Cutters for metal lathe work

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wiset1

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So this is more about another tool to help turn material on a metal lathe.

As some of you know I just bought a metal lathe which sadly I haven't had time to even turn on due to my work load. Anyways, looking at cutting larger stock metal rods to a more workable size has me looking at methods to cut metal. I don't want to spend loads of cash just to make a single cut so are there any thoughts one these two items?

3-1/2 HP 14" Industrial Cut-Off Saw
from Harbor Freight for $99
1 HP 4" x 6" Horizontal/Vertical Metal Cutting Band Saw from HF for $240

Long story short...will the cheaper version work or is there a benefit to owning the metal bandsaw?

Thanks in advance
 
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Rolland

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It depends on what size your lathe tool holder is. If you are cutting brass and aluminum your better off with HSS tools you can grind them to shape easily. Carbide would be better if you are cutting harder metals. Check Enco for lathe tool bits they have a good selection for just about anything and right now you can get free shipping over $25.00 with code NCCJAN or (FEB2SR it closes on the 3rd.)
 

OKLAHOMAN

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Rolland I think he's asking about cutting rods down to size to fit on the lathe, in other words if his rods are 24 inches long and he needs 3 inches for a project what would the best and least expensive tool to use be.
 

BRobbins629

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If all you want it for is to cut off rods, the cheaper version will do. In fact it may be better as you will dull the band saw blades quickly cutting metal. I also think you may find the band saw more versitile and use it for more functions. Get both - you can't have too many tools.
 

wiset1

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the grinder attachment for my metal lathe is $150 and I'm wondering if it's better to cut stock off the lathe prior to working with it on the lathe. Cut to size so to speak and that's what I was thinking of. Nothing over 3/4 rod so I guess I could do it on the lathe, but that's why I'm asking here to see what others do
 

wiset1

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Roy, Bruce, and Andrew...Thank You!

Bruce...you and the tools..."Get Both" :biggrin:
 

mredburn

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Tim the $99.00 one will eat up blades faster than the band saw. They will also not work well on aluminum. You can put a carbide blade on them and do aluminum. They are noisy and not very precise at cutting. The metal band saw will cut cleaner with less noise. add a couple of drops of cutting oil to the blade or stock before each cut and they will last longer. you will need to match your blade to the thickness of the material you expect to cut and bimetal blades are better than standard one. One thing you have not shown as an option is the portable hand bandsaws like Portercable, Milwaulkie, dewalt and others make.

Shop DEWALT 10-Amp Deep Cut Portable Band Saw at Lowes.com=

I have used several of these over the years and wouldnt be without one. I use the bimetal blades and if you dont bind the blade they last a long time. I use one in my shop. Mike Roux uses the bench version like you have posted. THe bench version lets you turn it on and walk away while it cuts. the hand version you have to stand there and hold it.
 
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manatee

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Go with the bandsaw. I have the Jet 4 x 6 and I use it almost daily for cutting steel and alloy. I use my wood cutting bandsaw for cutting aluminum and brass. The cut off saw will produce lots of sparks and noise, the band saw won't. I only use my HF cutoff saw to cut pen tubes.
 

PenPal

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Morning Tim,

Thanks for your earlier reply.

I have both of these items, equally great for different reasons and have been using them for twenty years.

The cut off saw is not great for some metals however it makes a doddle of steel up to larger sizes and is particularly good for square tube cutting and contrary to comments cuts square as and accurate with care, it does not require much storage space (small footprint). I used mine for steel angle and tube steel, also constructed a vast car port using 6 inch round 30 feet long 3/8 inch wall thickness only a few years ago and made the cuts with the drop off saw also the thick U Section Galvanised Steel. In fact dozens of different situations.

To cleanly, efficiently cut up Aluminium, Bronze, Brass, Steel, Plastics the bandsaw (also suggest the bi metal blades) it this machine also has a small footprint, it has a device that switches off the unit when the cut is finished and allows you to multi task. Both incredible workhorses, cheap as chips and even at my advancing age will be amongst the last to go from my workshop.

Using these I rebuilt inside a 20 ft shipping container for smalls storage, weighed 1.6 tons empty and the carrier dropped it off in a hurry twelve feet from where I wanted and left so I shifted it into place myself with a 9 ft length of 2 inch steam pipe and a one foot square block of wood, me and Archimedes are good friends and I am very determined. When it was time to put the container on blocks of concrete I levered up each corner and SWMBO adjusted the blocks in place. I cut three inch angle iron and welded brackets to the walls and put shelving of top sheets from kitchen manufacturers of 1 1/4 inch laminate sheets.
The laminate sheets were 12 feet by 8 feet and were free, brought them home two at a time on my 6x4 feet box trailer hanging out all round from the dealer 14 miles away. When I finished the Container I cut steel and built a shed the 20 ft length and the same size off the container and welded the frame. Numerous sheds etc love those two tools. I put the sheets of laminate on the trailer by myself by sliding and shifting carefully the firm used to put them in stacks outside. Alas those days are gone ie free top sheets etc. Anyway what I wanted to convey was the two tools can be invaluable for a whole host of reasons over a long period of time, worked for me. I remember how cross I was when the steel firm delivered the heavy, long pipes they dropped them in the street in front of my neighbors so I made two flats with four swivel wheels on each and lifted one end at a time and tied the pipe on the flats each end and wheeled them into my place and cut them with the drop saw in two cuts each time turning the pipe to get the depth of cut needed. I ran out of puff standing up the pipe posts, set down four feet in the ground in concrete got help for that.

