I need to buy a bench mounted saw to cut alloy and steel tubes and rods to machine up spacers and other bits and pieces for bikes. Mostly to save me buying bolt kits and other rubbish I don’t really need.

Any advice on the best saw, I think a band saw or a mitre saw, but I really could do with some other perspectives.

What’s the most accurate saw at a reasonable price ❓

Anyone that helps out, I will of course help out in the future if you need it. 😀

Which Alloy do you want to cut?

I think he is doing the standard bike industry mistake of confusing alloy with aluminium.

It infuriates me too.

Spacers need to be made to reasonably accurate thicknesses no?

LATHE!

Got a lathe? Use a parting off tool for round bar and tube.

One like this? For cutting small pieces off of larger pieces of stock (that are too large for one’s lathe) which can then be turned down to precise dimensions, I presume?

A £50 mitre saw from Argos with a metal cutting blade that should only set you back another £10 or so would probably suffice. I’ve seen angle grinder holders that effectively turns them into a chop saw but to be any use it needs to be a big 8″ grinder. You can get 1.2mm thick 4″ dia blades if your only chopping small stuff. What sort of dias are you thinking ?

Failing that an old billet saw from a machinery dealer. There are a few places that auction stuff off online.

My old man has a hacksaw machine thing, not that big but pretty acurate and seems to get through just about anything. While he sits supping his tea.

Looks a bit like this I think;

Cheers! 😀

http://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-rage4185230v-rage-4-240v-1250w-chop-saw/97351?cm_mmc=GoogleBase-_-Datafeed-_-Tools-_-Evolution%20RAGE4185230V%20Rage%204%20240V%201250W%20Chop%20Saw

They use a similar saw to one of these in our workshop at work to cut stock metal into usable pieces. They only cut aluminium bar/rod with it though – all our steel stuff gets outsourced.

Probably only worth forking out for if you are doing a lot of it though.