# miter saws and cutting steel
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394
**Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic
**Created:** [January 7, 2008, 10:39am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394 "2008-01-07T10:39:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 10:39am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/1 "2008-01-07T10:39:20Z")
so I have a dewalt DW716 at home for my endless home projects…
its a 12" compound miter saw.
I am contemplating rebuilding my exhaust and would like to
avoid giving any more money to muffler man for my car.
are there drawbacks to cutting steel tubing with a decent woodworking saw?
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### Author:  [@POOPRA](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/POOPRA)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 10:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/2 "2008-01-07T10:41:44Z")
So do you just want to swap out the blade?
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### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 10:45am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/3 "2008-01-07T10:45:21Z")
thats what I was thinking…
its cheaper than buying a chop saw.
all i can figure is the bits of metal and some added wear and tear on the motor and belt?
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### Author:  [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 10:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/4 "2008-01-07T10:47:47Z")
Use the right blade. Give her hell. It’ll be fine.
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### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 10:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/5 "2008-01-07T10:57:28Z")
now I need to find a 12" cut off blade… ☹
its probably going to be as bad as trying to find a good 9" saw blade for an old
table saw I have…
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### Author:  [@Djs87](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Djs87)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 11:13am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/6 "2008-01-07T11:13:56Z")
if mr goodwrench were a tool, what would he be?
Umm…a wrench?
oooo sorry…miter saw is what we were looking for…miter saw.
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### Author:  [@POOPRA](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/POOPRA)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 11:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/7 "2008-01-07T11:18:22Z")
Do they sell metal cutting blades for regular chop saws?
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### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 11:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/8 "2008-01-07T11:28:17Z")
i found a 12" carbide blade for cutting metal, but its $93
i could buy a 14" chop saw for $130.
if only I could get a pack of 14" blades and cut them down or something…
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### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/9 "2008-01-07T11:34:35Z")
Honestly, it beats the fuck out of a nice saw. I have a 300 dollar dewalt miter and all i’ve used it for is to cut exhaust tubing. It’s pretty fucking hammered. The sparks from cutting actually started to melt some of the plastic on the saw.
But i was using 12" abrasive blades…
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### Author:  [@POOPRA](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/POOPRA)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 11:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/10 "2008-01-07T11:37:24Z")
I am going to get a regular chop saw soon, would be great if I could swap out blades for metal use too.
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### Author:  [@POOPRA](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/POOPRA)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 11:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/11 "2008-01-07T11:38:28Z")
> [@newman](#):
>
> Honestly, it beats the fuck out of a nice saw. I have a 300 dollar dewalt miter and all i’ve used it for is to cut exhaust tubing. It’s pretty fucking hammered. The sparks from cutting actually started to melt some of the plastic on the saw.
>
> But i was using 12" abrasive blades…
good to know
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### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/12 "2008-01-07T11:53:26Z")
where did you find the 12" blades?
i presume you have done a lot of cutting though.
I will probably hate fabbing it enough to avoid it in the future.
i had’nt even considered it until i saw people on a DIYnetwork show using one to cut
some to make a steel cart from angle iron…
edit:
[http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi\_storage/article/0,2037,DIY\_13934\_5673973\_03,00.html](http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_storage/article/0,2037,DIY_13934_5673973_03,00.html)
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### Author:  [@SVT3945](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/SVT3945)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 12:04pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/13 "2008-01-07T12:04:10Z")
sawzall would work better, Id offer mine but my uncle has it.
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### Author:  [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/14 "2008-01-07T12:06:30Z")
sawzalls are for removing, not constructing 😛
i have one from 1966 🙂 it still works fine.
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### Author:  [@Viper966](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Viper966)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/15 "2008-01-07T12:28:11Z")
FYI… the chop saw from harbor freight is still going strong for me… ive been using it for 2 years and have gone through probably ~100 feet of tubing etc and all ive had to do was change out the blades… and it has a greate “vice” built in for holding exhaust pipe
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### Author:  [@FiftyCheven](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/FiftyCheven)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/16 "2008-01-07T12:40:03Z")
I have been cutting steel consistantly the past few weeks with my miter saw, just swapped out the blades.
tip: if your saw has one of those dust bags attached, remove it…it WILL ignite! LOL.
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### Author:  [@RedrRocket](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RedrRocket)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/17 "2008-01-07T13:19:40Z")
thats just crazy a bag full of dry sawdust showered by tons of red hot metal sparks will start a fire? whod have thunk it.
I cant see a wood saw with a metal blade being harmed that much with a few cuts of pipe.
the only consern i see is the rpms the blade is meant for might not be the same that the saw puts out.
we have cut plenty of aluminum panels with a dewalt circular saw just using the right blade for the speed of the saw is what you have to look for.
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### Author:  [@n20junkie](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/n20junkie)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/18 "2008-01-07T18:08:06Z")
didn’t dad tell you to use the right tool for the job. Pay the extra 40 bucks, and get the metal chop saw. They take a beating, it works the shit out of the motors. Don’t treat a precision saw like that. Be kind to her.
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### Author:  [@The\_Russian](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/The_Russian)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/19 "2008-01-07T18:31:53Z")
Most chop saws dont have the torque to do that, wood cuts take a few seconds
metal takes a lot more, more consistent torque and require beefier motors
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### Author:  [@FiftyCheven](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/FiftyCheven)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/miter-saws-and-cutting-steel/41394/20 "2008-01-07T18:49:35Z")
> [@RedrRocket](#):
>
> thats just crazy a bag full of dry sawdust showered by tons of red hot metal sparks will start a fire? whod have thunk it.
har har har…it was a joke. Like an idiot, i left mine on for a few quick cuts…which resulted in a small fire.