With the bandsaw I made a handle on the end from the wheels it is very mobile and parks easily.

Take care.

Kind regards Peter.
 

Rolland

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Rolland I think he's asking about cutting rods down to size to fit on the lathe, in other words if his rods are 24 inches long and he needs 3 inches for a project what would the best and least expensive tool to use be.

Well I guess I need to brushing up on my reading skills:redface: .
 

moke

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Tim,
I have not bought a metal lathe yet, but I inherited a bandsaw just like the HF, only it was marketed under another name. I was going to get rid of it, but since selling tools is against my religion, I decided not to. Since then I have used it a lot...I have found uses in manfacturing this or that. It would be my choice to go with that.

I tryed using an old miter saw with a metal cutting blade and it is not my first choice to make cuts on metal.
 

randyrls

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If all you are cutting is stuff for pens have a look at this. A lot less noisy


We have used your first option for years on all sorts of stuff.

Mark; I will pay you any amount of money to see you cut a 5/8" x 4" steel plate with that!!!:redface::redface::redface:

Been there, done that, buy the band saw!!!! Somehow that quote didn't come out right.
 

Hess

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one thing to consider when looking at the Dewalt or Milwaukee saws is the cost have a millwalkie and it is great but for less money I was able to get a floor model that tilts for around 275 from Northern and Grizzly makes a good one for 350?
 

Rich L

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One thing to consider if you end up with the chop saw is that if you use an abrasive wheel you will harden the cut portion of certain steel stock (if you're using steel for anything).

I've found my small horizontal band/cut-off saw much more versatile and I can cut just about anything with it. I can change blades and speeds without a wrench. It's also good for some minor profiling. The only thing that seems to limit that is the small (~4 inch ) throat.

Cheers,
Rich
 

rherrell

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If you already have a wood cutting bandsaw just get a metal cutting blade for it. If you're only doing small stock for pens then this option should work just fine.

If you do, get a bi-metal blade, they cut better and last ALOT longer.

Also, don't cut ferrous metal with your dust collector on.....sparks.....fire!
 
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The cut-off saw is quick but the downside is that in some cases might harden the metal and will make it tough to cut on a small metal lathe.

Tim, If you want 316L Project 70 Stainless offcuts (12" x 5/8 or /1/2) let me know I have lots of scrap remnant pieces from the CNC.
 

azamiryou

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For cutting rod, I just use my hack saw. Not as quick as a power saw (especially on the big rods), but it works fine, it's much cheaper, and it hardly takes up any space. I would hesitate to use it for making long cuts in thick stock though... it might take all afternoon!
 

Haynie

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If all you are cutting is stuff for pens have a look at this. A lot less noisy


We have used your first option for years on all sorts of stuff.

Mark; I will pay you any amount of money to see you cut a 5/8" x 4" steel plate with that!!!:redface::redface::redface:

Been there, done that, buy the band saw!!!! Somehow that quote didn't come out right.

That would be stupid. You use the right tool for the job. period. This is a pen cutting forum and If someone plans to cut and use 5/8 x4 steel plate all the power to them and they should get the right tool. If this were a metal fabrication of metal working site and he was looking to cut that size plate steel I would recommend a plasma cutter or cutting torch. Both of which have been far more effective at cutting thick plate for me in the past. Plus if he is planning to cut thick plate with that wimpy bandsaw I hope he has thought of a way to cool it.
 

Texatdurango

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Tim, I actually bought this saw years before I bought my metal lathe because I got tired of reaching for the trusty ole hacksaw whenever I needed to cut a bolt or anything metal.

Now that I have the metal lathe I use this saw to cut to size EVERYTHING metal that goes on my lathe. The largest rod stock I have is 3" aluminum and it cuts through that in seconds, just chuck up the long rod in a vice and let 'er rip.

I keep it plugged in, sitting on a shelf under my main workbench and find myself reaching for it several times a week. You would be amazed at how useful it is.

This is the only tool in my shop that I use 500 times more than I ever imagined when I bought it.....

Portable Band Saw with Variable Speed
 

Rich L

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Tim, If you want 316L Project 70 Stainless offcuts (12" x 5/8 or /1/2) let me know I have lots of scrap remnant pieces from the CNC.

That material might be sufficiently challenging to a new lathe owner. What's your experience with it compared to the "ordinary" 316L? As good as 303 or 416?

