Metal-Cutting Saw

kcm.MN

Well-known Member
Location
NW Minnesota
Recently got an Evolution saw for cutting steel. Rather than a chop saw, I found that they also have sliding compound miter saws as well as handheld circular saws.

As I don't have a shop to work in, the handheld saw seemed like it would best suit my needs. Ordered a 7 1/4" Diablo blade at the same time.

Used it last week to cut some 2" and 2 1/2" square tubing, 3" x 3" x 1/4" angle and some smaller stuff. Makes me wonder how I ever got along without it!

Can't believe the price either. Amazon had a Warehouse Deals for about 1/3 off list price, Evolution still gave it a full 3 year warranty, and the saw + blade cost less than $100 delivered! Only thing that was missing was the Owner's Manual, which I downloaded from Evolution's website.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCTJC9X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CZJ56M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If anyone is interested, Amazon still has one in Warehouse Deals for the 1/3-off price, same as I got. Sure is handy being able to take the saw to the work, especially if what you need to cut is too heavy or awkward.
 
that's just the dinky toy model. i have used the chop saw type at work and they sure work nice. they turn about 1/3 rpm of the regular chop saw. you cant put those blades in the regular chop saw either, as they will just burn up.
 
That's not a bad deal. I have a battery powered Makita metal saw that takes 5-3/8 inch carbide blades and it really comes in handy on larger material that won't fit in the chop saw. I've cut 1/4-inch steel with it. I also have a 14-inch carbide chop saw I bought from Northern Tool several years ago. The slower-turning carbide cold-cut saws are a vast improvement over the saws that use abrasive blades. You do need to be careful though as the blades can be easily damaged if used improperly.
 
These may be fine for the occasional user but I seriously doubt they would last a week for me. I bought a Milwaukee when they first came out. I have already worn 2 completely out and I am now using my third one. It gets used nearly every. I have owned every brand of 4 1/2 in grinder known to man and the Only one that will hold up to me is a Metabo. I have 4.
 
We have sold several over the years with no complaints so far. One of the guys at work builds plate boats on the side,yes they are aluminium, but his saw still gets used a lot.
 
I bought this saw 40 years ago
cvphoto5534.jpg

It was used then.
cvphoto5536.jpg

It takes a 120 inch blade.
Makes a nice clean cut.
George
 

Let's see ya carry that thing outside to make a cut that you can't make inside.

I have a nice recip saw (sawzall to most, but mine isn't Milwaukee.....anymore!), but the cold temps have had me pushing those blades to the limits, which burns them too quickly. The circular saw is portable, familiar to use, and I can make a couple of jigs for it that will make it much more adaptable than a stationary saw while also being very precise.

Sure does a nice job! And the saw cost me what I would normally spend in bi-metal recip blades in a year or two. The recip saw has its place, and now so does this one.
 
I prefer to cut steel now with a bandsaw now if at all possible. It's so much easier. When using a circular saw use a carborundum blade. The blade you have on
the link the teeth won't stay on the blade. I had to dig carbide teeth out of my arm onetime using that blade cutting sheetmetal. Another note on the circular
saw, make sure it doesn't have a plastic guard. Cutting steel the heat will melt the guard.
 
I bought a slightly used 4"?6" metal cutting bandsaw about 1981. It must have been machined wrong in China. Never ever came close to cutting square. NO adjustments made the angled cross cuts square. A pretty worthless tool. SON called one day raving about what a great tool buy he got at Menards? The 14 inch chop saw style EVOLUTION RAGE 2 for $199.95. Next day I bought mine. You can cut 2x4 1/4" wall rectangular steel tube as fast as your wood miter saw can cut a hardwood 2x4. It is dead nuts accurate on angles, yes it throws hot shards of steel, wear safety glasses and a full face shield, and ear phones, it's not loud, but hot sharp steel shards can hurt your ears. The carbide blades are good for up to 1000 cuts, maybe more. Cuts solid steel bar, round, square rectangle, steel, aluminum, plastic and wood, might cut stainless steel too. Their US offices are just east of Northwest Blvd just north of Interstate 80 in DAVENPORT, IOWA. Right east of all the big trucks tops. The Rave makes quick accurate burr free weld ready cuts. You want to weld up a 45 degree angle make two 22.5 degree cuts.
My Dad gave me his DeWalt 14" abrasive chop saw. I HAVE NEVER USED IT.

I don't think you understand what the Evolution saws actually are. No stream of sparks from them. And so much quicker and more accurate than a band saw.
 
My bandsaw is the cheap one that harbor freight sells. It couldn't be more accurate. So far it has cut everything true and square. When I bought it I was considering a chop saw but I had been using a woodworking miterbox and was unhappy with how fast the blades wore out. I was also unhappy with the wear on circular blades so I bought the Diablo carbide blade shown in the link when I was cutting sheetmetal building my shop. Within an hour the teeth starting coming off and ended up getting one of them embedded in my arm.
 
(quoted from post at 19:09:09 02/17/20)
Let's see ya carry that thing outside to make a cut that you can't make inside.

