Originally Posted by
Frank S
If one is going to dedicate a table saw to cut metal it would be advisable to add some blade speed reduction. I have an old table saw that I have been considering turning into a metal cutting cold saw since it is belt driven I can add an arbor and pulleys to reduce the speed. my saw takes a 12" blade so the optimal speed would be somewhere around 146 RPM given that my old 20" schotchman turned 88 RPM that meant it had 460 ft per min radial tooth contact speed. A 12 " blade @146 RPM would be roughly the same tooth contact speed with proper coolant flooding I should be able to expect burr free machine smooth cuts.
Wood cutting saws turn way too fast and create far too much heat and without a high rate of coolant flow possibly even air assisted spray cooling the chances of galling the cuts or throwing teeth increases exponentially with each successive cut. Beeswax helps but must be applied continuously to both sides of the blade during the cutting process.
Is this to say that I've never cut steel or aluminum with a circular saw, radial arm or table saw NO! I've done it I once cut an entire building down with a worm drive circular saw the saw could be heard for nearly a mile