Will A Dry Cut Blade Work in a Cold SAW

[projectnut]

My Baileigh cold saw has been up and running now for a few weeks. I've purchased new blades for aluminum and mild steel and they both seem to work well. I have in stock a never used Trane 350mm carbide tipped aluminum cutting blade originally intended for use on a dry saw. I never liked the thing spinning at 5000 rpm in a flimsy dry/chop saw so it never got used there.

The only thing that will be required to adapt it to the cold saw is enlarge the arbor hole from 1" to 32mm and add a couple holes for the pilot pins. Before I take the leap, I'm wondering if anyone has done this before, and if so, were you successful. The blade states the maximum speed is 5,000 rpm, but I have no idea whether it will cut anything at 124 rpm which is the fastest speed on the cold saw.

I'm not sure what alloy the blade is made of, but it cuts easily with carbide tooling. I did a couple test cuts on another broken blade just to see if it would work. The old blade cut easily and mounted properly on the cold saw arbor. Since it has a broken tooth, I haven't actually tried to cut metal with it.

The cold saw service I've been working with says the tip on the broken blade can be replaced if the blade itself isn't damaged. I've had them replace tips on other blades (not for use on a cold saw) so I'd rather not test it now and take a chance on damaging it to the extent it can't be repaired.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Gordon Heaton]

I think you'll be sorely disappointed with that blade at cold-saw speeds. Let us know!

 

[projectnut]

Just an update on this old thread. I did modify 1 dry cut blade to fit on the cold saw. As Gordon mentioned it was a complete flop. While it does cut alright the finish looks more like it was done with an axe than a cold saw. It's back in the box and can still be used on the dry saw if I ever go back to that again.

The cold saw is much more accurate, faster, and considerably quieter. The dry cut saw will be set back on the shelf for future use.