Customer Reviews

Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This Milwaukee dry-cut saw is awesome, heavy-duty, fun-to-use, and saved our shop oodles of money.

Our family started a target stand fabrication business, Target Meister, where we started out cutting everything with an abrasive chop saw. Because we sell professional quality stands, every cut needed to be hit with the disc and/or die grinder; no-burrs allowed. Due to the imprecise edges cut by the abrasive saw, the welder must compensate with mad welding skills and a square; everything must be perfect.

After analyzing labor costs a few months ago, I noticed we were spending significant amounts of time on grinding and welding. I saw an episode of American Chopper where Paul Jr. makes a perfectly straight and burr-free cut on some kind of a chop saw. I knew that was exactly what our shop needed to solve our labor problem. After some research, I purchased the Milwaukee 6190-20. That was the biggest money-saving decision I have made in quite some time. Since this saw has entered our shop, the abrasive cutter, die grinder, and disc grinder have not left the storage cabinet and welding time has been cut by almost 30%. This saw paid for itself in two days! I estimate that there is also a savings in carbide blades versus abrasive cutting wheels, but that's insignificant compared to the labor savings.

I uploaded two customer product images (top of product page) to demonstrate the cut quality of the original Milwaukee 72 tooth blade. It's not bad, but after about 350 cuts, the blade was dull. I got it resharpened for $22 and also bought two Tenryu blades, a 90 and 72 tooth. The Tenryu blades make the Milwaukee blade look bad. They cut much faster and cleaner and last 3 to 4 times longer. Also, they emit almost no vibration when compared to the Milwaukee blade, which really shakes the saw and reduces the cut quality (notice the cut lines in my images). Quality blades are highly recommended and well worth the extra money.

This saw has yet to blow a 15 amp breaker. With our other abrasive cutters, we always needed to run an extension cord to a 20 amp outlet or periodically make trips to the breaker box.

Cool things you can do with this saw that you *cannot* do with an abrasive cutter:

1. Trim edges - Sometimes the edges of material are a little beat up or rounded. This saw will trim off a 1/16, no problem. An abrasive cutter will always slip off, giving you a slope.

2. Cut accurately - It's nice to be able to make a cut and immediately take edge measurements with calipers and not wonder if you're off eight thousands because of a burred edge. Also, if you're careful, you can get most cut lengths to 1/32 or less.

3. Cut fast - It really is amazing how fast this saw cuts; easily 3x to 5x faster, depending on material. 1x2x1/8 tubing cuts in less than one second. The blade literally falls through the material like a hot knife through butter. I smiled my first cut; couldn't believe it.

4. Cut cold - We don't have to wear gloves anymore in fear of getting burned or a metal sliver.

5. Make less mess - The metal filings are large and isolated to the area around the saw. The abrasive spews a fine black powder dust that settles on everything in the shop.

Milwaukee's 6190-20 is a reasonably good dry cut saw, similar in most respects to the other dry cut and abrasive chop saws I've used. The base and motor support are solidly built. The vise works fairly well, though I wish I could tighten the backstop down just a bit more. The final tension seems just a bit light and isn't adjustable. As far as I can tell, it's the same design used on most metal-cutting chop saws. Angle markings on the base aren't terribly accurate and the design of the saw makes it difficult to get a combination square next to the fence and blade to verify the angle; it's hit or miss whether you'll end up with perfect 45-degree miters or not-quite-right 44-degree cuts. Compared to an abrasive chop saw, the Milwaukee 6190 cuts much faster, generates very few sparks, and doesn't heat the metal appreciably. It does have a tendency to throw metal shavings all over the place, but I find them easier to sweep up than the fine grit that ends up coating the shop after using an abrasive saw. Due the the amount of metal thrown off, I'll suggest that safety glasses are a requirement when using this tool, in addition to hearing protection. Like most metal cutting saws I've used, the Milwaukee 6190 doesn't feature an electronic soft-start on the motor; when you squeeze the trigger the motor kicks in at full torque and tends to jerk the blade up or down if you don't have firm grip on the handle.

Unfortunately, the blade is a worthless piece of junk! Mine started to go dull after four dozen cuts through 2" square tubing. In the process, it caught a piece of metal and sucked it into the saw, completely ruining the blade guard! Luckily, no one was injured when this happened and, surprisingly, the crappy blade wasn't damaged. I had the blade re-sharpened, but it only lasted for another dozen or two cuts before it was dull again. Called Milwaukee tech support to see if they had any suggestions for making blades last longer and the only thing they could tell me was that the didn't recommend re-sharpening their blade. I ended up paying $105 for a Metal Devil 14-Inch, 72 Tooth blade and have had smooth sailing ever since... minus a working blade guard.

