Saw for cutting barrel

[whitebear]

I have a chop saw that is used to cut 45's and 90's on molding I thought of getting a metal cutting blade and using the saw to cut off barrels square across the muzzle.  On a straight barrel this wouldn't be a problem and on tapered or swamped the barrel could be wedged up to level it.  Anyone ever tried this?

[rich pierce]

That just scares me.  Hacksaw works for me.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

No kidding!  What's the hurry? 

[alex e.]

Hacksaw.. with a good blade.

[Lucky R A]

I'll have to check, but I don't think that would be P.C. The other kids will make fun....

[smylee grouch]

Please refer to James Wilsons post on cutting the end off of a barrel. Good advise.

[Kermit]

I want to be far away if you decide to try it. It is almost always a bad idea to improvise to use a machine for a task it was not designed for. I'd be interested to hear the response of the manufacturer's legal department if you proposed this adaptation and wanted to know if they'd be liable should the operation go badly south.

[Clark Badgett]

A metal bandsaw works quite well, but there is a constant supply of coolant. Metal chop saw blades are usually those fiber abrasive types that heat the metal red. Use a hacksaw

[Habu]

Years ago, in the cab shop, we'd sometimes use a chop saw to cut various pieces of metal.  I couldn't recommend it for anything like cutting a barrel.  Anything bigger than a shelf standard tended to overload the saw and blade, heating things up more than I'd want a barrel heated up (blistered hands, smoking laminate, fires in the sawdust).  More importantly--when the goal is cutting square--the blade would tend to wander: it wouldn't even cut water pipe square when we had to shorten pipe clamps. 

[Osprey]

Hacksaw and files to true.  Done it a couple times and never more than 10 minutes to do, you're over thinking it.

[Hawken62_flint]

I have used a power metal cutting bandsaw several times (similar to the Clarke CBS45MD (6" x 4½" ) 370W Metal Cutting Bandsaw).  I think the one I have used came from Harbor Freight, but it works efficiently and cuts smooth with little filing to make the end of the barrel right.  But if you don't have a need for one of these other than cutting off an occasional barrel, then I agree with the others, use a hacksaw and files.

[Bob Roller]

If the barrel owner isn't skilled with hacksaws and files and barrel crowning then leave the barrel as is before it is made into a wreck.

Bob Roller

[Chris Treichel]

If you mount the hacksaw blade with the teeth towards your hand so it cuts on the pull stroke you get more control. Same goes fore jewler's saws.

[JTR]

Chop saws work great for metal cutting, but, you'll need a powerful good quality one, not Chinese/harbor freight junk, and an appropriate cutting disc.
I used them for years when I worked on ships for cutting steel, metal stock, pipe, etc.

However, I don't think I'd use one for a finish cut on a barrel.

John 

[Swampwalker]

Jees, really? I think Whitebears just having some fun with us!

[Kermit]

Part of what scares me is the shimming and wedging bit.

[BPRICHARD]

I have cut a few with a hacksaw.  To keep the cut square, I would cut two 6" pieces of 2"x4" with a radial saw (square cut), then lay the barrel on a flat bench and clamp the two pieces of wood on either side of where I wanted to saw the barrel and let the saw blade cut right against the wood and the wood  would act as a guide making the cut square.

It wood , would really work!

BPRICHARD

[Bob Roller]

THEN comes the filing and the crowning after the whacksaw is done.

Bob Roller

[whitebear]

It wood , would really work!

BPRICHARD

I'll bet it WOOD

[omark]

i agree a hacksaw and files with a square is probably the most practical for someone only doing 1 or 2, however, what would be wrong with using a chop saw on the muzzle end? its not like you would ever heat it enough to lose the temper enough to hurt anything.     mark

[whitebear]

however, what would be wrong with using a chop saw on the muzzle end? its not like you would ever heat it enough to lose the temper enough to hurt anything.     mark

That was my idea exactly.  Since opening this discussion I tried it on the muzzle of a junk barrel and it worked nicely.  I had it clamped top and bottom and side to side so that it couldn't move.  When I finished all that I had to do was recrown the barrel and break the sharp edges on the muzzle with a file.

As a safety factor I consider breaking the edges of the muzzle with a file to be a main concern as I cut open the back of my hand on my second build because my hand slipped.

[dogcreek]

I don't know about the chop saw. But I used to saw .45 auto slides with a horizontal bandsaw with no problems, provided I used a slow feed (key) and cutting fluid. Those bandsaw blades lasted a long time, too.

[Dphariss]

i agree a hacksaw and files with a square is probably the most practical for someone only doing 1 or 2, however, what would be wrong with using a chop saw on the muzzle end? its not like you would ever heat it enough to lose the temper enough to hurt anything.     mark

 
Dan

[KLMoors]

A good chop saw set up properly and with the proper blade can be used to cut just about any material, in just about any shape, safely. It's the "safely" part that takes all the set up time to come up with jigs and clamps, etc. If you were cutting a bunch of barrels it might be worth it.   But, for one cut like this, a hack saw would be way quicker.

[whitebear]

Thanks to you all for your input.  You have convinced me that this is not the best idea so I hereby close this thread.  Moderators please close this topic.