Cutting heavy steel without plasma/oxy-acetylene?

[semipro]

In my hands a reciprocating saw with a very good blade works much better than a circular abrasive cutoff blade.

 

[nate379]

Didn't see anyone on here recommend anything that was dangerous. If I had to rely on someone to cut metal for me I'd still be working on projects that I finished years ago!

I did pick up some 1/2" sheet for a bench that I brought to the metal shop to get sheared though. The $50 I paid was worth it vs trying to make a straight smooth cut 10ft long.


I think a few folks on here need to clean out their stove or go cut some firewood instead of taking out the frustrations on this website.

In the last few weeks been told I'm an idiot, stupid, unsafe, unprofessional, going to get myself hurt, killed, maimed several times, all for stuff that was completely safe.

Today's flavor apparently is that I'm going to loose hands, arms, face, my life when cutting a piece of metal with a grinder.
If it wasn't for a couple members I enjoy chatting with or reading their stories I'd just log off this place for good. Getting tired of the drama.

 

[mywaynow]

I am for the 4" high speed grinder, and gloves and safety glasses. If you are going to be cutting angle, the cutoff wheel will be quite effecient. If you are welding a bumper together, you will have to have a grinder to prep the joints for, and clean up after the welding. Different wheel; grinding vs cutoff, but same tool. Find it hard to believe you would have a welder without a grinder in the box? Weldable joints are not perfect like wood joints in a piece of furniture. The weld will fill in the gaps up to 1/8 inch no problem.

 

[hemlock]

For me a small metal/machining shop in town takes care of all my metal needs whether I supply it from farm scrap or I get it from his stock. It has never been worth it for me to tool up to handle metal safely. Oh & the "stumpy" reference was for the use a grinder group, I have never seen a metal shop do that, they simply get the right tool & do it safely. Stuff like this will simply never be worth the risk.

Not to argue or anything, but cut-off wheels are not dangerous - or I should say no more dangerous than any tool so long as used properly. I am a heavy equipment mechanic, and we use them all the time, because "bringing it to the shop" is not always an option. No "stumpies" in our shop, either. You just have to be aware.

 

[peakbagger]

If you do go the angle grinder route do yourself a favor and go somewhere else to buy the cutting wheels, HF tools are generally servicable but their cutting blades, drill bits, sandpaper and any other consumable are normally crap.

 

[Ehouse]

You have to be careful making freehand cuts with any kind of power tool, in any kind of material. I had a supervisor once who insisted on cutting welded rail under heat stress by removing the bracket clamp and cutting freehand with a 14" demolition saw (against all safety rules). Smashed his lower leg up badly. When he came back to work he did it again. A better tool for your use would be a 14" cut off/chop saw (also inexpensive and handy for the shop. I have a Skill I got for about $50). I'll use a grinder and cut off wheel, but only when I can't use the chop saw.