials). Discs with the above configuration are perfect for, for example, thin laminate sheets. And for the thicker ones, you will need discs with teeth of the same shape, but with a positive angle of inclination of about 15 degrees.

For sawing wood and materials containing wood, discs with a positive angle of inclination and one-sided sharpening with alternating direction are required. This is the most versatile type of sharpening, used for fast cutting of wood across and along the grain, cutting multi-layer composite materials or plywood. These blades give clean cuts and sharp edges in wood.

Also, don’t forget about the number of teeth on the disc!

For coarse sawing of construction timber, formwork with adhered residues of concrete, aerated concrete, etc., saw blades with 12-16 teeth are required (for example, the Bosch Construct Wood series) and a special profile with increased resistance to foreign bodies in the wood, i.E. Concrete, nails, etc.
For high-speed longitudinal cutting of wood, a saw blade with 20-24 teeth is sufficient. It will effectively remove sawdust and perform well on softwoods.
Blades with 36-48 teeth are better suited for cross cuts and hardwood and wood-containing materials.
If you are dealing with laminated chipboard, you need even more: 40-64 teeth. The cutting speed will decrease, the load on the saw will increase, but the cutting line will be clean.

Remember: the more teeth a saw blade with carbide teeth has, the higher its cost, because the bulk of the price of a blade is formed precisely from the amount of carbide soldering.

If you’ve noticed, most of the professional grade saw blades are also decorated with through-point cuts or wavy lines. These patterns are usually created with high-precision lasers and have nothing to do with embellishment. Their functional purpose. Compensate for thermal deformation in heated discs and reduce the noise level emitted by the miter saw during operation.

Still have questions? We have qualified consultants to help you find the perfect tooling for your tool and work purpose. Just call:

Can a miter saw cut metal?

This is what our guests sometimes ask. For our regular customers, this issue has already been resolved.

Most likely, you are already aware of the ability of circular saws to cut metal, especially if you are already familiar with EVOLUTION products. over, industrial circular saws for metal are specifically designed to cut steel or non-ferrous metals regularly. And stainless steel. Periodically. But this limitation is due to the capabilities of the discs and the features of dry cutting of chromium-nickel steels.

RAGE professional hand-held circular saws and cut-off machines also successfully cut steel when the sheet thickness does not exceed 6 mm and the profile wall. 3 mm. However, by using the steel cut-off wheel used in the EVO 180 saw or S355CPS cut-off machine, these limitations can be surpassed without damaging the machine.

Serial cutting of steel profiles or pipes with EVOLUTION miter saws used to be ineffective. We have already covered this topic in previous articles. And nevertheless, with infrequent work with rolled steel, miter saws of this brand show themselves much better than other brands on which a disc for metal was installed. The main advantages of the EVOLUTION miter saws over competitive models:

  • A robust gearbox originally designed for cutting steel
  • Reduced rpm, optimized for steel discs
  • than 20 years of experience in the development, production and sale of circular saws for metal

This is without touching the carbide wheel itself on steel. Just a lot of people ask the question: Will I be able to cut steel with a miter saw for wood if I put a blade on it for metal?

What has changed in over 10 years of manufacturing EVOLUTION RAGE metal miter saws?

In 2020, the company introduced a new generation of special cutting discs. Now, the steel discs with a diameter of 185 mm are designed for speeds up to 5800 rpm. A special professional disc R185TCT-20MS is offered for the R185SMS miter saw, and for saws with a 255 mm disc. Suitable cutting disc for steel.

Thus, in the question of whether it is possible to cut steel with a miter saw, significant progress has occurred.

Follow these guidelines when working with steel workpieces on miter saws:

  • Securely fasten the workpiece to the base, if the standard clamp is not enough, use additional devices
  • Fold the saw advance to the forward position and secure with the set screw. Reduce the number of places where vibration is possible
  • Do not apply significant force to the saw, let the blade cut at the expense of speed, not pressure

Varieties of pendulum saws

  • Appointment;
  • The presence of a broach function;
  • Saw blade parameters.

