Cutting steel box section with chop saw?

[Ian]

A good friend of mine has some shelving in their shed, but they need the height reduced slightly so that it will fit a new replacement shed. The shelving is freestanding and constructed of mild steel box section, so it's very simple to reduce the height.

However, there are end caps on the top of each box section which will require very clean cuts to fit again. A hacksaw or angle grinder with cutoff wheel may not give a perfect cut - so I was tempted to use my chop saw. It's an "Evolution Mitre Saw" which is fairly cheap, but good enough for my needs. It uses 210mm TCT "multi-material" cutting blades, but I generally only use these on wood and aluminium.

Here's a link to the blade I've currently got:

Evolution Circular Saw Blade 210 x 25.4mm 24T

Order online at Screwfix.com. Multipurpose blade featuring Rage technology. Cuts steel, aluminium, wood and plastic and cuts easily through nail-embedded wood. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 5 minutes.

www.screwfix.com

Would you think that would cut twelve 50mmx50mm mild steel box section supports (approx 2mm thick) without much wear on the blade? I'd normally have done it without even thinking about it, but some of the reviews I read on amazon mentioned that the blade was blunt after just a few cuts. If I'll end up going through a single blade for a small job, I may as well do it another way .

 

[Retired]

Hi,

The Evolution saws are indeed cheap to buy Ian; I used to own a big one; the metal remains cool during cutting unlike the chips which could cause a serious burn so personal protection is called for especially heavy gloves and eye protection. I sold my Evolution saw and bought a Dewalt. I also now own a metal cutting bandsaw which saves a great deal of work;

https://www.toolstop.co.uk/sealey-sm5-metal-cutting-bandsaw-3-speed-150mm-240v-p7857?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvdXpBRCoARIsAMJSKqJ7jOiF4x6gO-0S_HSSW_eM4nwhk9ozYqBI08rixUdWp_VMZkGvqr4aAtAREALw_wcB

The Evolution though is OK for the odd job such as yours and the cost of a new blade is well worth it considering the time and effort saved cutting by angle grinder or hacksaw ( I think you'd soon grow weary of using an hacksaw).

Kind regards, Colin,

 

[Ian]

That's a nice looking metal bandsaw .

I'll bring the chop saw over to my mates and give it a go on one section and see how the blade looks - I really don't fancy using a hacksaw at all .

 

[Silentrunning]

Ian, put some canning paraffin on the blade before cutting. It serves the same purpose as oil when drilling metal.

 

[Ian]

Ian, put some canning paraffin on the blade before cutting. It serves the same purpose as oil when drilling metal.

Good call - I'll do that!