High Strength Steel Cutting

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Permalink Reply by Dave Dalrymple on May 16, 2008 at 7:31pm

Matt-
From my casual observance, I have tried to cut "boron" (ultra high strength alloy) materials with a recip saw. For the most part it has been dismall at best. From the blade partial cutting and getting jammed to the teeth being actually stripped off the blade itself. Tried it on roof reenforcements to roof post reenforcements and door crash beams. All sorts of blades too however the best one the lot so far has been the Lenox Lazer blade due to it's titanium teeth. Take a look at my article on Minivan B posts reenforcements in the Oct'06 FE e-suppliment on extrication.
Dave

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Permalink Reply by Matt Peksa on May 16, 2008 at 8:38pm

Great thanks for the advice, I will try to get some of those blades. Do you feel that they are better than the Milwaukee blades?

Permalink Reply by Dave Dalrymple on May 16, 2008 at 8:47pm

Better than Torch blades - yes .... you will find they more aggresive and last much longer..... I get the opportunity to use quite a few blades and from a bunch of manufacturers and I've found the lazer blade the best out there for extrication.
Be safe!

Permalink Reply by Jim Nichols on October 12, 2008 at 9:12pm

My department is upgrading the saw zaw. We currently have a 4.0 amp Milwaukee(corded) that is a little dated to say the least. I was hoping I could get some suggestions. We have a 200ft electrical cord reel on the rig so power is not a problem.

Any help would be great Thanks

Permalink Reply by tim wilk on January 9, 2009 at 4:53pm

When cutting hardend steel it's better to use an 18 tpi at a slow speed. So if time is a concern i would look for other methods.

Permalink Reply by EXTRICATION.COM on January 17, 2009 at 9:47am

I agree with Tim, having used a reciprocating saw with various blades to test their effectiveness cutting a boron steel roof cross member (supplied by Volvo). The following points are what we observed from the testing:

-Less aggressive blade such as a 14 tpi produces less chatter and operator fatigue, similar to chatter created when cutting mild steel members or skin of the vehicle.
-Slower speeds reduce friction, a varible speed will allow the operator to find the correct cutting speed, and having orbital mode will allow the saw to cut more aggressively with reduced chatter.
-Wider demolishion/rescue type blades having a heavier the gauge stock and run cooler. Heat is a blade's worst enemy, removes the temper and the metal becomes soft.
-Even at low speeds, cutting boron steel sends showers of sparks, running water over the surface of the material helps reduce sparks and keeps the blade cooler. Not I said reduces not eliminates.
-Ceramic type blades made of carbide or tungston particulates seem to work well on the boron steel member. Testing did not include a member that was wrapped or shielded with mild steel normally found on a vehicle.

Hope this helps!