"Dave" wrote in message
news:4xtyd.564328$nl.362763@pd7tw3no...
Well, I have done this successfully with my 10" Craftsman wood chop
saw
fitted with a 10 inch disc, cutting 3/16 angle iron a few times. My main
worry was the risk of fire. Wear facial and head protection, remove all
dust
collection devices, somehow clamp the steel well. Expect to have pits in
any
prescription glasses caused by tiny bits of molten steel. I definitely
wouldn't hook it up to your shop vac, as the vacuum would draw red hot
metal
bits into a dust collection trap and likely burst into flames, hidden from
view. To tell you the truth, I didn't even consider the possibility of
burning out the motor or burning plastic parts or causing the disc to
shatter because of fast rotation. That didn't happen, though I'll think
twice before I do it again. I thought those discs were rated for high
pm -- they work differently than a metal bandsaw. Maybe check the rating
on
the disc.


Likewise, I've done it with both a chop saw and a circular saw. The
advantage with the circular saw is that you can set the depth and make a
couple of passes to get the cut on harder stuff. I've never used my
compound miter for this, simply because the old chop saw is there and handy.
Never wanted to get my miter saw that dirty just to hack a piece of steel.
If that's all I had though, I'd cut with it. There's not a lot of
difference between the two saws and it has never hurt my chop saw to cut
steel. I've cut quite a bit of steel with it and if bearings were going to
go then mine should probably have gone by now. Maybe it does accelerate the
wear to some degree, but I'm not even sure I'm ready to believe that just
yet.

My chop saw fence certainly does not look any the worse for wear, so I
shouldn't expect that my miter saw's would either, if I used it. The sparks
generally fly pretty straight back. I'd have to go look at the blades I use
to see exactly what the rpm rating is but I do remember that when I bought
them, I made sure they were rated high enough to put on the chop saw. Not
hard to find at all.

--

-Mike-