What is the best cutting tool?

Learn about the best metal cutting tools, as well as the most suitable methods for cutting common materials like metal sheets, studs, and metal pipes.

The selection of ideal metal cutting tools mainly depends on your workpiece quality, quantity, and your experience. A different metal cutting tool is required for different types of cut, for example, hole saw for a circular cut, chop saw for a straight cut, and rotary tools for precision and a small cut.

Today, we will cover all metal cutting tools and their works so you can choose the best one according to your needs and applications.

Read: 7 Best Ways to Cut Metal Fast

Best Power Tools to Cut Metal

Power tools are used for almost all metal fabrication and industrial workings. These cutting tools are required to perform numerous tasks such as grinding, polishing, drilling, cutting, sharpening, and sanding of metals.

Following are the most typical metal cutting power tools.

1. Angle Grinder

An angle grinder is a standard metal cutting tool for using cut-off wheels.

An angle grinder or hand grinder is one of the most important metal cutting tools. The standard 4-1/2" cut-off wheel is a widely used disc for angle grinders. You can also customize wheel sizes according to needs.

Angle grinder cuts metal fast and efficiently. Removing rough cuts, weld spatter, and rust is common applications of an angle grinder.

Pros

• Highly versatile tool

• Capable to work on small areas

• Compatible with different cutting wheels and material surfaces

Cons

• Not good to obtain fine and finished cuts

• High pressure can break wheels

• Irritating noise and kickback

2. Reciprocating Saw

Reciprocating Saw for metal cutting

A reciprocating saw also known as an oscillating saw is the most common and useful metal cutting tool. It is capable of cutting metal fast and efficiently. Reciprocating saws are among the most powerful and aggressive saws. Reciprocating saw tool works with standard metal reciprocating saw blades. You can use it to cut through metal sheets, wood, PVC, and pipes.

Pros

• Cuts through almost anything

• Powerful and fast cutting

• Perform a number of functions

Cons

• Quite rough and inaccurate

• Its large blade can cut wires

• No smooth cuts

3. Circular Saw

Circular Saw for metal cutting

Circular saws are one of the most commonly used power tools nowadays. Circular saws are capable of cutting metal, wood, hard steel, stone, and ceramic tile with a TCT saw blade.

Pros

• Provides clean cut-through metals

• Easily available and accessible tool

Cons

• Can't cut curves

• Saw blades are expensive & break easily

• Noisy tool

4. Hole Saw

Hole saw connected to drill

Hole saw cutters or hole cutting tools are made to be extremely tough to cut metals. They are capable to resist high temperatures produced by cutting through a number of popular metals including stainless steel. Bi-metal 5 inch hole saw is ideal for creating holes in timber and wood sheets. Apart from the metal hole saw can easily cut through wood, tile, concrete, and glass.

Pros

• Multipurpose cutting tool

• Cuts a perfect circle

• Less expensive

Cons

• Not a versatile tool

5. Cut-Off Tool

This metal cutting tool is similar to an angle grinder and works with cut-off wheels. Cut-off tools are ideal to cut stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, and other metals for general purposes. They are designed to provide a quick and accurate cut, also last longer and perform better than any traditional tool.

A cut-off tool is useful to work in small areas where other large tools can not work. But, this tool can not cut through thicker materials.

Pros

• Compact and easy to handle

• Can work in narrow space

• Ideal for removing weld splatter

Cons

• Too small for more extensive applications

• Can’t cut through thick material

That was all about metal cutting tools and power tools for metal cutting.

Are multi-tools (e.g. Dremel or similar rotary tool) good for cutting straight lines? No.

My rules of thumb:

1. if you are cutting long, skinny things into shorter, skinny things, use a mitre saw (a.k.a. chop saw)
2. if you are cutting long, skinny things into long, skinnier things, use a table saw
3. if you are cutting sheets (not drywall) into convex polygons, use a circular saw and straight-edge guide (available from good tool suppliers)
4. if you are cutting sheets into complicated, concave shapes, use a jigsaw
5. if you are putting fancy edges on things, use a router
6. if you are cutting drywall, use a utility knife

You can do #1 with a circular saw easily (with a guide), and #3 also. You can also do #2 with a circular saw and a guide clamped to the saw base. It's not fun, IMHO. You can do #1 on a table saw if it has a large enough table and a shop-made sled. You can also do #3 on a table saw with a large table and/or a helper and in-feed and out-feed rollers, and being very, very careful.

For home construction-type projects I would prioritize a drill + circular saw, table saw, mitre saw, jigsaw (if you are sure you are never going to cut something that isn't easily portable, you can swap mitre and circular saw positions). A reciprocating saw (sawzall) is indispensable for demolition work.

If you are doing more craft/furniture type woodworking, it would go: drill & table saw, mitre-saw, router, jigsaw.

You will also need one or two hand saws. I recommend Japanese saws.

You'll note that a drill is at the top of both lists, and the table saw is near the top of both. That's just my opinion. Others may differ, but when you learn how to really use the table saw, there isn't a lot you can't do with it. Here are some images from a Greenland-style kayak paddle I am building out of scrap wood I found around the house: All cuts were made on a table saw, with the exception of the cross-cuts for the parts I assembled the stock out of (2x4s ripped and cut up to eliminate the worst knots, and I could have easily done those on the table saw except that I have access to a mitre saw and it was quicker to skip the setup), and some touch up with a Japanese hand saw.

I think you will find using a multi-tool will be frustrating to get good results (I know, I know, poor carpenter, tools, blame, but I'm not claiming to be a good carpenter), but I own and still use a Dremel. It's about 20 years old, but while I use it much less now that I've built up my collection of other tools, there are still jobs I'll pull it out for because it really is the best (or easiest) tool for the job (or at least the best tool in my toolbox).