Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine

Reviews of Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine

1.) Superb Super Saw
Reviewed by: Big-D Lake Havasu City, AZ United States
Rating:
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.

2.) Must-Have for Any Shop That Cuts Metal
Reviewed by: Clint Pachl Phoenix, Arizona
Rating:
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.


3.) A Machinist's Input
Reviewed by: Michael Dukeminier Santa Fe, NM United States
Rating:

Metallurgy 101
LUBRICATION
There is not a common metal out there that does not require some sort of lubrication while it is being cut. Furthermore, there is not a material from which cutting blades are made which do not require the same. Having machined the most common metals in the industry - Steel (hot or cold rolled), Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, and Stainless Steel - I can say unequivocally that lubrication is a must for a great cut and long cutter life.
The harder the cutter material the longer it will last - that is why carbide lasts longer than high speed steel cutters. Regardless, all metals need lubrication to cut them.
HEAT
HEAT is the #1 killer of a cutting edge, HEAT is a product of FRICTION, and FRICTION is greatly reduced by two things: 1( LUBRICATION and 2) CUTTING SPEED for the material being cut. Aluminum can be cut much faster than Stainless Steel, Therefore, aluminum has a higher cutting speed than Stainless Steel.
HEAT is a double-edged sword. It will ruin the cutting edge of even the toughest materials and it can work-harden steels. Cutting the material too fast will produce too much heat and will effectively harden the material on the spot. This will,in turn, make it more difficult to cut the material requiring more pressure and produce more heat which will ruin the cutting edge on even the toughest cutting material - even carbide. If you need to do a bunch of cuts then do a few and let the blade cool down and resume when the blade has cooled.

MY SUGGESTIONS
When using Carbide to cut metals use a small amount of LUBRICATION on your cuts and SLOW DOWN! Use a cutting oil. (any oil - even WD-40 in a pinch),and don't force the blade through the material - let it find it's own pace through the material. If you do this I guarantee you that your blades will last much longer and your cuts will be truer.
The term "Dry-Cut" really means "Dull Blades" - use lubricant.

Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine
DEWALT DW872 14-Inch Multi-Cutter Saw


4.) Great for small home workshop
Reviewed by: Metal Tech
Rating:
I purchased this after comparing the Dewalt & Porter Cable versions in person. The saw works great, the angle fence is easy to adjust. The stock stays put while cutting. Very easy to release tension on the vise. When the upper motor is in the locked down position it is well balanced for carrying. Like others have mentioned, this saw requires a lighter touch than an abrasive style chop saw. I've cut 3x3x1/4 steel tube with not much more than a light downward pressure. It is much faster to clean up the chips from this saw vs the dust from an abrasive style chop saw.

5.) wish I had bought this saw alot sooner
Reviewed by: Arc light
Rating:
What a great saw. Wish I would have bought one sooner than I did. I had reservations on the concept of a metal cutting saw that uses a metal blade and the idea of a blade that costs almost half of the new price of the complete unit. If the number of cuts are indeed possible ,it is far more economical that the horrible dusty, toxic vapors one must endure with the conventional abrasive chop saws. the cuts are far superior and true not to mention wickedly fast even with thick steel stock. The Milwaukee saw is so darn smooth on start-up you would not know that it sports a multi-horse power capacity. This saw deserves a look for all those metal workers sitting on the fence debating the pros and cons. Just do it, you wont be sorry.

6.) A great saw and blade life is excellent for me
Reviewed by: James J. Jarvis Winona, MN United States
Rating:
Unlike many of the other reviewers, I have no compliant about the blade life. I purchased my saw in December of 2005 and use it for my business. I am on the original blade and have made over 2,000 cuts with it. Mostly I cut mild steel tubing, or aluminum structural. But lately I've been cutting 4x1" aluminum jig plate and 1.5" stainless. Perhaps other reviewers are having blade life problems because they use it like an abrasive chop saw. This dry cut saw needs to be run differently! The teeth on the blade are C6 carbide. If you use too much feed pressure the teeth will get knocked off or shatter.

Overall I love the saw and it has saved me at least a $1000 in deburring.

7.) Milwaukee Metal Saw
Reviewed by: gocirino Maryland
Rating:
I go through these saws about every two years. This is my fifth and best one yet. Highly recommend it for it's quality, low vibration and ruggedness.

