I'm looking for a chop saw that I can use on both steel and timber. I had a quick look around B&Q a while back and it appears that the hole centres for the discs are different between metal cutting discs and saw blades. Is this always the case?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a product that can cut both? What about a sliding chop saw to increase cutting capacity?

Questions questions!!

TIA

I sort of looked into this recently.

I have an old B&Q mitre saw with a 8 1/2 " blade so I thought, Right! a slightly worn 9" cutting disc should fit.

The centres are, as you say different diameters so I made up an adapter washer on the lathe.

Disc fitted ok but the whole thing seemed very dangerous when I switched it on.

I think the disc, being much heavier than the sawblade, set up a vibration which nearly shook the thing off the bench.

Maybe my cutting disc was suspect and out of balance but it made me abandon the whole idea, for a while anyway.

This was using a 2.5 mm wide cutting disc. If 1.6 mm ones are available in 9" or so dia it might be a lot better, and safer.

The mitre saw is of light alloy construction and just didn't have the weight for the job.

I would think, too, that the effects of grinding dust on a DIY saw motor would be catastrophic.

Mine gets clogged up with sawdust quite easily so grinding dust would be bound to get in.

Electric motors and small metal particles don't mix.

Bob

I use a sthil saw for both i made a bush on a lathe and adapted a wood blade to fit it, I got the sthil second hand for £100 very brutal but cappable

Have a look here http://www.migtigarc.co.uk/Specialist/specialist.html Strange enough I bought one last week, ticks all your box's.

They were on sale at B&Q for £170 last year, and machine Mart have started selling them £170 also.

Mine was delivered free, next day, excellent service if you order on line make sure you tell them 110 or 240v.

Only quickly tried it on a piece of Blue band pipe, just as quick as cutting wood! About 2 seconds. Don't know how long the blade will last using it for steel all the time.

I don't think this is aimed at steel fabricators, they have saws for that but they are a lot more expensive.

For DIY fabricators like myself I think its good, plus you can tell SWMBO its really for the new skirting in the lounge

Andy