# Cutting Steel With Wet Saw



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I just had a thought, I have a M&K wet saw I probably will never use again, I got the bright idea to use the saw to cut metal. Anyone have an opinion if this would work or not. Here is the saw I have:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/MK-Diamond...W-otTrRJh9W6ARH6hIz-hxz3Ssc38B2saAg9uEALw_wcB


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,..... It'll be slower than death, 'n grind the diamonds off the wheel,.....

I once tried a diamond blade for our 14" roadsaw, on my dry-cut steel saw, 'n it barely scratched the piece bein' cut,....

A tablesaw, with a carborundum blade would do a better job, quicker,..... or circular saw,...


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

It will cause more heat than cut, and heat is the enemy of a diamond blade.

Selling that wet saw on Craig's, is a better idea, then you can use the money to buy a metal cutting setup.



ED


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

Sell the tile saw and buy a metal cutting saw with the money. 

If you don't do cutting and fabricating everyday, get one that uses an abrasive blade. It will work great and you should easily get a decent saw and a few blades with the money you'll recover from your tile saw. The abrasive blades are fairly inexpensive and you can hack through about anything. The blades wear down with each cut, throw sparks and will flex which makes thin cuts impossible.

If you cut or fabricate more often you might want a dry cut saw that uses a carbide blade. They cost about double what you'd pay for an abrasive cutoff saw but cut more accurate, faster, the metal stays cooler and it doesn't throw sparks. The blade won't wear down smaller with each cut and lasts pretty well long as you don't abuse it. These can make a cut off about the thickness of a dime, straight and true each time. Replacement blades cost about $100 each so you definitely want to take care of it.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Too nice a saw to sacrifice on metal. Do as the others have said and sell the sucker and buy a proper cut off saw.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

That does make sense, I will see if I can sell it. 

I will do a search for metal cutting blades. I use a diamond blade to sharpen my mower blades and just thought the wet saw might make a good metal cutting saw. I was actually surprised to see how much that saw costs now, I didn't remember how much I gave for it. lol


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Here is a potential customer, of course the shipping might be a bear to pay.


http://www.diychatroom.com/f16/retaining-wall-filler-questions-628665/


ED


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## KHouse75 (May 14, 2008)

I just use a 10" ferrous metal blade in my miter saw.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

KHouse75 said:


> I just use a 10" ferrous metal blade in my miter saw.


I had no idea that they made blades like that, thanks a ton.


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

That is the type of blade a dry cutting metal saw uses.

A metal blade in a miter saw designed for wood is really kinda dangerous. I've cut literally miles of steel using a dry cut metal saw. I have Milwaukee in the 14" "chop saw", a corded circular saw and a cordless metal cutting saw.

Metal cutting requires the work to be securely clamped into a vise attached to the saw. If the piece shifts even slightly it can catch hard and really tear things up including you, the operator. Most miter saws don't have any kind of built in clamping mechanism. Add on clamps aren't fastened directly to the saw like a vise is and will make it hard to securely clamp the many odd shapes like angle or round bar making them more likely to slip. 

Most miter saws also have aluminum beds and fences which doesn't hold up well to sliding pieces of steel over it. They don't have fully enclosed guards to keep the tiny metal cutting shards contained. While the cut does not get overly hot those little flecks of metal sure can be. They really hurt when they get in your eye or even just land on you.

Metal cutting saws use a larger arbor so you will likely have to adapt the blade to fit a regular miter saw. Any serious catch or kickback risks breaking something and possibly turning that rotating blade loose. They also use stronger gears with a slower RPM. 

I'm not saying it wouldn't work for small pieces, with very moderate use and with lots of care, but I'm not going to be using my miter saw that way.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

iamrfixit said:


> That is the type of blade a dry cutting metal saw uses.
> 
> A metal blade in a miter saw designed for wood is really kinda dangerous. I've cut literally miles of steel using a dry cut metal saw. I have Milwaukee in the 14" "chop saw", a corded circular saw and a cordless metal cutting saw.
> 
> ...


Good points, thank you for taking the time to post this information.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> A metal blade in a miter saw designed for wood is really kinda dangerous.


Ayuh,..... Steel cuttin' saws run at 'bout 1/2 the speed of a wood saw,....


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

srithirumalai said:


> Wet saws are used for cutting stainless steel, and many other types of metal, while dry saws are used for cutting both non-metal materials, such as hydraulic hoses, and metal materials, such as wire rope. In addition, *we carry* non-ferrous cutting machines, which are used to cut aluminum, copper, brass and plastic.


I noticed you said "we carry" so you must be selling. You are in India, please don't try to sell here, unless you want your account removed.


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