Can anyone steer me towards a good machine for clean, square cutoffs
for gold/silver rod and tubing up to about 10 mm diameter? I’ve
tried several things with little success. I don’t want to use a
large chop saw as is used for large steel pieces. The Dremel drill
press with right-angle attachment is much too flimsy. Can’t use a
lathe with stationary cutoff tool, because the rod/tube isn’t always
straight and can’t be rotated. Probably has to be a rotating
abrasive disc, but on a smaller scale than the large chop saws. I’m
reluctant to put an abrasive wheel in the rotating chuck of the
lathe, because I’d rather feed the blade onto the tube/rod, rather
than the other way around (and the manufacturer warns against such
usage).
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
John Palmer
Mackinac Designs
Please do not laugh, the silver instructor at UCSD uses a Harbor
Freight device, cost on sale $20.00 or so, not on sale $40. Her
admonition to every student, do not force this machine, go easy and
it works beautifully. Force and break it, it now belongs to you and
you owe me a new one. I have yet to see it replaced and most of us
now own our own. Yes I do.
She teaches a lot of rivet connections and tube settings. This cut
off saw is in frequent use.
Can anyone steer me towards a good machine for clean, square
cutoffs for gold/silver rod and tubing up to about 10 mm diameter?
<snip>
<:3 )~ I bought a small plastic chop saw from Harbor Freight for
about $30 a few years ago. It is cheap and poorly constructed but
works well despite this. Uses a 2" blade and has a vise that can be
set at an angle if you prefer. Breezes right through 10 ga. ss and
gold wire. The url is: www.harborfreight.com If you buy more than $50
of stuff from them the shipping is free (but slow).