Chop saw for 4" tubing

Need to cut down some 4" Blue Tube.

Is it a 12" blade I need to fit 4" tube?

I have a 12" Makita saw that cuts 4" Blue Tube - but barely. The ability to cut round items varies by saw. I am looking for a cut-off saw to cut 5" fiberglass tube, and only one 14" saw says it will do it. The others are more like 4 3/4". It depends on how the saw & guard is designed.

Use an end stop and cut as far through the tube as you can then roll the piece you are planning to use on the project against the saw fence to finish cutting.

Don't have any workshop tools currently for this so opens ideas. It is a one off also

Pyropetepete said:

Don't have any workshop tools currently for this so opens ideas. It is a one off also

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Use a sheet of heavy paper wrap to draw a straight line around the tube then using an Xacto knife or box cutter make a series of light cuts trying to stay to the middle of the line, then using a sanding block, sand the end square by either totally removing the line or until there is a even amount of line left all the way around the tube.

I cut half way through and rotate the body tube.

I use a 12" blade on my Craftsman compound miter saw to cut 4" Blue Tube and it cuts it all the way thru. For the 6" tube for my next project I will cut and then rotate to finish up.

If you look up the specifications from the manufacturer you should be able to see the maximum cut depth. Some list it as plunge depth or in my case I have Rigid 14" cut off saw and Rigid refers to it as "Pipe O/D" which is listed as 5".

One thing that I have found is that chop saw and power miter saw and chopsaw occasionally mean different tools.

To me a chop saw and power miter saw are this:


And this is a cut-off saw:



However I have found that somewhat regionally a metal cut-off saw can be and usually is referred to as a chop saw, this type saw really isn't as good for cardboard/blue tube as a fine toothed saw blade on a miter saw.

rharshberger said:

One thing that I have found is that chop saw and power miter saw and chopsaw occasionally mean different tools.

To me a chop saw and power miter saw are this:
View attachment 278935

And this is a cut-off saw:

View attachment 278934

However I have found that somewhat regionally a metal cut-off saw can be and usually is referred to as a chop saw, this type saw really isn't as good for cardboard/blue tube as a fine toothed saw blade on a miter saw.

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Completely agree. The top one looks like a compound miter chop saw (some call them a drop saw), designed for wood working and uses a saw blade with teeth. The bottom one a cut-off saw, which is what I have, is designed to cut types of steel pipes including stainless steel and uses an abrasive wheel to cut.

Also to note loading pipes in the cut-off saw is quick, however I don't find that it is as accurate as a miter saw in cutting a square end.

I have successfully cut CF, FG, phenolic and AT cardboard tubes you just have to cut slowly. So it can be used but I agree with Rich, a chop saw is a better choice.

mpitfield said:

Completely agree. The top one looks like a compound miter chop saw (some call them a drop saw), designed for wood working and uses a saw blade with teeth. The bottom one an cut-off saw, which is what I have, is designed to cut types of steel pipes including stainless steel and uses an abrasive wheel to cut.

Also to note loading pipes in the cut-off saw is quick, however I don't find that it is as accurate as a miter saw in cutting a square end.

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I have a chopsaw nearly identical to the Makita in the first picture, which I use to cut every type of tubing (including aluminum) except metal using a 60 tooth blade iirc. The cut-off saw I have to borrow from a friend of mine but I only use it for metals, however my experience is the same as yours getting a square cut takes a little bit of work. Anything metal I need cut absolutely square I have access to one of these:

a Hemsaw Industrial metal cutting bandsaw. Not good at all for cutting cardboard or blue tube because of the lubricants, however it works awesome on FG.

rharshberger said:

The cut-off saw I have to borrow from a friend of mine

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I borrow my brothers compound miter saw when I need it, I really should pick one up. Having access to industrial grade systems like that band saw would be nice, but those days are over for me. I used to go back to my high school wood and machine shop for maybe 5 or so years after graduating but that ended 25 years ago. I have looked for and used some of those community based wood shops but they seem to open and close without much success...tough business model I guess!

mpitfield said:

I borrow my brothers compound miter saw when I need it, I really should pick one up. Having access to industrial grade systems like that band saw would be nice, but those days are over for me. I used to go back to my high school wood and machine shop for maybe 5 or so years after graduating but that ended 25 years ago. I have looked for and used some of those community based wood shops but they seem to open and close without much success...tough business model I guess!

