Cutting steel to size

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Cutting steel to size

This topic has 38 replies, 22 voices, and was last updated 24 May 2019 at 23:00 by andrew lyner.

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9 May 2019 at 21:33 #408495
Steve Pearson 2
Participant
@stevepearson2
I am a complete beginner looking to start using a mini lathe I have some books by Harold hall with small projects in they involve cutting round bright steel ranging from 6mm to 40mm what do you guys use to do this I have looked at evolution rage 4 chop saw to Warco horizontal vertical band saw I am nearly 60 with arthritis in my hands from years of joinery so hacksaw out of the question especially on 40mm round bar

Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated
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9 May 2019 at 21:33 #9660
Steve Pearson 2
Participant
@stevepearson2
Can someone help
10 May 2019 at 08:02 #408531
AdrianR
Participant
@adrianr18614
There was a thread recently talking about bandsaws, the Aldi one had a good review
10 May 2019 at 08:34 #408538
Speedy Builder5
Participant
@speedybuilder5
I have an Evolution chop saw – By gum it works. Do wear full eye protection and gloves as the chips fly off hot and in your direction. Have to admit that cutting High tensile steel reinforcing rod hasn't helped the blade much, so I would stay away from lots of that, but for mild steel, Al alloys etc it cuts like butter. However it has its limitations on width / diameter of work and its not so good on flat stock which is at maximum width (Evolution advise gripping plate vertically to minimise number of teeth in contact at any one time).

If you had the money, a vertical bandsaw which could be used for cutting steel plate / sculpting etc would be my choice, but probably 3 times the cost.

BobH
10 May 2019 at 09:01 #408548
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
You don’t indicate what lengths you are starting with and cutting off.

Yes, the above will do the job easily, but at some cost.

Other options:

I would have thought that a mini lathe might well part-off near to 40mm diameter.

Suppliers will often supply in required lengths (likely with a cutting charge, of course).

A small, second hand power hacksaw might well be another option to consider.

An angle grinder is yet another, at least for the lesser diameters (can do the wider cuts by turning the bar).

I used to use my 115mm ‘bodge’ angle grinder, mounted in a frame for cutting purposes. One/two millimetre thick cutting discs are available for the purpose.

You are not going to alter the metallurgy cutting mild steel. Other materials could be…
10 May 2019 at 09:05 #408550
Paul Lousick
Participant
@paullousick59116
Cut bar with an angle grinder with a 1mm grinding blade then finish to length in the lathe. Drop saw type attachements are available for mounting the angle grinder if you do not want to hold it by hand or make one. Lots of examples on Youtube.

Paul.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 10/05/2019 09:06:12
10 May 2019 at 21:42 #408670
David Canham
Participant
@davidcanham77137
Hi Steve,

i am also quite new to model engineering but have been in the steel fabrication game most of my working life so am used to heavy duty band saws and such like.

I have recently purchased the Warco vertical / horizontal band saw and i have to say that for the price, around £300.00, it is not too bad a machine. Sure it is made down to a price and the frame legs are a bit flimsy but the bed and bandsaw frame are quite sturdy castings.

What i like is that you can put a bar in and start the cut and leave it to cut through. The weight of the frame makes the cut automatic. When the cut is through it auto turns off as well.

David.
12 May 2019 at 18:42 #408982
Paul Ainsworth
Participant
@paulainsworth93685
I used to use a 1mm cutting disc on angle grinder, does the job but rough as a bears watsit. Just bought the smallest of the Warco bandsaws, my, what a difference. Switch on and do other stuff whilst it cuts, very good finish to the cut and I'm not panting like a dog cutting 30mm stainless.
12 May 2019 at 19:18 #408986
colin hawes
Participant
@colinhawes85982
I use a Warco bandsaw for soft metals and mild steel and an angle grinder with 1mm cut-off grinding wheel for tougher steels (to save the saw blade) Colin
12 May 2019 at 19:29 #408987
vintage engineer
Participant
@vintageengineer
I bought the Warco horizontal bandsaw. It was built to a price, but the main faults were easily rectified.

Changed the vice lead screw, nut and handle.

Added a wider plate to the movable jaw.

Sorted out the stop switch and resting stop.

Made a coolant tray and tank.

Now I am very pleased with it. Largest cut so far was 150mm square aluminium.
12 May 2019 at 22:01 #409001
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
VE,

Was that their universal offering? Needed turning to cut 150mm square? Or was that using it as a vertical saw?
12 May 2019 at 22:27 #409006
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by Steve Pearson 2 on 09/05/2019 21:33:18:

I am a complete beginner looking to start using a mini lathe I have some books by Harold hall with small projects in they involve cutting round bright steel ranging from 6mm to 40mm what do you guys use to do this I have looked at evolution rage 4 chop saw to Warco horizontal vertical band saw I am nearly 60 with arthritis in my hands from years of joinery so hacksaw out of the question especially on 40mm round bar

Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated

Not the answer you are looking for, but you might try 'Boswellia serrata' (Indian Frankinsense) capsules (shop around). I've been taking them for the arthritis in the base of my thumbs and it works better than ibuprofen.

Before buying them I looked at the results of clinical trials into lots of alternative therapies, they were the only one I found that had a positive effect in every double blind trial.

Neil
12 May 2019 at 22:29 #409007
Steve Pearson 2
Participant
@stevepearson2
Thanks to everyone for their advice much appreciated
12 May 2019 at 23:57 #409021
bricky
Participant
@bricky
A word of warning about the use of angle grinders for cutting steel.Ensure that you are clear of any glazed windows as the sparks weld themselves to the glass.In my working life this cost me money to replace double glazed units in a house.

