The MM 130 is underpowered for 1/4".

You can use a slitting wheel on the grinder to cut 1/4", but it will be time consuming and you'll go thru a lot of disks unless they material is small like 1" wide. A circular saw either with an abrasive disc ( poor) or with a dedicated metal cutting blade ( Moderately expensive) will also work. Sawzall, jigsaw, torch, hacksaw, hammer and chisel ( if you love punishment) are other options.

 

1/4" was decided upon as it will be above the maximum I plan on cutting, thus making sure that suggestions were more than adequate. I was thinking more along the lines of oxy/fuel and plasma. But there are a lot of options and often there are a few really good suggestions that I would have never run into on my own.

 

OA vs plasma, Oxy fuel is probably the most cost effective from the stand point of initial outlay of funds. If you look on CL you can probably put a rig together for less than $300 torches, cylinders etc.

Plasma will run you more. Keep in mind you not only need the plasma, but an air supply capable of supporting it. Plasma eats a ton of air, so expect to need a high volume compressor, not a cheap pancake unit. You can get by using either high pressure air or in some cases compressed nitrogen, but then you are talking about cylinder and gas costs.

Oxy is also more versatile over all on average. You can heat, solder, weld as well as cut with Oxy fuel. Plasma all you can do is cut, though you can cut more things than you can with Oxy like alum, stainless and other nonferrous metals.

 

Depending on the budget, for what the ox/act torch or plasma will cost, I would consider other options. The torch is fine for irregular cuts or used on large sheets. For basic hobby work where you may use channel , tube , angle , round , flat stock and maybe pipe I would go with a band saw , chop saw, or a 14'' metal cutting saw with 70-tooth carbide tipped blade .
Check craigs list, there are usually many chop saws for a $100.00 or less. The harbor freight 4'' X 6'' band saw maybe a option too.

 

1/4" what, plate, box, tube, c-channel?

 

Cheapest would be the 4" slicer disks that have been mentioned because you already have the grinder (assuming you have the nuts to sandwich the disks with). Prepare to eat dust and be slightly frustrated but it will cheaply get the job done.

 

VPT, everything. I had to consolidate the shop and move so I have to start from square one.

I think I will start with the 4" slicer disks.

I wish I still had my old abrasive chop saw

I have a harbor freight portaband as well. That thing is loud but I have some nice Starrett blades for it, it cuts well. I have it mounted vertically right now in a weird little frame, it's nice for freehand cutting small things but it doesn't have the capacity for much.

I guess the big question is plate, really.

 

A thin and large diameter cutoff wheel. 5" is considerably faster than 4"

 

Hi, abrasive discs are OK if you just want to cut in straight lines, but Plasma without the compressor is the way to go.
Ian.

 

.

After buying a welder, the first tool to buy next is the one you have. An angle grinder.

Next in line should be a 4x6 horizontal bandsaw OR a 5x6 swivel head bandsaw.

I see these as indispensable as the welder itself.

.

 

It depends on the budget

but Plasma without the compressor is the way to go.

??? AFAIK, plasma requires an air supply, either a compressor or a tank.

 

It depends on the budget



??? AFAIK, plasma requires an air supply, either a compressor or a tank.

Hi, no compressor or tank or compressed bottle gas with the plasma torch I use, and it welds too......can't say more or it'll generate a huge argument.

If you're only ever going to cut 1/4" material (material, as in any material metal or not) give me a PM and I'll put you onto some info on the subject.
Ian.

 

I think he's referring to the ones that have a built in compressor. From what I remember however most of those machines are designed for portable sheet metal work, like AC contractors that need to cut duct work. They top out at 1/8" IIRC.

 

For what it's worth, I already own a decent 110v compressor. 25 gal "2.5" horse. I never looked into plasma air requirements, so maybe it's too small

 

You may be able to cut for very short periods of time with what you have, but on average you really need a 230v compressor, and usually at least a medium sized one at that, to keep up with the CFM requirements of most plasmas that will cut 1/4".

 

I would say it depend on your budget and project to project vs. how hard you want to work...

You can't go wrong with cut off wheels for price and versatility, and used properly can be very cost effective. But solely for cutting any material without a doubt PLASMA.. alum, stainless, steel, any shape or size. nice clean cut.

 

Depends on the thickness and type of the material you'll be always working. A good bimetal blade on a small bandsaw is your most economical and efficient choice.

 

Cut off wheel is the cheapest most effective method. Even if you didn't have a grinder, a cheapass one is $30... and cutoff wheels are less than $1 each. Cheaper than anything else out there.

 

Wait a minute. First the guy says "budget" and then wants "cost effective".

