Cutting a keel with concrete saw?

[odinohi]

I'm getting a sailboat keel and need to cut it up. What kind of mess can I expect using a concrete diamond blade saw?

[trails4u]

a very nasty, dusty one.......

if your saw is equipped with water, USE IT! Otherwise....if you have a helper who can keep a garden hose going...that will work as well.

[Alan in Vermont]

I have a concrete saw and am pretty familiar with what works and what doesn't. I doubt a diamond blade will work at all. It will probably load up immediately, water or not, and the diamond particles aren't big enough to remove much material under the best of conditions.

An abrasive blade for aluminum might work but I think that will also load up and become useless.

If I was going to cut up a keel I would try either a circular saw with a coarse tooth blade or a chainsaw. I have cut 1/4" lead sheet with a circular saw and it's about like cutting wood, just slower. Never tried cutting full depth in lead withone, never had anything that required it. To cut full depth I think I would go in several shallow cuts, each one set deeper than the last.

[Debo]

There's a YouTube video of a guy using a chainsaw to cut up a keel. He has a tarp under it to catch the chips. I think there were a couple of 5 gal buckets when he was finished. I'd probably use a pawn shop saw... Looks pretty hard on the equipment and the men

[country gent]

There are several issues with cutting lead with a circular saw. ( I have cut aluminum plate with one and carbide tipped blade kerosene for lube). You need a finer toothed blade and a wider kerf or cut width to help keep blade free. These 2 dont go together normally. I coarse blade was a little wider kerf but unless the operator is very skilled and careful takes to heavy of a cut per tooth. Kick backs greabbing and stalls can result. One thing that might help would be a 7 or 8" blade on a 10" saw as this would surface feet per minute of blade allowing it to cut better in the harder materials. Beeswax or parafin to lube blade along cut would also help. The fine concrete saws are going to load up and not be very effient. Chainsaws Im just not sure of. A saws all with coarse steel cutting blade.

[Trapperscott]

I cut one off of a sail boat one time. It was held on with 4 one inch bolts that were rusted pretty badly. We used a saw's all with a course tooth blade to cut up to the bolts, and a finer tooth blade to cut though the bolts. Wasn't to bad.

And then the fun began. Cutting it up into manageble sized chunks was a chore and dangerous. I had to borrow a tractor to handle it. I used a chainsaw with tarps under it.

Just be careful and go slow.

[knifemaker]

I do not know how thick a boat keel will be. I used a Dewalt reciprocating saw with a course tooth blade to cut 1/4 inch lead sheets and it zipped right though it like it was butter. I believe the blade was made for wood with about 4-5 teeth per inch.

[sqlbullet]

My experience is you can't beat a chainsaw for cutting lead. It even cleaned all the pine tar from my chain.

[jsizemore]

Have you tried cutting some ingots with your concrete blade? How'd that work?

[odinohi]

No. Don't have it yet. Next weekend. I will probably try a chainsaw and use tarps to catch the chips. It looks to be around 10" at the thickest point.

[Toymaker]

Back in January there was a guy, F_L, from Texas who had a sailboat keel and wanted info on cutting it up. Check out his thread. He finally wound up with a good method. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?228471-What-should-I-do-with-this-lead

[bangerjim]

A diamond saw will just clog up! Forget it.

Chain saw or a double cut rotary saw (what I use for most lead). You need BIG WIDE spaced teeth!

bangerjim

[MaryB]

Heavy duty weed burner and melt chunks off into a metal tray

[plmitch]

The four boats I cut up I used a chain saw and a sawzall. Nice and easy.

[RogerDat]

The correct number of saw teeth per inch is directly related to the surface area being cut. Tubing with its thin walls you need fine tooth to avoid snags. Block of lead with much more surface area engaging the blade you need a coarse bladed saw. Be that sawzall with coarse blade, chain saw, or circular saw.

Diamond concrete blade would just load up is also my opinion.

BTW - the double cut saw Jim mentions is on sale at HF this weekend $54 if I recall the ad correctly. Was thinking on it but I have another project eating my disposable income right now.

[EDG]

You need something with few teeth and large gullets like a carbide ripping blade.
You do not need the carbide at all but those coarse blades are very easy to find for a circular saw.

If you can find a steel 18 to 24 tooth blade it should work ok but you will need some lubricant like a water soluble oil.

[clearcut]

a logsplitter should go right though it.
CC

[Le Loup Solitaire]

A reciprocating saw with a demolition blade will work as will several other others, but there is always the issues of flying chips, dust, clogs and kickback. I have found that the best way to get through huge chunks of lead is with a log splitter. No mess and you can choose the finished size of what you cut. LLS

[Jtarm]

I've never done it and don't know how big they are, but country gent summed up the challenges and my suggestion exactly.

The only other power tool that comes to mind is a portable band saw with a bi-metal blade, but I suspect it would have the same problem of too high RPM, too fine a blade, and too small kerf. Oh, yeah, and flying lead. It should eliminate the kick-back hazard, though.

Too bad someone doesn't make an ol 2-man crosscut saw with a big bi-metal blade.

[GLL]

Diamond saw blades will not work at all !

Jerry