Carbide Tipped Metal Cutting Blades

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This is my present set up, the machine is about fifty years old but still works. The abrasive wheel takes along time to cut. The piece of 1/4 in thick metal you see on the table was cut with this abrasive wheel but it takes about five minutes to cut an inch. The arbor is 5/8 in and wheel speed is about 2000 rpm.

Will a carbide tipped blade cut faster? The blades are expensive, will they last long enough to justify their cost?
 
We use one in a chop style saw- but it's designed for the blade/work and it's lasted about 2 years so far with no signs of dulling.
 
Depending on speeds and feeds, the carbide blade may heat up too much, when compared with abrasive blades.

A softer abrasive blade will cut faster at the expense of greater wear.

A band saw will give the best cut if you have access to one.
 
I don't have access to a band saw.

I will buy the carbide tipped blade and try it out. If there is overheating, it is easy enough to slow the wheel down on my set up by using a different diameter pulley.
 
Carbide is great for wood, and cuts softer metals, like aluminum or brass, reasonably well, but it's too brittle for hard metals like steel. What are you cutting?
 
Ive seen band saws for cutting bar stocks and used abrasive wheels for cutting myself.

For what you have there a plasma cutter would do it in seconds with very smooth cut edge. And if you need repeat-ability you can make a template. Lotos makes an inexpensive unit.

If your sticking with that table saw I would change the pulley and get the abrasive wheel spinning faster.
 
Those carbide tipped metal cutting blades are for cutting light gauge steel like rain gutters. Your problem is the 2000 RPM. With a cutoff wheel on my right angle grinder, I can cut 1/4 inch steel in no time flat, but the wheel is spinning at 11,000 RPM.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Carbide is great for wood, and cuts softer metals, like aluminum or brass, reasonably well, but it's too brittle for hard metals like steel. What are you cutting?


Most commonly, 1/4 thick to 1/2 in thick mild steel.
 
Looking at your set-up, I would not use a carbide blade.
If you do, I would predict you'll cut off 1 or more fingers.
In metal working, your work-piece needs to be securely fastened in a vise with a controlled feed rate.

I bought new blades for my hack-saw and was surprised to see how fast it cut.
 
Originally Posted By: George7941
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Carbide is great for wood, and cuts softer metals, like aluminum or brass, reasonably well, but it's too brittle for hard metals like steel. What are you cutting?


Most commonly, 1/4 thick to 1/2 in thick mild steel.
Do not use a carbide-tipped blade to cut steel. Period. Use an abrasive wheel or a hacksaw.
 
I have a 14" cold cut chop saw (Ironton from Northern $199 on special). So far (after about 5 months) it is the best thing since sliced bread. Nothing too heavy yet, mainly 1/8-3/16 flat stock and angle, lots of tubing. Blade is still "fresh". Goes through steel like butter, especially compared to my old Makita 14" abrasive. Main thing is the cold cut saw requires almost no cleanup vs an abrasive cut. Huge time saver.

Drawback- blades go for $90 each, vs 4 for $18 for Dewalt 14" abrasive disks/blades.

Only real drawback, the steel metal shards/shavings that come off that carbide blade are SHARP. They get in everything. They embed in the soles of boots/shoes, and get tracked around, and the first bare foot that hits them, tweezer time. I made it a week before I hit Home depot and grabbed a magnetic sweeper for $30. Life saver. No matter how much you sweep with a regular broom, the amount of stuff that magnet picks up is surprising.

Aluminum gets cut with my trusty Hitachi miter saw. Wood, aluminum, it don't care.
 
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With a special, hand-held steel cutting saw + blade + experience, OK. With a steel-cutting chop saw, OK.

I'll yield.

With the old TS the OP is using, where the blade rotates towards your face, holding the work by hand and using a "regular" carbide blade?

No way Jose..........
 
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
With a special, hand-held steel cutting saw + blade + experience, OK. With a steel-cutting chop saw, OK.

I'll yield.

With the old TS the OP is using, where the blade rotates towards your face, holding the work by hand and using a "regular" carbide blade?

No way Jose..........


I'd have to agree. Looks like a kickback waiting to happen.
 
The carbide metal cutting saws run a lot slower than the abrasive ones and you have to have the work clamped down or it will throw it.
 
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