Factor the cost of the replacement blade into the purchase price of this tool... or buy the DeWalt DW872 and hope DeWalt supplies better blades!

This Dry-Cut saw is really amazing. I've always had a 14" abrasive cut-off saw. But I quickly tired of the noise and especially the mess it created. And I always used it out in my driveway, because of the sparks. And when using an abrasive cut-off saw, you are always required to add a fraction of an inch to your measurement to allow for the melting of your work piece. The Milwaukee 6190 Dry-Cut Cuts much faster, perfectly smooth (no aftercut grinding required), low noise, very few sparks and the mess (tiny chips) are easily swept up with my shop broom. I now use this saw in my garage without fear of catching something on fire or tracking the mess in the house. We don't want to upset the wife! The precision is unsurpassed. Cuts right on the line. And I can place it on my portable welding table without clamping it down. There is absolutely "No" vibration. The motor shows off its torque when you hit the power switch. I rate this saw a "True 5-Star" in all areas.
And I must say. After checking every possible way to purchase this Dry-Cut saw at my local retailers and every website I could find, Amazon once again proved it was the least expensive by far. And I received free shipping. The saw arrived exactly seven days after I placed the order in perfect condition and I saved $50 to $150 or possibly more.
After owning many different brands of power tools, I prefer Milwaukee tools. Although many brands pack plenty of punch, the power cords on Milwaukee tools never crack or suffer from dry-rot like so many other name brand power tools I've had.
I can't decide which cutting tool I like better, my Plasma Cutter or my new Dry-Cut saw. I guess it depends on the task at hand.

Metallurgy 101
LUBRICATION
There is not a common metal out there that does not require some sort of lubrication while it is being cut. Furthermore, there is not a material from which cutting blades are made which do not require the same. Having machined the most common metals in the industry - Steel (hot or cold rolled), Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, and Stainless Steel - I can say unequivocally that lubrication is a must for a great cut and long cutter life.
The harder the cutter material the longer it will last - that is why carbide lasts longer than high speed steel cutters. Regardless, all metals need lubrication to cut them.
HEAT
HEAT is the #1 killer of a cutting edge, HEAT is a product of FRICTION, and FRICTION is greatly reduced by two things: 1( LUBRICATION and 2) CUTTING SPEED for the material being cut. Aluminum can be cut much faster than Stainless Steel, Therefore, aluminum has a higher cutting speed than Stainless Steel.
HEAT is a double-edged sword. It will ruin the cutting edge of even the toughest materials and it can work-harden steels. Cutting the material too fast will produce too much heat and will effectively harden the material on the spot. This will,in turn, make it more difficult to cut the material requiring more pressure and produce more heat which will ruin the cutting edge on even the toughest cutting material - even carbide. If you need to do a bunch of cuts then do a few and let the blade cool down and resume when the blade has cooled.

MY SUGGESTIONS
When using Carbide to cut metals use a small amount of LUBRICATION on your cuts and SLOW DOWN! Use a cutting oil. (any oil - even WD-40 in a pinch),and don't force the blade through the material - let it find it's own pace through the material. If you do this I guarantee you that your blades will last much longer and your cuts will be truer.
The term "Dry-Cut" really means "Dull Blades" - use lubricant.

Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine
DEWALT DW872 14-Inch Multi-Cutter Saw

Like others commenting here, the blade life for me was very disappointing, I might have made 50 cuts on a variety of low carbon steel (angle, tubing, thin wall pipe, round bar stock and flat). The saw has plenty of power, cuts square and virtually burr free. But be prepared to shell out another $100 for a better blade. Don't bother wasting your time sharpening the Milwaukee Blade, I did with the same disappointing results. The saw gets a 5 Star Rating the Blade a 1.

This saw works great on light iron, such as purlin. When cutting heavy pipe or structural steel, the blade quickly overheats and the life of the blade is shorter than abrasive blades. Milwaukee does not tell you that this machine is not suited for hardened steel or galvanized iron. I made 10 cuts with this saw on 2 3/8 in. pipe and the 10 th. cut was the blades last. I was very disapointed in the life of this $100.00 blade. If you only cut light iron, this saw is the best. If you plan on cutting any shaft or bolt, forget it. The blade can not handle the heat.