Household, professional equipment and machine tools are allocated for their intended purpose. The first ones are distinguished by low power (up to 1500 W), compactness, cost up to 20-25 thousand rubles. An example is Bosch GKM 18 V-LI 0 L-BOXX (battery model for 15 thousand rubles), Kolner KMS 210/1400 for 4000 rubles, domestic Caliber PTE-900 / 190M with a power of 900 W at a price of 4500 rubles.

The cross-cut machine is not equipment for household work, used only at enterprises that produce rolled metal and are daily engaged in cutting or other processing. Such machines cost tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles, their power exceeds 1000 W, and weigh several centners. An example of domestic-made machines TsT 10-4 (3 kW, 360 kg, 105 thousand rubles) or TsKB-40 K (5.5 kW, 700 kg, 340 thousand rubles).

Professional trimming for sheets, profiles and pipes occupies an intermediate position according to the specified parameters. For example, Makita LF 1000 (1650 W, from 60 thousand rubles), DeWalt 27111 (1500 W, from 50 thousand rubles).

The broaching option gives the user a slight advantage when processing long sheets or pipes. The models have two parallel rails, on which the cutting disc is mounted and moves freely along them. The broach tool features a large kerf width in the workpiece, as well as extremely fine teeth on the disc. Also, the tool sometimes has a laser pointer for easy marking and process control. Trimming on metal with a broach weighs more than usual, and the option increases the cost by 20-30%.

Now a few words about manufacturers you can trust.

General information about the tool

Along with jigsaws, circular and circular saws, trimming is capable of cutting metal sheets, profiles, various types of pipes. The design of the device is simple, the main elements are the bed (base), handle with start button, saw blade, gearbox and motor. The latter is of two types:

  • Collector;
  • Asynchronous.

The advantage of the first is ease of maintenance, the second is a long service life and less noise during operation.

The motor is connected to the saw blade by means of a belt or gear drive. They have advantages and disadvantages. For example, the belt is almost silent, eliminates the vibration of the disc, but can slip off during long work, forcing the user to stop the process. The cogwheel is free of this minus, but it makes noise and vibrates slightly.

The working body of the miter saw blade. It is made of durable metals, since it is under a serious load. Some of the removable elements have wavy lines or cuts on the surfaces. This is done to reduce operating noise and to compensate for thermal deformation.

Tips for choosing metal miter saws

What are the features of a metal miter saw? What types are there? What to look for before buying? The answers to these questions are below.

There are many tools for cutting metal, but only a pendulum (end) saw makes it possible to obtain an angular cut. With its help, window frames, door frames and much more are produced. However, the article will consider a miter saw for metal. What features does it have? How is it classified? What to look for before buying? The answers to these and other questions are below.

Which circular saw or miter saw to choose?

Are you looking to make a nice table to match your couch but can’t decide between a miter saw and a circular saw?

Don’t worry, read our comparison guide to find out all the differences between the two saws and decide which one is the best for your task.

Some people think that one of them is better than the other, others that there is not much difference between them, and one can replace one saw with another. Nevertheless, each of them has its own characteristics and it is better to use the saw exactly for its intended purpose.

So let’s first take a quick look at the advantages and disadvantages of both types of saws.

Miter saw

What is a miter saw?
Cross-cut is a tool for precise, mainly cross-cutting, cutting of a workpiece. Most miter saws are small and portable. Unlike stationary miter saws, you can pull it out and set it on a temporary base by placing a drop mechanism (sometimes called a drip mechanism) over your workpiece. The blade sizes most commonly used for miter saws range from 8 "to 12" (20-30 cm).

What is a miter saw used for?
You can use it to create cross cuts on a workpiece in one quick motion. But more importantly, you can do it at your chosen angle. It is the best choice when you need to cut trims and moldings.

Pros
The miter saw is useful when you need precise cross-cuts in your workpieces. This saw is also a great option for miter cuts.
This is one of the main competitive advantages of this saw over other types of saws. Most importantly, the miter saw is one of the safest.

Minuses
Despite all the advantages, a miter saw is useless when you are about to cut large workpieces. While it is the best choice for cross-sections, trimming can be ineffective with long cuts (over 15 centimeters).
Miter saws are a luxury rather than a necessity.