Research: Cutting Metal [steel] I-Beams and Tubes -> Dry Cut Chop Saw

[nelsonic]

Context

We have [at least] 3 up-coming construction projects that require cutting mild/ structural steel.
The first project is the "back veranda" (AKA "upper deck") that will have [approx] 40m of steel I-beam and tube.
Preparing the steel will require at least 100 cuts before welding.
We could perform the cuts with an angle grinder and abrasive disc however:
a) that relies on the operator to hold the angle grinder perfectly square/perpendicular to the material for good results 🙄
b) the cuts are more "rough" so require filing to prepare for welding; I estimate an extra T5m of prep time per cut. ⏳
the abrasive disc also makes a lot more mess.
c) we would need to change the abrasive discs frequently thus the cost will exceed buying a better saw. 💸

Sadly, our existing compound mitre saw cannot be used for mild/structural steel. I checked.
The motor has to spin slower and with higher torque in order to take the steel-cutting blade.

So basically, I'm proposing buying a specific tool for doing the cuts.
For reference, for the Sunroom #14 the dimensions are ~8x the "upper deck".
So I'd expect us to need to make at least 500 cuts

Research

If you're curious about this, recommend watching:
10 Tools for Cutting Metal: How to Cut Metal for Welding Projects: https://youtu.be/mYpVoYTdbxY

This is the tool that Tim recommends:
https://www.amazon.es/-/pt/dp/B096KW85DF

Dewalt version: https://www.amazon.es/-/pt/dp/B005LB58F0 more expensive and smaller blade:

Evolution Power tools chop saw review: https://youtu.be/fnikbR4epfg

Chop Saw VS Train Track!?: https://youtu.be/jdQPFPiCgoo?t=913

Spoiler: This is incredible! 🤯 As noted in the video, Train Track is 1" 1084 Hardened Steel ...

This feels like a lot of money to spend for a single-purpose tool. 🙄
But ... it should "pay for itself" with the projects we already have planned. 🏡
Then if we get around to building (or modifying) a Tiny House https://github.com/dwyl/tiny-house 💡
then we will be very grateful for having a tool like this in our arsenal. 💭

[nelsonic]

@iteles briefly discussed this at lunch with you. The price I mentioned at lunch is without VAT.
Amazon doesn't charge us the VAT at source so we would end up paying 412,40€ ...

Again, give the sheer number of cuts and the person who will be performing them,
I feel that this is a wise investment to ensure as much quality in the cuts as possible. 💭
Any objections to me placing this order?

[iteles]

Are you sure they don't charge us at source? Either way, yes, this makes sense.

As I said, the amount of time we'd spend waiting for a quote to get this done by someone else would cost us much more than this. Especially seeing as there's a huge labor shortage right now.

[nelsonic]

Thanks. Glad we're on the same page. 📝
I'd obvs much rather not spend this money. 💰
But IMO: worst-case-scenario we can sell it after using it for a small loss. 💭

[nelsonic]

They definitely don't charge the VAT at source:

[nelsonic]

Order placed:

Also got a scribe for marking the metal for cuts so they are more precise than a sharpie. 😉
Should arrive by this Friday. ⏳

[nelsonic]

Suuuuuper annoyingly, the saw is on promotion today:

@iteles any objections to me ordering a second on and then returning the first one for a €60 discount? (is it worth it for our time...?)

[iteles]

Has the first even been marked as dispatched yet? It might be possible to still cancel the order because Amazon es takes a while to dispatch stuff.

[nelsonic]

Yes, dispatched:

Saving will be €70. Worth it for the hassle/time of returning? 💭

[nelsonic]

Return costs €5.50:

it's still a €58 saving.
I still think it's worth it. 💭

just annoys me that Amazon doesn't automatically apply the discount. wastes everyone's time.

[nelsonic]

Return of more exp (not discounted) chop saw was collected this morning:

[nelsonic]

Evolution S355 Metal Cutting Chop Saw - Setup and Test: https://youtu.be/L9iFtgd61yk

[nelsonic]

https://shop.evolutionpowertools.com/products/s355cps-355mm-chop-saw-with-mild-steel-cutting-tct-blade#specifications