What to look for in a high quality abrasive chop saw

Having an industrial metal saw go out on you in the middle of a job isn’t fun but rather aggravating because the way today’s industrial abrasive cutoff saws are manufactured aren’t manufactured like they we’re back in the 60’s, 70’s and or even 1980’s.  Today the abrasive chop saw are made cheaper and frankly not as heavy duty. What I mean by not as “HEAVY DUTY” is using many plastic components.

But that’s okay if you need this tool and or another piece of equipment for a couple of jobs and or your just starting out so it doesn’t make sense to spend a whole bunch of money at first on a saw until you can afford a more heavy duty unit or you have the sales to justify that saw. But if you plan on using the cutoff saw on hundreds of jobs or you have the the budget that allows you splurge and or you have the sales to justify that purchase.

There are two kinds of industrial metal chop saws: First, you have your contractors chop saw which needs to be lite weight so they can be easily moved from job site to job site and  secondly, you have your industrial type abrasive cutoff saws which are designed to hold up in tough environments such as metal foundries or fabrication shops and other heavy use work environments.

What’s New On What To Look For In A High Quality Abrasive Chop Saw Blog…..

We’ve manufactured heavy duty abrasive cutoff saws since the 1960’s.  Cutoff saw sizes range from 7″ up to 44″.  For many years we would offer basic work holding options such as: cam lock vises, air chain vises and air jawed vises. And if they needed a special holding fixture we would recommend for them to go to a fixture specialist. Lately.  when doing test cuts for a prospective customer we were asked to make a holding fixture for there material.  To date we’ve make several for them for different customers.

Every fixture or vise we do for a customer is custom to there material and application.  All fixtures produced are for new equipment only so give us a call at (269) 382-2050 with you saw applications today.  In the mean time check out our fixture and workholding page by clicking here.

Below we cover what you need to look for in a high quality abrasive chop saw…..

• Where is the abrasive chop saw produced?  Having access to technical support if anything comes up is huge. For instance: if something on your machine breaks and you need help you will need somebody whom you can talk to that can help you fix whatever broke on your cutoff saw.
• What material goes into making that abrasive chop saw?  Is it plastic, steal and or aluminum?  Using plastic on your machine isn’t bad on certain areas of your saws.  Using steel on heavy use areas such pivot point and on areas where there is going to be weight on that area such as the saw arm and base.
• Is the machine produce in away that you can easily replace the parts? Can the operator quickly change the warn parts on the unit with minimum tools?
• What type of switch is used to turn your unit on or off? Depending on the HP and PH of the saw it is it could be a toggle switch, rotary switch and or magnetic switch.
• The type of motor that is used to run your abrasive chop?  When you you go and purchase your sander you differently want to make sure it has a good motor driving.  If not it may not last long and you’ll end up replacing the motor and or the saw.
• What bearings are used in the spindle?  Are they cheap bearings and or are they sealed ball bearings that don’t need to be greased?  Having sealed ball bearings means you don’t have to keep greasing the bearings.  That will also keep out material debris.
• Is your abrasive chop saw v-belt driven?  Are they a high quality v-belt and or are they a low quality v-belt?  V-belts over time stretch and crack and you will either have to tighten and or replace the belts.   So make sure you go with a high quality belt.  When you go to replace the v-belts you need to replace all the belts and not just one or two.  If you do that you will end up causing more damage.
• What goes into making the motor that will eventuality power the cutoff saw?  Is a cheap motor that uses inferior materials and or is it a little more expensive but the quality of materials that used to produce that motor are better.
• Where is the metal being produced that goes into producing of that metal chop saw?  We like to support our local foundries.  The cast iron that goes into producing our equipment is made here locally.
• How is the chop saw guarded? If the saw using a steel blade the chop saw needs to have a retractable guard.  If the chop saw is using an abrasive wheel the guard can be a half-moon guard.
• What material is the guarding made out of? 

Maintenance check list….