The answer to the question depends on just how much cutting he wants to do and what -kind- of cuts (straight vs curves), right?

If all he has to do is slice a little bit of 1/4" plate, then some zip wheels in the grinder could do the job. Or some metal-cutting blades in a jig saw or sawzall.

Moving up, just straight cuts can be done with a metal-cutting circular saw blade in a 'standard' 7-1/4" circular saw. A blade runs about $40-$50 or so at retail (Lowes and HomeDepot, by me the H-D usually has a better price on the Freud metal-cutting blade than the Lowes with the Lenox metal-cutting blade). Both Freud and Lenox (and others) make metal-cutting blades that can be used in a circ saw and that can go through 1/4" steel plate pretty well. IF all you have to cut is some straight lines cuts, that is.

Curves and such can be cut with the jig saw or sawzall (with the appropriate metal-cutting blades).

Budget-wise, moving up past what I've mentioned so far and you may start to get into 'real money'. Band saw, oxy-fuel cutting, plasma.

Lots of cuts, straight or curved, can be done with a plasma cutter. Once you get past the initial purchase price, you just use a bit of electricity and some compressed air (which you usually get from electricity used to power the air compressor ) and occasionally replace a nozzle/tip (recent gen Hypertherm plasmas like a PM30 or PM45 can cut 1/4" plate and are pretty darn good on consumable life, but feed then clean dry air).

Oxy-fuel can cut plain steel, but not stainless or aluminum (plasma can cut any conductive material like metal, within the power-thickness limits of the machine), but generally not quite as fast or as inexpensive (on a cutting cost basis) as plasma. Oxy-fuel can also be used to heat and braze or weld things. It still has its place/uses, even with something like a plasma cutter around.

Your choice. Curves-vs-straight cuts and time-vs-money.

:drinkup:

And a MM130 is a bit 'light' on power to weld 1/4" plate steel. With FCAW it can do it OK, but for GMAW it just really doesn't have the muscle to do that thickness of steel plate. For GMAW on 1/4" plate, IMHO you need to move up to a 240V machine at least in the 175 (iffy on 1/4") or 180-amp class (passable on 1/4") or higher.

 

Thanks all. Some great recommendations in this thread. I forgot the jig saw. That might be my budget oriented arc cutter for the time being.

Does one need something expensive? Or can you get away with a low cost jig saw with nice blades.

Most I expect to do with the MM130 is 3/16". I have the AC225 for bigger stuff.

 

Buy a good quality jig saw. The key to cutting metal is the little wheel behind the blade, strong motor and speed control. A plastic shoe on the metal base is nice to prevent scratching aluminum but a coating of tape will do as well.

Bosch used to be the best jig saw on the market, but I have seen and used several saws from other manuf. which seemed just as good.

I have three bosch jigsaws, two body handled saws I prefer for metal and one top handle saw which I prefer when cutting wood, plastic etc.

Buy good quality blades such as bosch, milwaukee etc. for cutting steel, they are worth it.

 

Rage Saw: I have no experience with Rage Saws, but they are being advertised on Woot! right now for $64.95 (refurb). The specs say 1/4" capacity.

 

The essential thing is the shape of the piece you're cutting, not the thickness. And unfortunately, there is no all-purpose cutting tool for steel. If you need to cut a curve, a jigsaw with bimetal blades is good (especially if it's a good jigsaw). For lengths of steel where you need to quickly make right angle (or even 45°) cuts, then an abrasive saw will work, while a carbide-toothed chop-style saw will give you fast and clean cuts. A portaband is a great tool. If you can set it up with a table kit (like SWAG offroad makes for Miwaukees and Dewalts), then it's an essential tool to have (in my opinion). Your HF portaband is not limited when it comes to thickness. I used to own one, and it could have easily gone through inch-thick stock, with a little patience. (I sold it to a friend who used it to cut an 8" tall I-beam.) A metal cutting blade on a simple circular saw will set you back $30, and give you the ability to make as long a cut as your cord will reach in big pieces of stock. A horizontal bandsaw will go through bundles of stock while you work on something else. Plasma and an Oxy-Acetylene setup are also going to be the best choice, sometimes, depending on the type of cuts and the type of material.

And on the budget end, cutting disks for your angle grinder are cheap -- and really only limited by your skill, patience and experience.

 

I use the cut-off wheels the most(cheap), use torches sparingly(expensive), Saws-All when cutting alot of box tubeing(buy good/expensive blades). 1/4" or less, short distance of 4" or less.
Bevel the edgesand multipass, the little welder will let you create most items you want to make or need.

 

A bandsaw would be best . But you can use a cut off wheel on a high speed grinder or a quality jig saw with a metal cutting blade. Sawsall might be very slow.