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Keep your eye on Craigslist or whatever the equivalent in Canada, you can sometimes pick up a nice one for a good deal or check pawn shops, all the name brand saws are adjustable for square and plumb so as long as nothing is bent the saw can be made to cut straight, and they are usually fairly easy to work on if something goes wrong. The only tool I don't recommend buying used is a SDS roto-hammer, they are a pain to work on since if the eccentric is not put in correctly they tend to break the first time they are run. I used to work on power and air tools during the winters when it was slow for construction at a rental equipment company, we were a Dewalt and Bosch service center.

I use this blade with my compound miter saw to cut fiberglass tubes.

https://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=20346076

I did think about looking around the local tool hire shops and hire one. Can always blag it by saying it didn't work so unused.

I'm sorry, I just don't get the need for electricity to cut tubes.

jimzcatz said:

I'm sorry, I just don't get the need for electricity to cut tubes.

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electricity = easier and quicker, are you suggesting that using electricity is cheating...not really getting the point!

I use a razor saw for cardboard tubes, however Blue Tube is tougher then I want to cut by hand.

Not cheating. I can make a cleaner cut with a razor saw, paper and tape. Replace razor saw with hacksaw for fiberglass.

Blue tube is really tough.

Tried using one of these but it doesn't cut square. Had to use some elastic too hold the tube on as the support is not very big.

jimzcatz said:

Not cheating. I can make a cleaner cut with a razor saw, paper and tape. Replace razor saw with hacksaw for fiberglass.

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I have tried using the standard miter box as well as the type of hacksaw miter box in the post above but I find the ones I have used allow the blade to float too much and the cut is never as even as it is with a power tool. With paper tubes I usually cut them by hand using a sharp blade, a stop clamped to a 90 degree angle, sized appropriately for the size of tube, then I just rotate the tube until it cuts through. Composites I prefer to cut with a power tool, including phenolic.

Pyropetepete said:

Don't have any workshop tools currently for this so opens ideas. It is a one off also

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At the outside, you can take the tubing and a six pack to a local cabinet shop. Bingo. Tubing cut square, and you didn't have to buy a $300 saw.

cherokeej said:

At the outside, you can take the tubing and a six pack to a local cabinet shop. Bingo. Tubing cut square, and you didn't have to buy a $300 saw.

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Don't know of anything like that around here in the UK

Asked my eldest step son what his school has. He has D&T this week and will find out.

A school with a shop would be an excellent idea.

In which case, probably want to think of offering them something other than a six pack. D'oh!!

Maybe find a construction site where they're building a house? A miter box is pretty standard equipment. I used my Delta with a carbide tipped blade to cut FG and it worked perfectly.

Haven't found a miter box that would fit a 4" tube. Does smaller but not 4"

I still need to resolve this. My family expanded and this project got pushed to the side. I want my L1 rocket back and to get my L2 cert.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-rage-2-2000w-355mm-multipurpose-chop-saw-230v/42602

Screwfix is about the only decent highstreet tool shop we have in the UK.

I could buy this saw and return it and they won't refuse too refund.

It's also the only one I could see that would cut close. 120mm ain't bad.

Pyropetepete said:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-rage-2-2000w-355mm-multipurpose-chop-saw-230v/42602

Screwfix is about the only decent highstreet tool shop we have in the UK.

I could buy this saw and return it and they won't refuse too refund.

It's also the only one I could see that would cut close. 120mm ain't bad.

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If you are worried about the spend, just do your cutting with a rotary tool (Dremel or equivalent) and a fiberglass reinforced disc. Yes it is slower, and yes you'll have to do some sanding afterwards to get the tubes to mate perfectly, but in the long run the Dremel can be used for a much wider variety of things in our typical builds than a chop saw.