The Circular Metal Saw

There is tremendous benefit from using a saw when working with any material sold by length.(tube/axle bar/angle-bar) The Saw is alot more accurate, easier, causes less distortion and cheaper in the long run (as opposed to an angle grinder with abrasive disks). Don't be tempted to buy the smallest you can find or a saw that was originally designed for cutting wood. The smallest saws can't handle material of any thickness and the woodcutting saws are underpowered and turn way to fast (by a factor of 10!). Aim for a horizontal band saw or an older circular saw. The band saws dominate the market today, they are faster than the old circular saws with very slight reduction in accuracy. The older ciruclar saws will often get the job done and can often be picked up cheap. Cooling is essencial to the life of your blades, never buy a metal saw which does not have a cooling system with a reservoir.

We bought this saw for 20.000isk (300$ US), it was all rusted up, the coolant pump was leaking, the blades were dull and we were missing the splashguard. We spent 2-3 days fixing it up and getting it running. We took everything apart, polished off the rust, fixed the pump seal, and tried a minimalist approach to a splashguard. We also bought a new blade and had the existing ones sharpened.

Later we built a more practical splashguard which works much better. The factor we forgot while designing the first guard was that under load the blade vibrates enough to make the coolant splash sideways.

The saw is Eastern European, we are not sure what the country of origin is, what makes it special is the ability to make 180° cuts (parallel). This is made possible by using a "double jaw" which grips the workpiece on both sides and automatically centers the piece. Even though it has two speed settings it is very rare to use the faster one, perhaps when using smaller blades it is more useful. The coolant we used is a special oil which is mixed 50/50 with water (yes,,,, and the guide says to mix the water into the oil and not the other way around), the coolant should be changed every now and then mostly due to bacteria which grows in it. Don't try to mix anything in to prevent this as chemicals containing chlorine have a very advert effect on metals. (Chlorine makes stainless steel rust !)

The Circular Wood Saw

When we were fixing the "appartment" we decided to purchase a circular saw, using our experience with electrical tools we looked at three brands which we know produce quality saws. The choice was betwean Makita, DeWalt and Hitachi, after evaluating the price and features we bought the Hitachi. The motor brake is not appriciated untill you get used to it. If you are sensitive to dust there are also models which connect directly to a vacuum. Other features I have used alot are tilting the blade sideways to create cross-cuts and setting the depth of the cut. When looking at saws keep a close eye on the rated wattage, speed, size of blades. When assembling make sure that the blade turns the right way and that it is well secured.