I’m starting to make more stuff from steel. Usually square tubes, cut and welded. I start with good intentions of making something complex but get halfway through the first hacksaw cut and end up simplifying everything. I reckon if I had the right power tool so I can cut all the bits easily then I will be inclined to make more interesting and complex things but what to get? Probably cutting no bigger than 50mm box but you never know. Chop saw with a grinding blade, or a decent TCT? Or a band saw or power hacksaw? Leaning towards the chop saw as I use my wood one loads but interested to hear opinions.

I tend to use an angle grinder with a steel cutting disk but I’d prefer to use a chop saw. I’d get one if my requirements were more than they are (i.e. not very often at all)

Chop saw for standard cuts (with clamp/end stop for repeated batch cuts) and a good 5inch grinder for cutting/finishing should do you right i would have thought.

If you have the space/budget then a power hacksaw is nice because it makes a lot less noise
which is nice for you and the neighbors + it works unattended so you can get on with a prep/measure/tea/STWpost whilst it does the job.

Evolution mitre saws come with a multi material blade that cuts steel pretty well – eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHphGPn669c

I friend of mine who was a steel fabricator used an evolution saw for cutting steel & at the time was very pleased with it.

Those Evolution blades are amazing. I cut through a girder that was 10mm steel plate with one (their circular saw tool) a much cleaner cut with a lot less mess than using an angle grinder.

I have a bandsaw, chopsaw and grinder. I pick which to use in that order, bandsaw is quiet, no sparks, square cuts and self operating. It can be used upright with a table for plate etc. Or horizontal for chopping. If you’re budget and space allows id pick a bandsaw anyday.

I’ve just used an angle grinder with diamond blade but it makes a lot of sparks. That evolution saw looks much nicer

If your budget and space allow, I’d pick a water jet cutter.

For things like wardrobe hanging rails I use a jigsaw with a blade for metal. Loud but good for this purpose.

Plasma cutters look fun

I wouldn’t use TCT blade on steel. As others have said metal chop saw- lots of sparks, powered hacksaw- probably the best option or an evolution saw, but they looked really cheap when I last looked, the sort of mitre saw you would buy in Aldi, but the videos do look good.

The evolution saws work great – it’s two part pricing really  – cheap saws and expensive blades. If you were cutting steel all day other kinds of saw would make better sense but would require a bigger initial investment – for light / occasional use they’re difficult to beat really

better for your lungs and less likely to burn your house down than abrasive chop saws or angle grinders

you can get 14” tct saws for heavier duty but they’re pretty heavy themselves and clumsier to set up for anything other than 90degree cuts

any of the evolution saws work well enough but the bigger sliding saws are a bit more robust and quicker to set to angles. Buy that best your budget stretches to but they’re good value throughout the range

Grinder with ultra thin cutting disc makes a lot less mess than a standard cutting disc. Just be careful to keep it straight.

Or a gas axe, they’re far more fun!

Grinder with ultra thin cutting disc makes a lot less mess than a standard cutting disc

ive given more people lifts to A&E because of grinders with thin disks than for any other reason

they make plenty of mess- just not the sort you can tidy up with a dust pan and brush

ive given more people lifts to A&E because of grinders with thin disks than for any other reason

Ive seen more people injured by sneezing than by using grinders, so yes, if you’re not familiar with a tool, ask an appropriately trained individual to direct you in its use.

A FEMI bandsaw if 50mm box is your maximum, though they’ll cut twice that. Clean and straight cuts, no shards fired everywhere, safer than a slitting disc on an angle grinder.

https://youtu.be/FYLhQ2XWfX8

I don’t think you’ll be disappointing with one of these

I am currently making some new farm machinery and i’m using a combination of a Rage cutoff saw for anything that just needs cutting, and a plasma cutter for anything that needs to be shaped or is more than 15 cm long. The evolution saw has no prblem with 100mm 8mm wall box or 25x50mm solid steel bar, and will mitre up to 45 degrees. My plasma is only on single phase so realistically it will only neatly cut up to about 10mm plate, I have cut 20mm with it but the cut isn’t really that clean. If I could only have 1 power tool for the job then the Rage saw would be the one. I am only on my 2nd blade and have cut hundreds and hundreds of things with it.

This is the one I have. They do a smaller one which may well be all you need OP.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-rage2-1800w-355mm-electric-multipurpose-chop-saw-110v/96250

I was surprised how accurate even s ham fisted oaf like me can be with a 2mm disc in my cheap angle grinder.
I bought it to cut the flimsy steel channel on our Venetian blinds, a job it did brilliantly.
A colleague used it to cut a section out of an old washing machine drum, to make a fire thing.

I’ll probably jinx myself now but I use a 115mm grinder day in day out with 1mm cutting discs just fine.

That’s what I’d use at home for occasional work too. But some sort of cross cut would be better admittedly.

You can get stands for angle grinders, might struggle with those dimensions I guess,  but the Evolution saws work well. Scary though! 😳

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I’ll probably jinx myself now but I use a 115mm grinder day in day out with 1mm cutting discs just fine.

We have been using the 115mm x 1mm slitting disks at work for about 15 years with not one fractured disk and that’s probably about 1000 of them.