Milwaukee Sawzall Speed?

Unknown

I have a 2 speed Milwaukee Sawzall,,, would running on low-speed help much?,,, or do we all just get anxious? 

eluv8

sawzall speeds

I like high speed all day long and choose the appropriate blade for the job. However their are times when cutting plastics or metal where I have tried the slower speeds.



Not sure what you mean by a selector switch, my Milwaukee sawzall has an infinitely adjustable speed control on the on/off switch just like a variable speed drill.



However I do have to be careful to not overheat the blade otherwise I have noticed it dulls quicker.

Big Ed_4

Rule of cutting

Metal you should cut /drill slow and wood fast .. But I found myself tearing through a rip out ..

hot_rod

the speed

has to do with the thickness of the metal and the number of teeth per inch on the blade. A fine tooth bi-metal on high speed works best on copper tubing, doesn't grab like low speed tends to.



Slow it way down if you try cutting cast iron soil pipe or the teeth disapper quickly



hr

eluv8

Cast Iron Soil Piping

I have never been able to cut cast iron soil piping with a sawzall, and now I know why the teeth always disappeared so quickly. I even tried cutting oil to keep the blade cool, it burned off. I tried slow and cool but I guess not slow enough.



 I ended up biting the bullet and bought a chain snap cutter. 

SpeyFitter

Cast Iron Blades

A few companies now make Sawzall blades specifically for cutting cast iron (Lenox?). They do not have teeth, but little diamond fragments. Let me tell you, you should have at least 2 of these in your box (If you're a plumber) because they are an absolute god send for say cutting into a Cast Iron stack that is in a corner where you can't get at it with a grinder or snap cutters all the way around.  They are obviously pricier but they are worth every penny when you need 'em.

The low speeds of a sawzall are typically for metal cutting applications so you don't burn up your blades, the higher speeds are for wood.

Several monthes back I picked up a new 15 amp Milwaukee sawzall. This thing has a variable speed dial and constant speed circuitry so it doesn't bog down as much (or at all, really?). The power this thing has is incredible and the only hinderance to it is the quality of blade you put in it.