Frank
13 May 2019 at 00:22 #409023
Jeff Dayman
Participant
@jeffdayman43397
Hi Steve, for some years now I have used a cheapy Chinese import portable metal cutting bandsaw like the DeWalt one at the link below, but not DeWalt brand.

**LINK**

Mine cost $90 new here where genuine DeWalt and Milwaukee ones were over $500 new. I bought it as a chance purchase – I did not anticipate using it a lot and figured I could use it awhile and even if I had to replace it a few times I could do so 5 times before it cost as much as the name brand ones! I did not expect much in the quality of it, and figured I would likely need to do some mods to it, tinker it up periodically, etc….

But as it turned out this cheapy has been a workhorse, going through literally miles of tough scrap steel 1/8" to 1/2" thick, angle, pipe, plate, bar for welding projects and repairs. Lots of aluminum, too. 4 x 4" throat on mine. It is years old now and still on the original blade. Shows no signs of quitting. One big plus is that it is small in size and gets tucked away on a shelf rather than taking up floor space. It is much quieter than a chop saw or angle grinder in use.

Just mentioning this type of machine as a possible candidate for your cutting. Maybe one of the discount tool outlets in the UK carry the cheaper no name Chinese ones like mine. Food for thought. Good luck.
13 May 2019 at 01:10 #409025
Enough!
Participant
@enough
Posted by Jeff Dayman on 13/05/2019 00:22:14:

Hi Steve, for some years now I have used a cheapy Chinese import portable metal cutting bandsaw like the DeWalt one at the link below, but not DeWalt brand.

You can actually make a right handy fixed saw out of those cheap portable saws. It was all I used till I got my regular bandsaw:

Edited By Bandersnatch on 13/05/2019 01:10:35
13 May 2019 at 06:37 #409033
Speedy Builder5
Participant
@speedybuilder5
So what do you use for flat plate? I had to saw up some flat plate 11" wide and 4mm thick the other day. Used my jig saw with a metal cutting blade and a little bit of ROCOL cutting oil . Did the job quite well.
13 May 2019 at 11:05 #409053
Philip Rowe
Participant
@philiprowe13116
Posted by Speedy Builder5 on 13/05/2019 06:37:24:

So what do you use for flat plate? I had to saw up some flat plate 11" wide and 4mm thick the other day. Used my jig saw with a metal cutting blade and a little bit of ROCOL cutting oil . Did the job quite well.

And what were the vibration and noise levels like? I've done similar in the past albeit with a relatively cheap and nasty jig saw and was very glad when the cut was finished.

Phil
13 May 2019 at 11:09 #409054
Anonymous
Posted by Speedy Builder5 on 13/05/2019 06:37:24:

So what do you use for flat plate?

For material up to the thickness mentioned I use a power guillotine.

Andrew
13 May 2019 at 19:44 #409133
andrew lyner
Participant
@andrewlyner71257
I keep finding the need to cut discs out of 5mm steel (I bought a lot of 100mm square offcuts for pence and I am using them where I can).

I tried the circular cutters that come in a set. One was fine and I managed a 65mm diameter hole in some 6mm sheet (also from the offcuts place). I used plenty of cutting fluid and put my toy pillar drill on the minimum speed. It worked fine because I took ages and ages over the job. The 85mm version just wouldn't touch the steel, despite the oil and slow speed; annoying.

So I tried a 2mm HSS parting tool and it actually worked but it was at the limit of the mini lathe capabilities. The belt kept slipping and graunching and I imagine the spare will soon be needed. Not the best technique although it gave a result eventually.

I was wondering about trying one of those Adjustable Circle Cutters. Some have on blade and some seem to have two blades. But they are sooo cheap that I cannot believe they would do anything substantial.

Apart from the "I wouldn't;t start from here" answer, is there a way forward?
13 May 2019 at 19:57 #409136
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
For sheet and plate get a horizontal bandsaw that can also be used vertically, failing that thin disc in the angle grinder.

For discs you can trepan them out on the lathe

Or stitch drill followed by cleaning up on the lathe
13 May 2019 at 20:24 #409143
Samsaranda
Participant
@samsaranda
I needed a method of cutting steel and space in the workshop was a limiting factor so I discounted a band saw type of equipment and eventually chose a chop saw. I bought mine from Lidl when it was on offer, I had reservations about its capability but I needn’t have had, it is brilliant and cuts through steel like it is butter. I endorse Bricky’s comments about using it in proximity to windows, the steel sparks will weld themselves to glass, don’t ask how I found out.

Dave W
13 May 2019 at 20:45 #409149
andrew lyner
Participant
@andrewlyner71257
Since watching many YouTube videos, I have come to terms with the angle grinder as a potentially useful tool. I always cut outside on my work mate and the disc gives good straight cuts – better than my jigsaw. The shower of sparks go out onto the back lane and a file (or my small vertical mill table can give a good edge and square corners. No room for any more big tools.

but a grinder won’t do circles. The stitch drilling would do any size disc but cleaning up would be beyond my mini lathe lathe. The pillar drill is better for low speed torque – hence my quest for a cutter that will fit the drill. Is there a good ‘ring saw’ make?
13 May 2019 at 21:43 #409162
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by Samsaranda on 13/05/2019 20:24:51:

I endorse Bricky’s comments about using it in proximity to windows, the steel sparks will weld themselves to glass, don’t ask how I found out.

Dave W

BTDTGTTS

Should have known better as my Dad did the same thing when I was a sprog.

Neil

Still on angle grinders – I cut a padlock off the SO's garden toolstore this morning. For the third time

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 13/05/2019 21:45:18
13 May 2019 at 23:33 #409171
Paul Lousick
Participant
@paullousick59116
I also endorse the above statements that the steel sparks will weld themselves to ~~glass~~ dry grass and start a fire, don’t ask how I found out.

Paul.
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