Anybody have a good recommendation on a heavy duty chop saw? Primarily for face frame cuts. Looking for something a little more affordable than an Omga set up, but a long those lines. This is for a semi production based shop, so not looking for consumer brands including festool.
Chop saws
- Thread starter LUNT
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I would call the National Kitchen an Bath Association. They are a non-profit representing the industry. I think, but I am not certain, that they are the right association. They may be more geared to sales than manufacture. You will have to ask
These associations maintain a database for their members. Ask if they have a trade show; when and where it is, and if it is geared towards manufacturing. If not, ask if they know of a trade association that does serve the manufacturing end of the business.
You are not imposing on them. They are there to serve its members and if you ask for a member list or a referral that can sell you an appropriate saw, that is part of what they are there for.
Also ask if there is a trade publication, and how to get a subscription. Most of those trade publications are free to industry members.
Or go online and see what other trade associations there are serving the manufacturers of kitchen cabinets. Ask them about trade shows, trade publications, and referral lists.
I used to be a subscriber (30 + years ago) to one of those publications. When I get home I will look to see if I still have a random copy. If I find one, I will report.
But remember that trade associations are there to support their membership and that would include referrals to people like you. It is their job to do this. You are not imposing on them.
https://nkba.org/
These associations maintain a database for their members. Ask if they have a trade show; when and where it is, and if it is geared towards manufacturing. If not, ask if they know of a trade association that does serve the manufacturing end of the business.
You are not imposing on them. They are there to serve its members and if you ask for a member list or a referral that can sell you an appropriate saw, that is part of what they are there for.
Also ask if there is a trade publication, and how to get a subscription. Most of those trade publications are free to industry members.
Or go online and see what other trade associations there are serving the manufacturers of kitchen cabinets. Ask them about trade shows, trade publications, and referral lists.
I used to be a subscriber (30 + years ago) to one of those publications. When I get home I will look to see if I still have a random copy. If I find one, I will report.
But remember that trade associations are there to support their membership and that would include referrals to people like you. It is their job to do this. You are not imposing on them.
https://nkba.org/
gunnyr
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I'm not in a production environment nor do I pretend to know much about a production style shop but I do know there is such a thing as an upcut saw that seems to be what you're looking for. As I understand upcut saws they are designed for speed, accuracy, and safety. A quick Google search yielded many results, might be a good place to start.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Crazyraceguy
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gunnyr said:
What you are referring to is generally called a "jump saw". As far as I know (the ones I have seen back this up) they are rather crude. Powerful, durable, yes...but not face frame parts accurate.
They have one at one of my local hardwood dealers. All they do with it is crosscut rough lumber, either to fit in a person's vehicle, or because they sell by the board-foot and don't force you to buy the whole piece.
As far as the original topic, I don't know of anything "in between". That Omga saw is going to cost 5-10,000 dollars. Now, you might run that thing 10-12 hours a day....every day, and have it last for years. You might even do that and then still sell it and recover part of your money. However, the mean time, you could run one of the better consumer brands at 5-10% of that cost. You could even look at it as a consumable and replace it upon failure. Even if they only last a year, it would still take 10 years (at worst case) to compare. Plus, assuming you have space, you could have multiples of the cheaper saw.
Cheese
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Crazyraceguy said:
Northfield offers their version of the jump saw and they refer to it as an "Under Table Cut-Off Saw". It has pneumatic material clamping included, is foot pedal operated and is designed specifically for production use and the cutting of face frames and doors. The downside is that the smallest one costs $12,000 less the 14" blade.
I owned a Milwaukee 6490 10" chop saw ONLY that I never moved from the original 90º position. It was used strictly as a cut-off saw and I used it like that for about 15 years. I went through about a half-dozen blades during that time. Once set up, it held its positioning...just don't pivot the blade. [smile]
http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/cutoffsaws/208-212-410-S.htm
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I’ve had a 14” Makita chopsaw for decades that is not the abrasive blade type, it is a standard wood saw that was the standard 10” model on series. Hitachi used to market a 15” model. These saw swivel but do not tilt. The 14” is still available in Japan but NAINA, over $1000.00 to import.
I went to the Hoffmann site to look at the OMGA saw. It is a 14” saw! I cannot imagine using a saw of that size, even if cost was not a factor, for face frames. (And it does cost $7,400.00.)
For productivity, an automatic measuring system will yield maximum productivity gain. Buy a decent chop saw, tune to exactly 90 degrees and never re-set the angle. Re-tune it to 90 degrees with each change of blades.
Treat the saw as a consumable tool. A simple 10” or 12” chop saw will work for this. I like the DeWalt saw because they index off of a stamped part rather than off the as-cast detents that some of the other saws use. The stamped part is adjustable for accuracy. I would avoid any sliding action chop saws because the more moving parts mean more opportunities to get out of tolerance. Keep it simple.
The automatic measuring systems on the Hoffmann site start at under $2,000.00.
Check out their Quick-Silver tables with integrated measuring systems, which accommodates any saw on the market.
I don’t know why the image looks fuzzy.
https://hoffmann-usa.com/length-sto...icksilver-miter-saw-tables-4ft-4ft-solid-top/
Hoffmann, USA was a customer of mine in the early 1970s, and the parent company in Germany has been around even longer. They manufacture a line of equipment and distribute several other brands. They’ve been around a long time.
(They also sell the most impressive MFT-type tables I have ever seen. But at $4,275.00, a bit pricey.)
https://hoffmann-usa.com/adjustable-work-tables/adjustable-work-table-hs-300-large-with-top/
For productivity, an automatic measuring system will yield maximum productivity gain. Buy a decent chop saw, tune to exactly 90 degrees and never re-set the angle. Re-tune it to 90 degrees with each change of blades.
Treat the saw as a consumable tool. A simple 10” or 12” chop saw will work for this. I like the DeWalt saw because they index off of a stamped part rather than off the as-cast detents that some of the other saws use. The stamped part is adjustable for accuracy. I would avoid any sliding action chop saws because the more moving parts mean more opportunities to get out of tolerance. Keep it simple.
The automatic measuring systems on the Hoffmann site start at under $2,000.00.
Check out their Quick-Silver tables with integrated measuring systems, which accommodates any saw on the market.
I don’t know why the image looks fuzzy.
https://hoffmann-usa.com/length-sto...icksilver-miter-saw-tables-4ft-4ft-solid-top/
Hoffmann, USA was a customer of mine in the early 1970s, and the parent company in Germany has been around even longer. They manufacture a line of equipment and distribute several other brands. They’ve been around a long time.
(They also sell the most impressive MFT-type tables I have ever seen. But at $4,275.00, a bit pricey.)
https://hoffmann-usa.com/adjustable-work-tables/adjustable-work-table-hs-300-large-with-top/
waho6o9
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"Treat the saw as a consumable tool. A simple 10” or 12” chop saw will work for this."
Wise ^
I've gotten a 10" Ryobi chop saw off of Craigslist, in good shape, cleaned and lubed it up and after calibration it was a great work horse. An expensive chop saw blade worked well for me.
Probably not the OPs cup of tea but it's a viable alternative.
Wise ^
I've gotten a 10" Ryobi chop saw off of Craigslist, in good shape, cleaned and lubed it up and after calibration it was a great work horse. An expensive chop saw blade worked well for me.
Probably not the OPs cup of tea but it's a viable alternative.
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