Saw cutting is the workhorse of cut-to-size. Anything that comes in a length, from 1/2" round bar to wide-flange beam, gets cut square and delivered at the length you need. We source the material and coordinate the cut through our supply network, so you order pieces, not full lengths.
What saw cutting does well
A band saw handles almost any long product: round, square, hex and flat bar, square and rectangular tube, pipe, angle, channel and beam. It cuts carbon steel, alloy, stainless, aluminum, brass and copper. Production saws with automatic feed turn out repeat lengths fast, which is why a hundred pieces of 2x2 tube at 36" is a routine order.
Miter cuts are common on tube and structural shapes. If you need 45° ends for a frame, put the angle and the long-point or short-point length on the cut list so there is no guessing.
Wide plate can also be saw cut. Precision plate saws are the usual route for cutting aluminum plate into square blanks, because they leave a flat, cool edge with no heat-affected zone.
Tolerances and edge quality
On a production band saw, length tolerance is commonly around ±1/16", tighter on shorter pieces and in softer material. Precision saws on bar and plate can hold considerably closer. The cut face is square with light saw marks and a small burr on the exit side. Cold saws leave a cleaner face on smaller sections.
For parts that get faced on a lathe or milled anyway, a standard saw cut with a little extra length costs less. Ask for 1/8" over on each machined face rather than paying for a precision cut you'll remove.
When a saw is the wrong tool
A saw only cuts straight lines. Holes, notches, radii and any profile in plate or sheet belong to laser cutting, waterjet cutting or plasma cutting. Rectangular blanks in thin sheet are usually faster and cleaner on a shear. Coped tube ends for fish-mouth joints are a tube laser or notcher job, not a saw.
How to write a saw cut list
No drawing is needed for straight cuts. Use the metal weight calculator if you want to estimate shipping weight before you ask.
- Material, grade and temper, e.g. 6061-T6511, 1018 CF, A500 Gr B
- Section and size: diameter, or width x height x wall, or the beam designation
- Cut length and tolerance, and the quantity at each length
- End cuts: square, or miter angle with long-point or short-point length
- Certs and heat number marking, if the job needs traceability