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The stock stays put while cutting. The saw works great, the angle fence is easy to adjust. I've cut 3x3x1/4 steel tube with not much more than a light downward pressure. Like others have mentioned, this saw requires a lighter touch than an abrasive style chop saw. I purchased this after comparing the Dewalt & Porter Cable versions in person. Very easy to release tension on the vise. It is much faster to clean up the chips from this saw vs the dust from an abrasive style chop saw. When the upper motor is in the locked down position it is well balanced for carrying.
I have not experienced any issues with the blade. Very clean cuts. Adjusting the fence for angle cuts is a breeze.I would not have any reservations recommending this saw to a friend. I was using an abrasive saw for a few years as a hobbiest. No heat to speak of.
I started looking at this saw and read reviews from every source I could find before deciding to purchase it.It is a great saw. As the instructions state and other reviewers state, you HAVE to be aware of the cutting rate and force you place on the blade. Just like a drill bit, too much heat will kill this blade. I have run about a dozen cuts of small stuff.
This will,in turn, make it more difficult to cut the material requiring more pressure and produce more heat which will ruin the cutting edge on even the toughest cutting material - even carbide. Aluminum can be cut much faster than Stainless Steel, Therefore, aluminum has a higher cutting speed than Stainless Steel.HEAT is a double-edged sword. Use a cutting oil. Metallurgy 101LUBRICATIONThere is not a common metal out there that does not require some sort of lubrication while it is being cut. Having machined the most common metals in the industry - Steel (hot or cold rolled), Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, and Stainless Steel - I can say unequivocally that lubrication is a must for a great cut and long cutter life.The harder the cutter material the longer it will last - that is why carbide lasts longer than high speed steel cutters. Regardless, all metals need lubrication to cut them.HEATHEAT is the #1 killer of a cutting edge, HEAT is a product of FRICTION, and FRICTION is greatly reduced by two things: 1( LUBRICATION and 2) CUTTING SPEED for the material being cut. If you need to do a bunch of cuts then do a few and let the blade cool down and resume when the blade has cooled.MY SUGGESTIONSWhen using Carbide to cut metals use a small amount of LUBRICATION on your cuts and SLOW DOWN. (any oil - even WD-40 in a pinch),and don't force the blade through the material - let it find it's own pace through the material.
Furthermore, there is not a material from which cutting blades are made which do not require the same. It will ruin the cutting edge of even the toughest materials and it can work-harden steels. If you do this I guarantee you that your blades will last much longer and your cuts will be truer.The term "Dry-Cut" really means "Dull Blades" - use lubricant.Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff MachineDEWALT DW872 14-Inch Multi-Cutter Saw Cutting the material too fast will produce too much heat and will effectively harden the material on the spot.
Mostly I cut mild steel tubing, or aluminum structural. If you use too much feed pressure the teeth will get knocked off or shatter. This dry cut saw needs to be run differently. I am on the original blade and have made over 2,000 cuts with it. Unlike many of the other reviewers, I have no compliant about the blade life.
The teeth on the blade are C6 carbide. I purchased my saw in December of 2005 and use it for my business. But lately I've been cutting 4x1" aluminum jig plate and 1.5" stainless. Overall I love the saw and it has saved me at least a $1000 in deburring. Perhaps other reviewers are having blade life problems because they use it like an abrasive chop saw.
The first two blades were the Milwaukee blades. If you are buying them with expectations of saving money over the abrasive cut off blades , you will surely be disappointed. Have had mine for three weeks and just installed my third blade today (at a hundred dollars a pop. I have not cut a lot of metal and the metal i have cut has all been mild steel 1/4" hot roll flatstock Am waiting to hear from a milwaukee but i think i am just going to find out they are what they are. The one i put on today was a Morse I bought from Amazon last week for 138.00 Will most likley be selling this one on ebay if i cannot get Milwaukee to take it back.
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