> What I was wondering... if these "multi-cutter" saws can cut metals,
> including steel, why aren't there any blades similar to that for 10"
> saws? Not that I plan on doing any compound miter cutting on steel
> angle iron, but it would be nice to use my existing tool instead of
> having to buy a new one from $150-$500+! Heck, both have 15A motors.
>
> What makes a blade good for cutting wood and not good for cutting metal,
> when it has the same carbide tips as metal cutting blades?
Chris, I don't know the answers ... but I have occasionally used carbide
wood blades to cut steel and aluminum with moderate success. My main
problems have been overheating and breaking the carbide tips off. The
overheating can be alleviated by slowing the blade down, taking very slow
cuts and using coolant; not breaking the tips requires a more solid setup.
Haven't tried it on a chop saw, but I would imagine that it would take a
very sturdy saw and a _very_ steady hand, if it could be done at all. You
can buy smaller diameter blades (like 7") that are rated to cut the
occasional nail in used lumber. I'd also worry about the metal chips
getting inside the motor, most wood-working equipment doesn't seem to be
very well sealed and a chop saw has the motor right next to where the chips
are generated.
There are several things that are different between wood cutting tools and
metal cutting tools, the big difference is in the cutting angles themselves.
Metal cutting tools need to take a much smaller 'bite', to avoid digging
in; they usually also have a lot more teeth per inch than wood tools do.
Typically, they also don't have any 'set', each tooth runs in exactly the
same path as the previous one. They also need to be run at much slower
surface speeds, to avoid overheating and keep the forces within the
abilities of the machine.
Just my $.02, YMMV
Randall
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