• If the saw is an older saw be sure to check the v-belts for cracks and ware  and replace if necessary.   (WEEKLY) 
• V-belts when new stretch so check the belts on a regular basis (flex is roughly .25″) and tighten and tighten when needed.
• Check all chop saw grease points.
• Check all connection points.
• Clean machine of all debris daily to maintain proper performance levels.
• If your chop saw is wet clean coolant tank of any debris daily.
• Clean equipment after every shift.  Doing this simple procedure will help you keep your saw running efficiently for many years to come.
• Check cutoff wheels for any signs of damage prior to using.

Chop saw safety check list….

• Do check all abrasive cutoff wheel prior to every use for cracks or other damage.
• Do wear safety glasses and other personal protection devices when operating the abrasive cutoff saw.
• Do check MOS speed of the blade and the RPM of the spindle prior to using the saw.  RPM of the spindle is not to exceed the MOS of the blade.
• Do properly clamp material.
• Do cut only material that’s designed for the cutoff saw wheel.
• Do keep ALL body parts away from all moving parts that includes the abrasive cutoff wheel and spark stream.
• Do keep ALL saw guarding on the chop saw.
• Do always use properly adjusted wheel and belt guard that’s furnished with the saw.
• Do check machine speed against established safe operating speed marked on the wheel.
• Do check cutoff wheel for any signs of damage.  If abrasive wheel is damage replace wheel prior to using equipment.

Following these simple rules will keep you safe.  NOT following these simple steps will cause bodily harm.  SO USE COMMON SENSE.

What can our industrial abrasive chop saws cut?

We’ve designed our industrial saws to cut various types of metals and non-metals whether it’s solid and or tubing. That list is listed below.  But you have to the correct abrasive wheel and the right amount of horse power.  And depending on what kind of finish you need you may need a wet saw.  So give us a call at (269) 382-2050 with your application.

• Mild steel
• Alloy’s such as inconel, waspalloy,
• Heat treated steel
• Hydraulic hose

Where can this equipment be use?

We’ve designed our equipment to work in various locations with various power requirements.  Prior to order your industrial equipment confirm with a certified electrician that the piece of equipment that you would like to order will work with your power requirements. 

• Home workshops
• Metallurgical facilities
• School workshops
• Machine shops
• Fabrication shops
• Automotive shops

Replacement parts to do list.

Having replacement parts at hand is import so equipment down time is kept to a minimum so current and up coming jobs can be finished sooner than later.  Because those parts to your working on are important to you and or your customer because that part could be critical to whatever it needs to go on.   Below is a short list of what replacement parts you should have on hand to get your machine back up and running.

Replacement parts list:

• Bearings
• V-belts
• Spindle with tight flange
• Spindle nut
• Vise (if your machine has one)
• Saw guards

Replacement parts

All of our industrial metal chop saws have replaceable parts regardless of the equipment’s age.  This is great for you.  You wont have to spends thousands of dollars on a new tool.  We also suggest that you keep spare parts such and spindle’s, v-belts, and bearings and other ware parts on the shelf so your down time is kept to a minimum.  Once you replace those parts that were damaged reorder those parts that you used with new parts so when those need replacing you can do so quickly.

To get your equipment replacement parts on order today go to the Kalamazoo Industries replacement parts store by clicking here.

In conclusion

These tools that are discussed above are what you should look for in a high quality industrial abrasive chop saw.  So check it out    So if you have an up coming job that you need a heavy duty chop saw give us a call at (269) 382-2050 to discuss your application and click here to go our Kalamazoo saws page.

We manufacturer wet cutoff saws and dry cutoff saws. also we have open, semi-open and fully enclosed abrasive cutoff saws.

We use cast iron, cast aluminum, aluminum and hot and cold rolled steel, Baldor and Leeson motors on all of our tools.  And very little plastic is used on our equipment so our equipment will last you a long time.  So again give us a call at (269) 382-2050 Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:25 pm eastern standard time.