On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:40:36 -0700, "Michael Koblic"
wrote:


"Don Foreman" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:27:53 -0700, "Michael Koblic"
wrote:
If you want to cut solid bar stock 1" sq or dia, a bandsaw would
definitely be the best choice. The cold saw (e.g. Rage3) will do
angles and tubes just fine. It is obviously intended to do miters and
does them well. With a bandsaw you can get some blade wander when
cutting miters while the cold saw blade is considerably stiffer.

Note blade costs and number of cuts expected per blade. Cost per cut
will be much higher with the cold saw. Good bimetal bandsaw blades
are not costly (7 or 8 bux, 3 for under $20) and they last an
amazingly long time when cutting mild steel, ally, etc. The key is to
match the blade to the material, always having at least 2 teeth in the
thinnest part of the cut or you may knock the teeth right off the
blade. With thick stock a coarser pitch cuts considerably faster. A
blade change in a portable bandsaw takes about 10 seconds and no
tools.

That makes sense.
My understanding was that the bandsaw manufacturers recommend starting the
cut with a maximum number of teeth in contact with the material. But perhaps
I misinterpret the manuals...

You're not misinterpreting the manuals. But take that as a
recommendation rather than as cast in stone. Consider: a cross cut
or miter cut on a cylinder starts with a point of contact rather than
a line, right? Ya just start lightly (light blade pressure) until
there's enough of a cut that several teeth are engaging.

When cutting square or angle stock, it works best if you can start it
on a face rather than an edge or corner. It may not be possible to do
this perfectly if the saw is mounted on a pivot as in a mitre fixture.
It still works.

Something like the Rage3 might be the best choice for making lots of
miter cuts in angle or tube, if you don't mind short blade life (175
cuts or so according to the website) and high blade cost. The
bandsaw will be more versatile, blades last well and are cheap. I
have no problem making freehand miter cuts to a chalkline that are
absolutely good enough for weldments -- but they're probably not as
precise as those made with a miter cold saw.

If I were doing a paid job with lots of miter cuts in steel and
productivity and time were more important than blade cost, I'd go
with something like the Rage3.