I have a nice recip saw (sawzall to most, but mine isn't Milwaukee.....anymore!), but the cold temps have had me pushing those blades to the limits, which burns them too quickly. The circular saw is portable, familiar to use, and I can make a couple of jigs for it that will make it much more adaptable than a stationary saw while also being very precise.

Sure does a nice job! And the saw cost me what I would normally spend in bi-metal recip blades in a year or two. The recip saw has its place, and now so does this one.

I have a Milwaukee hand held band saw to carry to large fixed pieces of steel.
 
Someone explain what makes this saw work so good on metal. Is it the combination of the blade and a lower rpm motor? I have a piece of 1/4" thick aluminum that I need to cut. Will the 7 1/4" portable work good on that?

Thanks,
Garry
 
It must be a combination of RPM and blade design.

It runs slower, 3900 RPM, where a typical circular saw runs in the 5000 range.

The slow speed would make me wonder if it would be capable of making fine cuts on wood without splintering.

As for cutting aluminum, any carbide blade will run right through aluminum, no problem. Just wear goggles, preferably a face mask. I don't usually recommend gloves around power tools, but when cutting metal with a circular saw heavy gloves come in handy. It will throw hot chips!

And you can buy a carbide blade made for mild steel. The teeth are spoon shaped, not square corners. It will work, just have to be careful with it, teeth are still easy to break.
 
(quoted from post at 09:13:18 02/19/20) Someone explain what makes this saw work so good on metal. Is it the combination of the blade and a lower rpm motor? I have a piece of 1/4" thick aluminum that I need to cut. Will the 7 1/4" portable work good on that?

Thanks,
Garry

This is just my opinion, but if cutting aluminum, I would say that you should have no problems using pretty much any type of circular saw, so long as you have a nice, sharp carbide blade.

I know I'm probably going to catch flack for saying that, but I worked with my Dad in his sheet metal machine shop starting at an early age. We worked almost exclusively with aluminum. By the time I was 10, he could hand me a blueprint, pick out the metal he wanted used, and then go inside for some much-needed rest while I made the parts.

That said, I've also made a bit of an accidental discovery about 10 years ago. Was cutting some plywood outside, and was using my 16 cu. ft. AGCO lawn trailer (16 gauge steel, similar to this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ohio-Steel-20-cu-ft-1500-lb-Steel-Dump-Cart-3460HKD/202324208) and cut a couple inches into the lip of the trailer without realizing. Part of the cut was one layer thick, but when it hit a 2-layer section, that's when I heard the change in sound and stopped. Was a fairly new carbide-tipped saw blade meant for wood. Still, it sure did make a beautiful cut in that steel!

One thing about aluminum is that it likes to gum up some types of blades. Carbide-tipped blades will cut fast, clear chips quickly and generate little heat. Just have to remember that it's not wood, so you cannot force the blade into your material - regardless of whether the blade is intended for wood or metal. So if you have need to cut ONLY one piece of aluminum, I say use a saw you already have - just maybe buy a blade specifically designed for aluminum, copper, etc.

I'm new to cutting steel with circular saws, so I can't speak about the troubles some other users have had. All I know is, I take my cuts very slow, and am VERY careful to not let the saw/blade get out-of-kilter in any way. This saw is meant for light-duty cutting, meaning not put to daily hard use. However, I can attest that it will cut 1/4" mild steel with no problems. The original blade is meant for all materials, including wood and plastic, so I ordered the Diablo blade that is specifically meant for use on steel.

As said, I'm still learning about using circular saws with metals. Got this saw because I was feeding the reciprocating saw too quickly in Winter's cold, which generated too much heat and ruined the blades. Getting the circ saw and taking it nice and slow was still much faster than using the recip saw most of the time. It also made cleaner and more accurate cuts than the recip saw. And again, I've only used this new circ saw two different days for a handful of cuts. Don't take my word as gospel. Others have stated they've had problems, whether with the saw or the blade. We have no way of knowing if all of the conditions were ideal, or even whether the steel being cut was mild or hardened, or of some metallurgy that is difficult for this type of saw to cut.
 

Just make your mark your aluminum, then pour some dish soap or motor oil on your line, use any skill saw or can even cut on a standard table saw. Ya don't need to turn the blade around backwards. I've been doing this for over 40 years. No secret to cutting aluminum!!
 
I have an 18v Milwaukee metal circular saw that I use for everything from metal siding to 1/4 plate.
 
Be sure to wear eye and ear protection when cutting aluminum with saws. I never think about eye protection because I wear shock prove glasses. But I wear ear protection.

Keith
 
I bought a Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw a few years ago and as others have said don't know how I got along without it. Blades last an extraordinary length of time if you don't crowd them. I have made repeated cuts through 1" mild steel plate with no issues. Slow, steady and keep the cut straight; twist the saw so that it binds in the slightest, and the blade is toast. Nicest part of these saws is that the cut doesn't get hot.
 
I run a ellis dry cut metal saw, love it cuts up 12" and will cut angles also. blades last over two years when you learn how to cut steel, I also use it to cut lumber
 

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