240zV8 Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 Wheres the best place to get quality cutoff wheels in bulk (10 and up packs), 3" for my air die grinder, and 4-1/2" for my Angle grinder. I checked harbor frieghts, but are they quality wheels? I don't want to have to replace the wheel after every cut, and home depot only sells individual wheels, and the 4-1/2" cutoff wheels are $2.20 each . And second, whats the best tool to cut thick plate or stock with? Should i put a cutoff wheel on my 8" mitre saw (it has a metal guard not plastic). Or should i get a sawsall? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickiewicked240z Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 harbor freight ther good enough and cheap enough in price........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roninjiro Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 i use lowes or home depot, as far as thick plate... how thick? 1/4", 1/2", 1"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete280z Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 The last time I bought some I got a 4 pack (5 pack?) of Norton 4.5" wheels for $1.99 at Northern Tool. I don't know if that was a sale price, but I should have bought more while I was there. I've been going through these quickly cutting up 1/8" bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 I buy 3" cutoff wheels in boxes of 50 and I buy Norton or Merit. Cheap cutoff wheels just make dust. Abrasives and blades are one area where spending more money saves money in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted November 19, 2006 Author Share Posted November 19, 2006 I've got a couple things i want to order from harbor freights anyway, so i'll order a few wheels and see how they cut. The home depot ones are nice, but expensive, so i'll compare them to the cheap harbor freight ones... I want to get a oxy/acet setup so i can cut whatever, and maybe try welding with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 I bought a Jet Bandsaw for my plate cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Bandsaw is my most used tool for cutting. 2nd is probably the cutoff wheel. The cheap HF ones have a lifespan about 1/10th of a really good one, I can say that from personal experience. So I definitely agree with John on this part. Interestingly I did buy a replacement bandsaw blade from McMaster Carr thinking it would be better quality than the HF ones, and it went dull in about 1/4 the time of the HF blades. Some cheap blades must be better than others. The Hecho In Mexico HF blades seem to be good for the money anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 I have to agree on the band saw... great tool...I use it as a table band saw rather than a horizontal pipe cutter... I also learned the trick of having a local fabrication shop shear scrap metal to commonly used widths... I walk out with an armload of sticks and wedges for $20... 18guage to 1/4" plate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Interestingly I did buy a replacement bandsaw blade from McMaster Carr thinking it would be better quality than the HF ones, and it went dull in about 1/4 the time of the HF blades. A lot depends on who the supplier is for McMaster in the size you're buying. The 122" x 1/2" blades I buy for my 16" band saw are made by Starrett. They last a long time unless I'm cutting stainless. I've found that DoAll and Starrett blades last the longest but they are around $35 each. I also make prodigious use of Tap Ease metal cutting lubricating sticks on my band saw blades. It helps longevity and the cut itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 I also make prodigious use of Tap Ease metal cutting lubricating sticks on my band saw blades. It helps longevity and the cut itself. Really. I've never tried lubricating the blade. I'll definitely have to give that a shot, since I know what a difference it makes when drilling. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuntry Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 I buy tons of the HF cutoff wheels when they go on sale. We go thru a bunch of them at work and Im not going to buy expensive ones to basically give away. The Northern tools grinding discs are great too, I got a bunch of them a while back and have been really happy with them. Heres an interesting fact.... you know how if you try to grind plastic it melts and balls up at the end of the grind? well I found out last week that the skin on your fingers does the same thing..... OUCH. Took off the skin on my left index finger at the last knuckle (right under the fingernail) down about 1/16". I found out the hard way to let the grinder do the work and dont try to "force" it to cut faster....... one more lesson learned...... make sure yall wear gloves when grinding. I hate to wear gloves, but it sucks alot less than spending 5 hrs in the ER trying to find out if that white stuff you see is bone or cartillage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzzzzzz Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Do you have an industrial parl anywhere near you? I buy quality 4" cutoff wheels locally for about $1.05 a piece. I purchase a box of a hundred at a time but the price remains the same. These are the thin wheels (I'm thinking around .035 thick) that cut faster with less dust (relatively speaking). For rapid metal removal I use my Metabo grinder and a heavy 4" wheel. Today I use a chop saw or plasma cutter for most of my work. It's quicker and usually cleaner too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rayjay Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 And second, whats the best tool to cut thick plate or stock with? Should i put a cutoff wheel on my 8" mitre saw (it has a metal guard not plastic). Or should i get a sawsall? Thanks When I was doing fab work the only power saw I had in my shop was a Porter Cable Port-a-band saw. These saws are amazingly versatile. You can cut anything [ including curves ] and they also are good for starting the initial metal removal for many of the tubing joints that are at an acute angle where you have to remove several inches of metal on one side of the joint. I an including a link to a similar Milwaukee saw. My saw was not a 'deep cut' so I don't know which works best for racecar fab. http://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_27_40027_-1_284436_281171_189345_362 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I do not notice any difference between the HF and Lowes/Homers cut off wheels. They seem to last a good while. I think I have used Norton wheels in my 7 1/4 inch circle saw. Can't remember if there was any difference between them and the HF stuff. At least nothing that jumped out at me. Cutting thick plate with a sawsall would be a nightmare. I can't imagine getting a straight cut and also how many blades you would go though. I have cut a lot of 3/16 plate with a circle saw and an abrasive disk, but I have an old $40 Sears saw I use just for this. I would not use a quality saw because it is really hard on the saw. A couple of vise grips and a piece of angle iron make a perfect saw guide to get straight and accurate cuts. I have even made wood mitre boxes for cutting pipe with the circle saw. I would love to have a bandsaw, but just not enough room in the garage for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 Well i went to Home depot this morning to grab a new angle grinder and some wheels. The place was packed, i don't get why so many people come out the days after thanksgiving, there weren't even any real sales...lol.. Anyway, I got a Ryobi 4-1/2" and I also got a couple 7" cutoff wheels for my 'chop saw' (they work great in the miter saw but you have to make a few cuts on wider pieces because of the small diameter wheel, but it cuts like butter), and I got a bunch of 4-1/2" Norton cutoff wheels for the grinder, but I got home and the norton cutoff's are to thin to fit the grinder. there 4-1/2" x 0.45" x 7/8", the 7/8" arbor hole fits fine, but I guess i need some kind of washer to raise it up so it tightens all the way. Maybe some of you have had that problem? Anyway, I love getting new tools, and now i can cut metal easily... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 Well i didn't have any washers the right size, so i took a flat wrench that came with a old weedeater or lawnmower or somthing(you know the one's im talking about). and took the die grinder and grinded the center hex shape into a circle and then cut the handle off, and got myself a perfect washer the cutoff wheels cut through sheetmetal like butter and barely show a scratch after a bunch of cuts, so i think i'll stick wth norton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Believe it or not, I have had terrible results with the Home Depot brand name ones (like Ryobi, Dewalt, etc) compared to the Harbor Freight ones. Maybe it's just me, but I have a scar on my abdomen to prove it when one I bought from HD exploded. I guess you'll have to see which works best for you, but wear protection or it can ruin your day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted November 25, 2006 Author Share Posted November 25, 2006 Believe it or not, I have had terrible results with the Home Depot brand name ones (like Ryobi, Dewalt, etc) compared to the Harbor Freight ones. Maybe it's just me, but I have a scar on my abdomen to prove it when one I bought from HD exploded. I guess you'll have to see which works best for you, but wear protection or it can ruin your day. If it explodes, they better have a recall or else i'll have a nice lawsuit in progress...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 240zv8, You probably will have found out by now that if you turn the locating nut on your grinder upside down you wont need the washer. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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