Anyone try a Dual Saw

[matts]

I have been thinking of trying one of those Dual Saw with the counter rotating blades that can supposedly cut thru just about anything.  Just wondering if anyone has tried them.  Will be using it mostly on steel up to 1/4" thick.

 

[rio_grande]

Have not used one, but I couldnt imagine that they are much good.

 

[matts]

I have been watching some videos online and they seem to cut thru 1/8" plate and even 1/2" bolts with no problem.  I am still a little skeptical tho.

 

[DanMcG]

do ya have a link?

I've been looking at a masonry/mortar saw that's a tungsten toothed dual blade reciprocating saw that Is amazing it the video's. I'm just waiting for our local tool house to get one to try, It's an 1100 dollar saw but will be worth it if it works. If you're talking a $100 unit I wouldn't't expect much work out of it, or for very long.

I'd Like to see what you're looking at.

 

[matts]

Just google Dual Saw.  You will get all kinds of links.  There are also a ton of videos on youtube.

 

[DanMcG]

sorry I didn't realize it was a brand name. Thanks

 

[Brackness]

yea google it.. all i see is that they are cheaply made and alot of them burn out really quick...

 

[tom37]

Matt, here is a link that has decent quality products for a pretty reasonable price.

http://www.evolutiononlineshop.com/Evolution_Rage/Evolution_Rage/Evolution_Rage_Saws~x.cfm

I have had great luck with these cut-off wheels. I see a ton of guys run these with no guard but I wouldn't dare. I made a mod to my 4.5" guard so I can run the 6" disk.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...log_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CC4Q8wIwAw#

A grinder and cut-off wheels arn't for everyone, some people just don't have what it takes to be sucessfull with one. My helper at work couldn't cut his way out of an allunium can to save his life. I use the .045 disk to cut my doors untill I get my rage saw.

I can't see buying a dual saw until they put a decent motor behind it. 1/4" would probally tax the poor little saw to its death.

 

[rio_grande]

Talking about the Rage saws.

I have the milwakee version of that. We went from taking a full day to demo a school buss to doing them in about 2 hr. Only down side is there is a learning curve involved in their use and one hard pinch of that blade cost you 50.00

After the first blade I got alot more carefull and slowed down. Still running 5 times faster than I ever did before.

To give you an Idea how tough these things are. I was sawing my way down the second buss of the day. This one was loaded with crap and I was cutting the top off to dump the contents out. I hit a tough spot that rewuired me to slow down to about half speed for maybe 15 seconds. When we dumped the buss out and the snakes cleared, I found what I hit. it was a empty propane tank sitting by the outter wall. Cut a slice all the way across the end sitting against the wall. It was not tied down.

I am of course glad it was not pressurised, and do things a bit diffrent now but I was amazed that it just sliced right through it.

Jeff

 

[rio_grande]

After going to you tube and looking over some of the videos I call BS.

May well cut many of the things they show there, but the cutting the car in half,,, I have tools made to do that and can do it in 10 mn or less, the shortest depth of cut on our saws is 3 inches. For the most part it doesn't have enough blade stick out to cut the rockers on a small car. I always have to get out the 12 in abrasive to make the final cuts.

Might be fine for small stuff, but I wouldnt waste my money if it is pit building you are gonna do with it. I noticed they never showed it cutting expanded metal,, that would be a site but it isint really made for that.

Unless this was the dual blade you were talking about.

 

[matts]

Rio, that is the saw I was thinking of.  I figured it would be able to cut a small hole in a LP tank.

I primarily used cut off wheels on my angle grinder for the last build.  I still have the stack of worn out and busted up blades from that build as a memory.  I also used a sawz-all for a lot of it also.  But moving up to the thick stuff for my next build with a LP tank, I didn't want to have to buy a hundred cut-off wheels just to cut the door out.

The reason I was looking at the dual saw was because of the versatility.  I didn't want to buy a big saw and only use it once or twice a year.  Although I know it would be worth it.  It may be cheaper to cut all my fine cuts laid out and rent a gas chop saw for a day for $20 and get it all knocked out.  The rest of the cutting I can just torch it.

 

[rio_grande]

Ya for 20.00 hard to beat that rental, one of our stihl saws was about 1100.00, the milwakee was 350.00 with 3 blades.

If I didnt use these to make money, I wouldnt own them. I too have used alot of cutoff blades and they suck. One recomendation and maybee you know this but buy the ones made for stainless, they last alot longer.

Jeff

 

[tom37]

Rio is right on the money!! they do last a lot longer but they cut slower too. The metabo's are a lot like the carbide saws in the sence that if you bind them they are gone.

I have had great luck with the brand I use. When I was buying the HF ones they did die quite fast. The 6" compared to the HF 4.5 is unreal. Probally 10 times the life in the ones I use.

 

[rio_grande]

I do buy some of their stuff but stay away from harbor freight "zip disks" IE cutoff wheels. I have had several of the 4.5 disks explode. Got a nice scar on the inside of one hand where I had to remove a piece of one.

The brand I have is common but I cant remember the name. I buy them in a 200 pack. I will look and let ya know the brand.

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

 
I have had great luck with these cut-off wheels. I see a ton of guys run these with no guard but I wouldn't dare. I made a mod to my 4.5" guard so I can run the 6" disk.

Tom If ya dont mind me asking what mod did you do to your guard to make it work with your grinder. Maybe it would work for mine?....I have a dewalt with the tension binder type clamp.

SOB 
 

 

[rio_grande]

I would like to know too,

I just took mine off and tossed them in the scrap parts bin under my welding bench.

 

[tom37]

I don't have a pic handy right now, but I will try to post one tomorrow. Basically what I did was use a guard from an old 6" grinder but it was from another brand grinder and was not even close to fitting.

There were three light welds, may have even been plug welds holding the tension clamp to the half moon shaped part of the guard. I just drilled out the welds on the 6" and also from the 4 1/2" that had the proper tension mount and swapped them out and welded back together. I can't remember if I had to change much if anything to make the swap. Now I gotta look at the freaking thing LOL. The pics will tell tomorrow.

I am kinda like Rio in the sense that most of my guards go in a box, I seldom run a guard with wire wheels and flap disk, but if its a cut off then it has a guard and 50/50 on the regular old grinder wheels.