Cut Metal with Your Circular Saw It may not be an obvious choice, but fitted with the right blade, a circular saw is a great metal-cutting tool. In our test, it cut through rebar like a hot knife through butter. You can cut mild steel up to about 3/8 in. thick using a ferrous-metal-cutting blade.
To successfully cut metal or aluminum with a circular saw you’ll ideally need a saw with a brushless motor as you’ll likely cause less wear & tear on the motor when compared to a brushed type motor. If you’re purely looking for a metal cutting circular saw, you’ll also have to consider both the saw blade and the actual saw. If you’re are a construction worker and would consider it cost-effective buying a metal cutting circular saw, you can take a look at the Makita XSC04Z which was explicitly designed as a metal cutting saw with the necessary saw blades already included.
Circular saws work on the same principle as a mitre or chop saw a circular saw is not fixed to a cutting plinth; this gives complete freedom over the cutting movement to enable freehand straight and gently curved cuts to be achieved. When using a circular saw for cutting metal it is important to ensure it has an enclosed motor housing to protect the motor from damage caused by metal chips. Regularly apply cutting fluid as the saw travels the length of the cut to reduce heat and allow a clean cut.
In another post, a reader asked why a wood-cutting circular saw cannot be used on metal. Let’s look at 2 saws – Milwaukee’s new M18 Fuel brushless metal-cutting circular saw, and their full-sized M18 Fuel brushless wood-cutting circular saw. When it comes to cutting a lot of the types of materials you would use a metal-cutting circular saw on, such as angle iron, that wood-cutting circular saw blade is going to be spinning way too fast and might not have the torque needed for fast or safe performance.
To ensure you perform the cut safely and effectively, we’ve answered some of the top questions asked about cutting metal with a circular saw. One of the main problems with using a wood cutting saw to cut through metal is the speed, as most of these saws go well beyond the recommended speed for cutting metal. To safely and efficiently cut through metal with a circular saw you’ll need to operate at a maximum no-load RPM of 5,000; otherwise, you may end up overheating the metal and cause serious harm to yourself and your power tools.
do circular saws cut metal Related Question:
What kind of saw do you use to cut metal?
Circular Saw with Metal Cutting Blade or Metal Circular Saw Roofing, sheet metal, and corrugated metal—basically any metal that generally requires just a simple, straight cut—can be cut by a circular saw with the right blade.
What is different about a metal cutting circular saw?
Metal cutting saws differ from standard circular saws in the following ways: Lower RPMs to cut more efficiently in metal. Optional debris collectors to catch metal shavings (some models) Smaller blade sizes further reduce RPMs and allow for more control.
Can you use a wood saw to cut metal?
While a metal-cutting saw has a collection bin to prevent metal chips from getting into the machine, a woodcutting saw isn’t designed this way. If you do decide to use a wood saw on metal, only use a 7 1/4-inch blade and preferably a worm drive blade, which provides extra torque.
Can a handsaw cut metal?
There are hand saws for cutting wood, drywall, metal and plastic. Even though hand saw uses vary and choosing the right saw for the job is important, the basic technique for using a hand saw is the same.
Can you cut metal with a Cricut?
Yes, you can use the Cricut to cut metal.
Can you saw through metal?
A standard, motorized circular saw is capable of creating straight cuts through most types of metal. The key to using a standard circular for cutting metal is to choose the proper blade for the project. In general, circular saws accept abrasive, metal cut-off discs for metalworking projects.
Can a circular saw cut aluminum?
Most grades of aluminum offer excellent work ability and weldability, making them suitable for a wide range of applications. The preferred way to cut this material is with a miter saw but a circular saw still works.
Can you turn a circular saw blade backwards to cut metal?
You can run a saw blade backwards and it cuts pretty well. However it is not at all a good idea. The two big reasons not to do this is that saw tips are much more likely to come off if the saw blade is run backwards and that the whole saw blade is much more likely to come apart if it is run backwards.
Can I use my wood miter saw to cut metal?
The short answer is, yes. Provided you have a good blade, and a decent miter saw motor, you can take on quite a few small home repair or remodeling jobs involving metalwork too. For example, it’s possible to cut through rebar, even at an angle, as long as you’re sporting a blade with over 80 TPI.
What is a circular saw used for?
The circular saw is perhaps the most commonly used saw today, used extensively in both professional construction projects and DIY home improvement. This power tool uses a round metal blade edged with sharp teeth to cut an array of material such as woods, metals, cement block, brick, fiberglass, plastics and slate.
Does hacksaw cut metal?
A hacksaw is a hand tool with a removable blade used for cutting metal and plastic. Due to the alignment of the teeth on the blade, the saw cuts on the forward, not the backward, stroke.
Can you cut metal roofing with a circular saw?
Always make sure you wear your gloves. It’s very easy to cut yourself on the metal roofing, if you don’t have some protective gloves on. You don’t want to use the high speed of a skill saw, or any type of circular saw, because it will create too much heat.
Can circular saw cut stainless steel?
You can quickly cut through stainless steel with a circular saw if you use the right blade. Make sure you get a circular saw that can cut through sheet metal that’s as thick as yours is. Get a diamond saw blade. Diamond saw blades are stronger than other saw blades you can use with a circular saw.
How do you safely cut metal?
An angle grinder fitted with an abrasive metal-cutting disc works well to cut all kinds of metal, including bolts, angle iron, rebar and even sheet metal. But the discs wear down quickly, cut slowly and shrink in diameter as you use them. Instead, we recommend using a diamond blade that’s rated to cut ferrous metal.
Can I put a metal cutting blade on my miter saw?
Although mitre saws were traditionally used for cutting wood, with the correct blade they can make light work of cutting through steel and aluminium profiles at an angle.
