Alrighty.......

Last week I made a welding cart using 1.5" square and 1.5" angle.....I marked them all out for length and then cut them with a 14" chop saw (dewalt).

I went slow (I thought) but when I look at them closely I can see the cut is not straight. I had everything clamped down, secure.

The blade must be flexing. Any suggestions on how to minimize this? Is there a stiffer blade that can be used? Slow down more?

Cart turned out decent though.......just a little annoying to see things not cut straight.

Tx!

With the saw off, pull the blade down on a work piece. Do you feel play in the hinge. Many DeWalts have play here even when new.

My Sears (I'm not going to call it a Craftsman, it doesn't even deserve that) is pretty bad as well.

For presicion, you need a band saw. I trust the chop saw to get "close enough" and if I need better, I use the angle grinder.

My Sears (I'm not going to call it a Craftsman, it doesn't even deserve that) is pretty bad as well.

For presicion, you need a band saw. I trust the chop saw to get "close enough" and if I need better, I use the angle grinder.

still beats the piss out of a hacksaw in my opinion..:D

Abso-effing-lutely

still beats the piss out of a hacksaw in my opinion..:D

:D

You probably have the standard 3/32 blade and they will warp pretty easy and make a curved cut, also I've seen quite a few of those crack and break. You can get 14 x 1/8 that make a better cut but don't cut as fast. Make sure to support under the metal your cutting so it can't slip up in the vice on the chop saw that will also cause a curved cut.

But even with a good blade, it is very difficult to get a straight cut at 45 degrees with a chop saw.

Hence, cut 1/8" long and grind it back :D

Thanks for the tips.......Ive played around with it a bit more and I think Ive figured out some of the problem.....

Silly me, I was assuming that the little noch at 0° was really straight. It was not. Now that Ive adjusted it with an L ruler, it is a lot better.

There does not seem to be play anywhere else other than the blade though.

Sounds like hell though. I think it will have a short life.

Dad's Dewalt chop saw was a little off square as well. I think you have to set it at about 2-3 degrees to actually get a 0 degree cut. It has sounded pretty harsh since new as well, but the thing has cut a ton of metal. Probably pushing 7-8 years old now and is still going strong.

Thanks for the tips.......Ive played around with it a bit more and I think Ive figured out some of the problem.....

Silly me, I was assuming that the little noch at 0° was really straight. It was not. Now that Ive adjusted it with an L ruler, it is a lot better.

There does not seem to be play anywhere else other than the blade though.

Sounds like hell though. I think it will have a short life.

L-ruler??? You don't have a speed square in that shop???

Best bet for perfect angles besides the band saw...

Makita makes a 12" Diamond blade chop saw, the blade won't flex like a chop saw and it comes out burr free.....

You can cut a bolt with one, and put a nut right on it without a thread chaser...

Hmmm.....I was looking for a diamond blade for a chop saw, but everything I could find said it was for mason/concrete use. Can you find them at lowes/Home Depot?

That blade would pry cut faster and last longer than any carbide blade.....

Thanks for the tip.....

I finished my welding table last night......Ill snap some pics.

This was my second project after I built a copy of a Joe Hauler hitch carrier for my bike:

http://personal.linkline.com/rlockyer/et1.jpg

Because of the window, wall, and door that you can't see, I didn't have the 96" that you need for a commercial big-screen entertainment center with two piers, and nobody makes one with a single pier.

Hmmm.....
That blade would pry cut faster and last longer than any carbide blade.....

Thanks for the tip.....


And cost more than the saw itself!:eek:

Well the ones I am talking about go on that Makita saw, it is a slower cutting speed than your DeWalt saw. If you put it on your saw you would tear that blade up in a hurry.

You fill find them at your local welding shop.

you could always get a cold cut saw, they cut REALLY nice although a bit pricey.

Hmmm......Maybe I can find one of those blades for a 4.5" grinder.....

Also, has anyone heard of or used magnesuim rods with a stick welder for cutting? I cant seem to find much info about it.

Nice intertainment center Rick

BROCO torch. Usually used for underwater work.

