Tip: Collecting Metal Chop Saw Debris The Easy Way
By Chuck Cage
Weldo commented on our “Hot or Not? Metal Chop Saws For Home Shop Use” post — where I lamented how the mess they make keeps me from having one in the shop — with a kick-ass solution:
I keep some paperboard (like what cereal boxes are made of) over a set of welding magnets behind them to catch the debris. That way you just peel off the paperboard and let the filings fall into the trash.
Why didn’t I think of that? Awesome, and I’m totally going to try it.
(Thanks to quinnums for this great CC-licensed photo.)
May 25th, 2007 at 10:44 am
That’s a fantastic idea for chopping anything iron based. Any ideas for my aluminum mess?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
That’s brilliant! I’m going to try that with my bench grinder and maybe the drill press too.
And a good source for magnets: Whenever you install new speakers in a car, gut the old ones. They’re huge, yes, but in this application, I’m thinking more square footage is better, right?
May 26th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Hmm…. Paperboard in close proximity to a spark source? Am I the only one seeing a potential issue here?
January 24th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
testing
January 24th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
About grinding aluminum: be careful and remove all traces of aluminum before cutting steel. You might produce combustible thermite, which is powdered aluminum and iron oxide, and is used as a source of intense heat to weld high strength materials.