Rich
 

PTsideshow

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The HF horizontal band saw has had a lot of bad things said about it. When I went to buy one there were two being brought back at the same time. This was a number of years ago I ended up buying the The Jet 4x6 and have been happy with it other than what has been said about it will chew thru the blades if you make a lot of cuts.

The cut off saws with abrasive blades, as been said very messy, noisy and will wear away the blades as it cuts. If you what to use one of that type for occasionally cutting steels no larger than 1"dia, Check out the HF 6" cut off saw.

It is a lot smaller in foot print, for storing between use the wheels are also cheaper. I have one and I use it more than my lager one of the 4x6 saw.

I also have the small 2'cut off saw and use it for the non ferrous, wood and plastics.

One word of caution on putting a carbide tooth blade on cut off saws of any size. the speeds the cut off saws operate at are way to fast for the toothed saw blades! most are @ or above 9,000RPMs. Most wood and non ferrous miter/chop saws are only traveling about half that speed and the blades are rated for around a max of 7,000RPM.

If you are only doing one two or three cuts at a time. You can use a cheap plastic miter box and a good hacksaw frame.

Professional High Tension Hacksaw Frame Bi-Metal Blade 28,000 LB PSI Tension Level. I have the older version of this one, but everybody makes one. You can save a whole lot of money.
:clown:
 

palmermethod

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If you have or can borrow a jigsaw, just get a metal cutting blade for it and it will do the job. Depending on the length of the blade and the metal.

I cut metal all the time with my jigsaw and also have larger blades for my big reciprocating SawZall. No problems at all.
 

KBs Pensnmore

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If all you are cutting is stuff for pens have a look at this. A lot less noisy


We have used your first option for years on all sorts of stuff.

Mark; I will pay you any amount of money to see you cut a 5/8" x 4" steel plate with that!!!:redface::redface::redface:

Been there, done that, buy the band saw!!!! Somehow that quote didn't come out right.

That would be stupid. You use the right tool for the job. period. This is a pen cutting forum and If someone plans to cut and use 5/8 x4 steel plate all the power to them and they should get the right tool. If this were a metal fabrication of metal working site and he was looking to cut that size plate steel I would recommend a plasma cutter or cutting torch. Both of which have been far more effective at cutting thick plate for me in the past. Plus if he is planning to cut thick plate with that wimpy bandsaw I hope he has thought of a way to cool it.

I have had 2 of these bandsaws and as far as I'm concerned they are tops. The first one I sold with my business after 8 years and the second one I still have.
I have had these saws running 24hr days sometimes, When I first started my business, I worked from home, some nights 3.00am cutting steel, try doing that with the friction saw, messy, dusty, noisy and expensive discs also capable of causing FIRE!!!!!!! DAMHIKT
Use a BIMETAL blade, a minimum of 3teeth in the material, I use 32T and 24T mainly, no need for a coolant, as the blade is not a high speed it doesn't get hot. Make sure that it is set up correctly as per a normal bandsaw and you won't look back.
It will cut 5/8"X4" all day long.
Kryn
 
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Tim, If you want 316L Project 70 Stainless offcuts (12" x 5/8 or /1/2) let me know I have lots of scrap remnant pieces from the CNC.

That material might be sufficiently challenging to a new lathe owner. What's your experience with it compared to the "ordinary" 316L? As good as 303 or 416?

Rich

Does not cut as well as 303 but lots better than normal 316.
It has a 45% better machinabillity than normal 316.
 

Paul in OKC

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The hand held portable band saws are handier than I ever thought. Don't own one (yet), but have one at work. I have a LARGE metal cutting saw that will cut up to about 15" diameter, but the portable is easier to use on the small stuff, small round stock, squrae tubing, even angle iron. 3/4" stuff would be no problem.
 

joefyffe

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NOT less noisy when you factor in "labored" breathing, after using that for a few minutes! :biggrin: I have the metal cutting HF bandsaw Mfg. Date 1997. I has served me well and continues to do so. Good choice@

If all you are cutting is stuff for pens have a look at this. A lot less noisy


We have used your first option for years on all sorts of stuff.
 
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bluwolf

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I vote for the 4x6 bandsaw. Everybody else has covered the rest. I love mine. I got mine used for $50 with spare blades. But that was a lucky deal like my 8x30 mill that I got for $400 with tooling. My point? Sometimes Craiglist can be your friend. I see the 4x6 bandsaws on there occasionally. Sometimes for around $100 to $150. Just a thought.

Mike
 

Gilrock

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I have a friend that has a horizontal bandsaw similar to that 4x6 but it's designed to keep a steady flow of cutting fluid on the blade. I would think that would be ideal for keeping from tearing through blades but I don't know if you can get one like that for under $1000.

Well I did a quick search and found this one...costs quite a bit more but I think I'd love to get this if I went to a metal lathe:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200514631_200514631

Gil
 
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