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. Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine
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 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. - Chop Saw - Metal-cutting Saws - Metal Cutting Miter Saw - Milwaukee'
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