8.) freakin awesome!!
Reviewed by: jack of all trades minneapolis
Rating:
wow. what a great tool for the metal worker. worth every penny. I only have one thing to say- make sure your stock is WELL SECURED!! I was foolishly cutting to short of a piece of stock, it got loose and ended up getting wedged into the saw guard cover, ruining the $$$ blade.

FWIW- the $100 blade that I got locally from Northern tool seems to be of similar quality as the one included.

9.) Great Performer
Reviewed by: Gear Head Wisconsin
Rating:
I have not been motivated to fill out a review for a product until now...high performance machine- worth the money.

Follow the instructions (and other users here)- push hard enough so you don't see sparks (you will feel it "chunk" through the metal) and the saw will work flawlessly creating extremely clean straight cuts, no burrs and metal stays cold to touch. I am amazed by the surface finish and lack of burrs for a saw that works this fast. I completed 50 cuts of 1/4" x 3" x 3" steel angle and each one was the same. Took about 2 seconds per cut. Abrasive cutoff equipment does not approach this tool on any dimension except up front cost. I also have used it for a few hundred cuts of heavy duty simpson strapping- works awesome...cuts through clean and instantly.

Definitely check the instructions to make sure the material is placed in the vice for the best cut. On angle iron, for example, place it on the saw like an upside down "V" instead of on one of the faces. I was worried about the vice based on feedback here, but so far it is solid and holds the work well.

One of the best tools of many I have purchased in a long time.



10.) Great Saw
Reviewed by: RuNuts I'm here
Rating:
I was using an abrasive saw for a few years as a hobbiest. I started looking at this saw and read reviews from every source I could find before deciding to purchase it.

It is a great saw. I have not experienced any issues with the blade. As the instructions state and other reviewers state, you HAVE to be aware of the cutting rate and force you place on the blade. Just like a drill bit, too much heat will kill this blade. I have run about a dozen cuts of small stuff.

Very clean cuts. No heat to speak of. Adjusting the fence for angle cuts is a breeze.

I would not have any reservations recommending this saw to a friend.

Update 11/01/2009: I am still using the same blade as when I purchased the saw. There are specific ways to cut different shape objects such as angle iron. Failure to follow those instructions will (and do) result in kicked out objects. The blade is as sharp as day one. I've used in to cut small stock, up to 1 3/4 x 0.120 HREW tubing with no issues. My review has not changed. Still a great saw. The fence adjustment can be temperamental if you don't tighten it properly, but that's expected.

This is a heavy duty saw. I still think it was worth the money.

11.) Awesome Saw
Reviewed by: T. Schindler Janesville, WI
Rating:
This is truly a five star machine and will be greatly appreciated in your shop. It has a handy chip pan to catch most of the chips it produces. The sparking is minimal and only occured when I was cutting 1" round stock. The cut is extremely clean and free of burrs. The only improvement I could see would be in the angle set-up on the fence. In order to get an accurate angle you would have to get out a bevel gauge. Even with that it will still cut good angles compared to no angles on most abrasive saws. I am in awe with what this machine will do compared to the old abrasive saw. The Milwaukee has lots of features the others don't. It is also nice that the blades can be resharpened. The old saw was an odd size and the abrasive blades were $15-20 each, which didn't take long to add up to more than one blade for this machine.


12.) Purchase review
Reviewed by: hogrumble manassas, VA
Rating:
After much research I ended up selecting the Milwakee 6190. The reason I chose this machine since most machines (yellow)have the same issues from 1st time purchasers are the following
The reviews on the amazon page gave alot of information about all the complaints ie; performance and use and it seemed that most of the issues were operator error ie; using it too agressively
With those reviews came lots of suggestions from others on how to operate safely, extend the life of the blade and overcome some design flaws. If you read all the suggestions and prepare for the arrival of your machine you will be very happy with this unit because you wont make the same mistakes

I would like to add another suggestion to the list:
The deck is very short and when cutting for example a 10' long piece of unistrut the cut side of the struct can catch the blade tips and send it flying. I use the saw on job sites that allowed me to build a table with casters and we made a pocket on top of the table exactly the height of the chop saw deck. This solved all issues of the material flopping over and catching the saw tooth. We now have an 8'long foot x 3.5'w table that supports the material while cutting. Your table does not have to be this big, the deck of the machine height is the same as a 2x4 so if you have it on a table support the material with 2x4's standing on end.