I bought a porta-band bandsaw. I paid $70.00 at a pawn shop. I see used saws on e-bay all the time. Trust me ,your aggrivation level and your ears will be much happier with a porta-band handheld bandsaw.... Talk about a clean cut!:D

Also, has anyone heard of or used magnesuim rods with a stick welder for cutting? I cant seem to find much info about it.
I didn't think they were mag, but either way, it's more appropriately referred to as arc-gouging... it's not accurate at all... WAY less accurate than a plasma cutter.
You also need a compressor.... basically you hold the rod nearly parallel with the surface being "cut" and compressed air blows the molten material out of the gouge.
Nice intertainment center Rick
Thanks!

one of the things I have found out in my 40 yrs of welding is that yo ubring that chop saw blade down to the metal as it is running and as you make contact with the metal, DONT go slow as it will allow the blade to wobble some. Just start to push it thru and make that cut as quickly as possible. But as others have said the chop saw is not the best tool fo rthe job.

My 2 cents here

Phillip

Bridgeport mill....:)

Ill keep this in mind......I would return it, but it came with a free mail order dewalt grinder.......90 bucks.......

ill keep an eye open for one of those portable band saws.......pry too expensive though.

LOL... I bought a Sears "Companion" angle grinder.

The thing is so noisy that I don't even turn it on without the ear muffs on, and feeling it, it's obvious that it's bushing is shot... and was probably shot since about halfway through my first project, but ya know what... it still spins just fine and doesn't get hot.

Not bad for $30.

Was just looking to add a chop saw to the overcrowded shop. Need something to cut steel braided hose. Looking at the rigid 14". Seems as well built as any.

I have a Hitachi. Don't remember what I payed, but it wasn't a lot ($100?). It cuts pretty straight. If you watch the blade as you cut the blade can be ceen deflecting away from the peice, as in the blade is bending causing the angled cut. Most everything I build with it "close enough" measurements will do anyhow.

I found that the cuts were so off that it was downright difficult to get a good weld in the gap. Maybe a larger stick welder would do better, my mig didnt like it much.

It also did some wierd things with warpage.

It also did some wierd things with warpage.
That's unavoidable, but if you are building a square assembly (like my TV rack), it's a matter of tacking everything.... tack the top, each corner.
Square it up
Tack the back, each corner.
Square it up
Tack the inside, each corner.
Square it up
Tack the outside, each corner.
Square it up

NOW complete the beads... again, one "face" at a time. The idea is to try to work with the warpage and do your best to see that it warps evenly.

Yes, there will be a lot of stresses built in. Do NOT attempt to "stress relieve" the assembly with a torch. It's actually stronger left alone than using the old-timer's trick of heating it to cherry red and allowing it to cool.

I found that it 'squaring it up' was really just bending the metal.....I guess that is good enough?

I found that a helper was pretty much a necessity when it comes to building large items. Maybe Ill get better at doing it alone, but it was tough!

I also bought one of those magnets that hold things perfectly square for tacking, that will help a lot.....

I've done all of my projects alone... can't say that a helper would really do much other than get in the way or distract me with beer :)


My TV rack actually is not very square. It's not obvious now, as I'm the only one tall enough to sight down the top and see the twist, but in a few months when the carpeting is gone and the floor is wood, it'll be apparent that it's not straight.

So I'll hide the lower edge behind a plant.

A doctor buries his mistakes.
An architect plants ivy.

I found that it 'squaring it up' was really just bending the metal.....I guess that is good enough?

I found that a helper was pretty much a necessity when it comes to building large items. Maybe Ill get better at doing it alone, but it was tough!

I also bought one of those magnets that hold things perfectly square for tacking, that will help a lot.....

I've made quite a few reusable jigs over the years. Inside & outside squares made out of angle iron - sized for the job. Clamp your pieces to the jigs & there's your extra help.

Disclaimer:
That was in no way a racial statement.

For years I have had one of these.... http://www2.northerntool.com/product/200323677_200323677.htm (http://www2.northerntool.com/product/200323677_200323677.htm)

It cuts great, does many jobs and can be used as an upright band saw too...

No shop should be without one...

I just finished making this weilding cutting table using it...

http://happyheartdesigns.com/table.JPG

The table top is 5' x 3' wide and the yellow section you see is firebricks... The Left section is a series of 3/8" wide flat bar standing on its side to make a grate... The lower section is a 1/8" metal funnel that catches everything, that falls through the grate, in a metal bucket...

Now all I need to find is a metal bucket :)

Now all I need to find is a metal bucket :)
Can't make one? :D

Can't make one? :D

Yes, yes I can :D

But thats not the point... I should not have to do everything!

I am now making an exaust hood to fit over the table... I was thinking of making it out of Diamond plate... But I am still undecided...

:coolio: Mmmmmmm..... diamond plate......

Great looking cutting table. I like your Model A as well. We have a '51 that we use for mowing and food plot planting. It's starting to show it's age...again!