Many thanks to all those who provided helpful suggestions, even those who
ignored the $200 limit :-)

To summarize:

1) Hacksaw with a lower tooth count - agreed wholeheartedly! Would you
believe that on the day in question there was no blade with less than 18 tpi
in town? I have since learned to hoard consumables. Also agree that for more
than an occasional cut this would get very old very quickly.

2) Abrasive disk - with many reservations but costwise very attractive: One
can often pick up old circular saws in garage sales and dedicate them to
this job.

3) Tenryu or similar blade. This piqued my interest. I e-mailed one of the
dealers. The Tenryu site was not exactly clear what kind of thickness these
blades can cope with - many were listed with outright limits such as 1/8" or
1/4". I am not sure that I got a clear answer but the implication was that
the right sort of blade would cut in a circular saw up to 1" thickness
without a worm drive. I shall look into this further.

4) Porta-band - although the method of making 8" cuts in a plate remains
unclear. I shall probably get one just for the hell of it and because I have
not bought a major tool for at least two weeks.

5) Stationary band saw if you live in the USA. Nothing here under $300.

I am eternally grateful that I live in the age of the internet and have
access to this group.

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC


"Wild_Bill" wrote in message
...
Making straight cuts in steel with a hacksaw isn't all that much effort
for most folks. Your cut probably would've gone quicker with a sharp blade
and fewer teeth per inch for 1/2" plate/bar.

Making a few cuts per day isn't so bad, but when you get involved in other
projects that require lots of material to be cut, hand sawing gets to be
too tedious.
That's when you'll appreciate the 4x6 bandsaw that several others have
recommended.

It's like having an obedient helper involved in the project.. so you can
drill, weld assemble or do other procedures while the saw just hums away,
getting the other materials ready.