Ron Pope Motorsports                California Custom Roadsters               

On a budget and no cutting torch

J

jbisme

New Member
I have neither a cutting torch, nor a plasma cutter. I get by with the reciprocating and circular saws. But the circular saw metal blades wear down awful fast.

Does anybody have experience with the Morse Metal Devil blades? Do they hold up okay, or am I about to waste $50?
 
For cutting metal, I think you would be better off with a 4 1/2" angle grinder and cutoff wheels. I use Harbor Freight grinder, they last me as long as the Dewalts for about 20 bucks on sale. Here is what you can do with one. :D All the cutting was done with a grinder.

c931.jpg
 
Do they last a long time, or do the cut off wheels wear down quickly? That is the problem I'm having with the circular saw cut off wheels.
 
They burn down pretty quick, but they are not that expensive. You can also find places on line to order them from. Also test different brands of wheels some are better than others. Speedcut are one of the better ones and Makita's own wheels are one of the worst. IMHO
 
jbisme said:
I have neither a cutting torch, nor a plasma cutter. I get by with the reciprocating and circular saws. But the circular saw metal blades wear down awful fast.

Does anybody have experience with the Morse Metal Devil blades? Do they hold up okay, or am I about to waste $50?
Click to expand...

It depends on what you are going to cut. If you are going to make straight cuts as in cutting the frame rails, those should work fine. If you are going to cut out brackets, it MIGHT work ok. But you will have a hard time doing stuff like these brackets.
ccrbatwing.jpg
 
I'm cutting a 1966 truck body into itty bitty pieces.

I'm willing to use the cut off blades for circular saws, but they wear down and become difficult to get into tighter areas. It looks like I'm stuck with how I'm doing it.

This truck is proving to be much more difficult to cut up than a Geo Metro.:D
 
I use a 4.5" grinder and sawzall for all my cutting. I also have an airsaw and die grinder. I'd love to get a plasma cutter but the funds just won't allow it. I have a nice set of torches but no bottles. What a tease.:D
 
I am building my bucket with no plasma or tourch,cut it with a saw,cut off wheel or buy from Ron. I made everything that I could and if I couldn't I called Ron, I have no mig everything is welded with a stick welder
 
The body is junk on the 66, but I'm using the frame for a unique project that I will unveil once the body is removed... stay tuned!
 
I agree with Bruce get a harbor freight 4 1/2 inch angle grinder and a bunch of blades. I had a mikita and it didn't last as long as a h.f. grinder buy em cheap wear em out buy a new one. For real tight cuts go to lows and buy a set of good hole saws for metal. I have a cutting torch but seldom use it.
 
I had got a 4in. about 5years back from Northen tool cheep $14.99,but it failed in one day,they gave me another and it failed in two days,I had a hard time getting them to give me #3,but they did,so I took gearbox apart[thats what was failing] and found nearly no lube at all in it,added wheelbearing grease and that thing is still working great.:cool:
 
just thinking outloud here... maybe it would be worth your while...I am not by any means trying to deter you from what you have decided but to just let you know what deals I have found.

I have found Victor torch kits at pawn shops for about $150.00... also, around here it cost about $55 to rent Oxy/Acet bottles from a welding supply store. I havent inquired about the bottle deposit.

If you plan of doing future metal work, it could be worth it go that route without having to continuously buy cutting wheels.
 
dovehunter,

That's where I'm at. I don't forsee building another project after this one, but that's what I said after the last one.

If I find myself in this position ever again, I'm getting a torch or a plasma cutter.
 
I've cut many cars down to scrap with $25 worth sawzall blades. I usally get the thicker bigger tooth demo bi-metal blades. But that can rip the gears out of the Sawzall - don't ask me how I know that.
 
I'm not made of money either. But I can tell you if you have a garage and do any kind of work with metal a plasma is money well spent..

I bet if you look hard enough now, the way the economy is, you could find a smaller plasma for under $500.
 
curiosity sparked me earlier... a quick craigslist search and the cheapest I was able to find was $650.00... why cant the good stuff be cheaper?:lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Martin
Batwings on a mill
Replies
4
Views
2K
Chirp
C

     Ron Pope Motorsports                Advertise with Us!     
Back
Top