[TheForge] chop saws, best currently available?

[RIES NIEMI]

The best chop saws available are cold saws- instead of using a cutoff disc,
they use a steel toothed blade turning at 30 rpm or so. It cuts square or
miter, extremely accurate, on small or huge material, is quiet, makes no
dust or smoke, and will cut just about anything but stainless. I have one I
got from a machine shop that went out of business, and it is 3 1/2hp 3phase,
will cut 2" square in less than a minute. Of course, they cost a fortune-
2500-5000 new, but if you use it every day, you should look for a used one.
Scotchman makes some, as well as several german brands that are imported.

As far as bandsaws are concerned, yes it is true they all look alike, but
not all 4x6 taiwan bandsaws are the same. Generally speaking, the more you
pay, the longer they last. I have had real good luck with Jet- they have
slightly better parts, bearings, etc, and seem to last longer and cut
straighter. They also stock all the replacement parts in Auburn Wa. In 20
years, I have completely worn out 2 of them, on no. 3 now, but it gets used
every day, for a long time it was the only saw in the shop, now we mostly
use it to trim stuff to size while it is sitting up and open. It really is
worth it to use the bimetal blades, even though they do cost 20 bucks each.
It also is really worth it to check out the aforementioned 4x6 bandsaw page
on the web- I cant remember the name, but you can search for it- it has
several pages of how to make them cut straight- tips by people who have done
it. 
Ries