After much research I ended up selecting the Milwakee 6190. The reason I chose this machine since most machines (yellow)have the same issues from 1st time purchasers are the following
The reviews on the amazon page gave alot of information about all the complaints ie; performance and use and it seemed that most of the issues were operator error ie; using it too agressively
With those reviews came lots of suggestions from others on how to operate safely, extend the life of the blade and overcome some design flaws. If you read all the suggestions and prepare for the arrival of your machine you will be very happy with this unit because you wont make the same mistakes

I would like to add another suggestion to the list:
The deck is very short and when cutting for example a 10' long piece of unistrut the cut side of the struct can catch the blade tips and send it flying. I use the saw on job sites that allowed me to build a table with casters and we made a pocket on top of the table exactly the height of the chop saw deck. This solved all issues of the material flopping over and catching the saw tooth. We now have an 8'long foot x 3.5'w table that supports the material while cutting. Your table does not have to be this big, the deck of the machine height is the same as a 2x4 so if you have it on a table support the material with 2x4's standing on end.

Be gentle when cutting it extends the life of the original blade and for allthread it leaves a clean cut that will accept a nut without messing around with burs

The Milwaukee multi-cutter is leaps and bounds above the abrasion saw that it has replaced. Contrary to some other reviewers, I have found the blade life of the included blade to be just fine; I have made several hundred cuts with it and find little change in its cutting performance. The key to long blade life is to let the tool do the work, unlike an abrasion saw, where you must lean on the tool to create the downforce to cut through the work.

My only issue with the saw has to do with the clamp and fence. Especially when cutting angles other than 90 deg, the fence does not hold its set angle very well. I have made it practice to continually check the angle setting when cutting and adjust when necessary. The clamp is the only reason this saw isn't getting 5 stars from me.

All in all, a very solid tool. It literally cut my labor in half on the projects since I bought it. The saw generates a weld-ready cut with no burr, and there's no gritty mess to clean up afterwords. I recommend this tool to anyone who does steel fabrication for a living or a hobby.

Unlike many of the other reviewers, I have no compliant about the blade life. I purchased my saw in December of 2005 and use it for my business. I am on the original blade and have made over 2,000 cuts with it. Mostly I cut mild steel tubing, or aluminum structural. But lately I've been cutting 4x1" aluminum jig plate and 1.5" stainless. Perhaps other reviewers are having blade life problems because they use it like an abrasive chop saw. This dry cut saw needs to be run differently! The teeth on the blade are C6 carbide. If you use too much feed pressure the teeth will get knocked off or shatter.

Overall I love the saw and it has saved me at least a $1000 in deburring.

I had this saw for about a year and have made hundreds of cuts on everything from conduit to 1/4 inch thick square tubing. The original blade life was disappointing, but a quality aftermarket blade at my local saw sharpening service at approximately the same price; it was still going strong after twice the work. The key to blade life is use some cutting lubricant; stick wax is my choice since it tends to stay on the blade awhile. Another critical part of blade life is how the work is positioned in relation to the blade coming down. Feed rates vary with material and material thickness; everything has its sweet spot. If it is fed too hard it may catch and tear off teeth, overheat and warp the blade where it catches. If the feed rate isn't fast enough it can also get hot and even cause the metal being cut to become hardened (depending on the metal). A dry cut blade depends somewhat on every tooth cutting just the right amount of base metal which is cooler than chip the previous tooth cut away; the chips carry away a lot of the heat. Too heavy of a feed will cause heat generated where the chip tears off the base metal to be conducted into the base metal and into the saw blade. Too light of a feed will cause the blade teeth to cause friction heating of the blade and base metal without the chips carrying heat away. Part of the problem with the OEM blade is the thin kerf which allows less effort on the part of the operator and the machine at the expense of longevity and blade run-out as it heats up.

The good:
The blade runs true even after hard use.
The pivot doesn't have much play after hard use.
The D handle is comfortable and ergonomic allowing good control
The vise has a quick release on the screw thread

The bad:
The vise won't stay where it is positioned because the work clamping screw is offset from the back fence pivot. As it is tightened, it pivots the vise no matter how tight the back fence locking bolt is tightened with the provided bolt arrangement. 45 degree cuts are impossible to reproduce accurately. I even tried adapting a longer through bolt with a spacer to allow a real wrench to tighten it; which worked a lot better but wasn't the total solution.
The spring loaded plunger that allows front to back movement of the vise doesn't always hit the right spot to position the part being cut in relation to the blade.
Milwaukee knows how to make a soft start; this saw would be a good application.
As the vise is pivoted, it moves support away from the blade. Proper support is critical for a good cut and safety.

Bottom line:
If you are only cutting 90 degree cuts that don't need to be perfect, it is a good buy. If you are looking for something that will miter cuts consistently, this isn't a good buy (put your money toward a cold saw).
If Milwaukee really wanted to make this a great saw, they should copy the vise layout used on many cold saws where two vises are stationary and the saw pivots. I would certainly pay extra to have the part to be cut held properly and the cuts consistent.