dumb guy wants to weld, how to cut steel Options

[JerryP]

I'm trying to start my amateur welding career and work my way up to fixing my rusty '74 parts car. For now I just need to miter cut some 1/8 " angle iron.

I have an angle grinder, sawzall and miter saw but never miter cut steel before. Will one of these do with a metal cutting blade or should I just bite the bullet and buy a real cut off saw. If so, any suggestions on what to buy? TIA.

[airsix]

Gint/KT,
Yes, that's the bandsaw I'm talking about. Like all HarborFreight tools it's a little rough, but you will not find a better bandsaw for less than 3x the price. I know several full-time knife-makers who've been using that saw daily for 10+ years. It comes with a junk blade. Don't even bother trying to cut anything with it. Throw it away and get some good bi-metal blades (enco has them cheap - about $13 ea.). You want 5'-4.5" x 1/2" and 18 to 20 teeth per inch. That will let you cut just about anything (including thin sheet).

Other tips: The table is a little wimpy. A lot of people build a larger more rigid one. I'm still using the one it came with 'cuz I'm too busy (lazy). Also, the blades will jump off the wheels if you don't have the tension set right. The proper tension is 3 grunts. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) One of my friends bought a tension guage and was dissapointed to find that the propper tension was just about as tight as he could get it (don't need a guage to do that).

I don't know where I'd be without mine. Used it less than an hour ago in fact. If you get one don't be mad at me if it doesn't feel like an Etalon micrometer - like I said, they're a little rough, but they are reliable and cut anything you throw under them, and for $169 that aint bad.

-Ben M.