What to use for cutting metal
2019/09/16

Why do I need a special blade to cut metal?

Unlike cutting wood and composite materials, which are relatively soft and fibrous, metal cutting blades are required to cut very hard, rigid materials.  These blades have special materials like harder carbide teeth that make it easier to cut tough materials, the feed rate is usually much slower than wood cutting blades.

All about metal cutting products

Starting with traditional Aluminum Oxide abrasive products, EAB offers a full line of products which are suitable for every type of tool from gas saws, mitre saws, circular saws, and grinders.  These blades have been on the market for a very long time, they still work and are still used for smaller jobs.  While lower in cost initially, a relatively short life and frequent changeovers make them less desirable for larger jobs and production work; you might save in the short term, but over time it will cost you more as you will have to switch blades several times.

Carbide metal cutting blades offer a full range of sizes and profiles for cutting both ferrous and non-ferrous metal.  Ferrous metal blades can be used for cutting all types of metal construction products including steel siding, roofing, steel studs, and other construction steel.  Non-ferrous metal blades are designed for cutting products such as aluminum, aluminum trims, copper and brass.  

Both ferrous and non-ferrous carbide blades, while more expensive initially, offer much longer life, cleaner cuts, less heat, sparks and burrs and a much lower cost per cut than traditional abrasives.  These blades use extra hard C6 carbide tips, specially sharpened and using a negative hook angle to provide a slower feed rate, more control and a smoother, cleaner cut. They will save you time and money on the long run.

Like everything in life, there are always new technologies coming out and cermet is one of them. High tech cermet (ceramic infused carbide) teeth offer even longer lasting, smoother cutting options for both ferrous and non-ferrous metal cutting and are currently being introduced into the retail market.

EAB Exchange-A-Blade has recently introduced a fabulous new line of metal cutting diamond blades.  These blades perform similar to traditional abrasive wheels but offer very fast cutting through both ferrous metal and non-ferrous metals and last much longer with more than 40 times the life of traditional abrasive wheels. 

The low cost per cut and no down time for change-overs make these go-to blades for professional users. 

But if you need to cut a hole in metal, we have a full line of both Professional and Industrial bi-metal hole saws. Bi-metal hole saws utilize a band of High Speed teeth to enable them to cut through all types of metal products including Stainless Steel.  The Exchange-A-Blade Industrial holesaws will cut 90 holes through 3/16” steel plate, while the Razorback line will exceed 140 holes through 3/16” steel.

What metal cutting product should I use?

Exchangeable to save you money and save the planet

Like all EAB’s Exchange-A-Blade metal cutting products are fully exchangeable—you buy it, you use it, and when you bring it back to the store where you bought it, you’ll get a credit towards the purchase of your next EAB power tool accessory. Other EAB metal cutting products are available in our non-exchangeable brand, Stay Sharp, which are recyclable.