Be gentle when cutting it extends the life of the original blade and for allthread it leaves a clean cut that will accept a nut without messing around with burs

13.) solid performer
Reviewed by: rpoet Chicago, IL
Rating:
The Milwaukee multi-cutter is leaps and bounds above the abrasion saw that it has replaced. Contrary to some other reviewers, I have found the blade life of the included blade to be just fine; I have made several hundred cuts with it and find little change in its cutting performance. The key to long blade life is to let the tool do the work, unlike an abrasion saw, where you must lean on the tool to create the downforce to cut through the work.

My only issue with the saw has to do with the clamp and fence. Especially when cutting angles other than 90 deg, the fence does not hold its set angle very well. I have made it practice to continually check the angle setting when cutting and adjust when necessary. The clamp is the only reason this saw isn't getting 5 stars from me.

All in all, a very solid tool. It literally cut my labor in half on the projects since I bought it. The saw generates a weld-ready cut with no burr, and there's no gritty mess to clean up afterwords. I recommend this tool to anyone who does steel fabrication for a living or a hobby.

14.) Great saw.
Reviewed by: Keith Dorfner DeBary, Fl. USA
Rating:
After using my chop saw, this saw is much nicer, no sparks, and I was able to pick up
the part without gloves!

15.) descent saw but beware reconditioned items from CPO!
Reviewed by: blomblom p-town, OR
Rating:
hey we all would like to save 25% of the retail price, right! well i ordered the reconditioned saw. it arrived at my doorstep damaged, probably from being dropped in shipment. motor housing was cracked and blade alignment was very skewed. however the saw ran fine. But in addition, a hinge bushing had fallen out, the chip guard was cracked the motor housing was cracked, the machine was greasy and grimey from previous use(why service would not clean this unit up for the new buyer is beyond me) the spindle lock did not work and the closest fence position was difficult to engage. also it was apparent that the blade guard had been damaged but not fixed and set properly
service sent out a replacement within a week, but the replacement came with a USED BLADE! and the motor sounded rattle-y like the bearings were going! I'm sending this one back as well and considering Makita or dewalt model. was a huge fan of milwaukee, but have to say their quality may be slipping in past 5 years. never thought i'd ever hear myself saying that. could this be due to the fact that they were bought by TTI in Asia and now standards have lowered?
I have lucked out with reconditioned items in the past, and feel its a viable option most times, but time lost is money lost and dealing with the hassle of returns is time consuming, even when the seller, in this cxase CPO, makes it easy and hassle free. How many times will I need to return an item until a good one arrives?


that said, the saw cut fine once i adjusted the fence to square, there is some vibration as it chips thru the metal. not bad though, cant compare this to an industrial KMT saw can we? it is a heavy beast though, albeit portable if you dont have a bad back (yet) my biggest complaint is that the fence positioning device is a heavy but hard-to-press-down spring-loaded pin. at a nearby retailer i noticed the makita had a way more ergonomic fence locking lever that inspired confidence. one other gripe though is that its hard to line up your cut line with the blasde because you cant see thru the blade guard, including the Makita model. it looks like the Dewlt has a smoked platic that is see thru, like on their wood miter saws, which is a huge benefit for alignment and accurate cutting. I'll have too find one of those locally and get my hands on it to see if its true.

16.) Good but not great
Reviewed by: Some Guy Canada
Rating:
I have only made about a dozen cuts through 2x3x.125 tubing and have enjoyed how well it cuts through the tube. So far the blade is holding up even though one of the teeth is missing. The one place this saw could use some help is on the vise. The degree part of the unit moves if you tighten the vise more then just snug, and the degree fence should have some kind of positive lock outs for the common degree settings (15,30,45). I found it very hard to set it perfectly at 45 degrees. All in all a very good saw that could use a few updates and a better blade.

17.) Great saw, clean straight cutting
Reviewed by: Jensen
Rating:
Just started using the saw yesterday. Currently I am cutting 1" x 1" x 1/8" angle iron, the saw buzzes right through with only slight burring. WAY better than the sparks, fumes, burrs and diminishing blade of an abrasive saw.It's just as loud, but in a lower pitch which I find less irritating. Cuts are straight, finish is good. I will enter another review after using it for a month or so.

18.) Great Saw but be prepared to buy a new blade
Reviewed by: Hammerfest Lumberton, TX United States
Rating:
Like others commenting here, the blade life for me was very disappointing, I might have made 50 cuts on a variety of low carbon steel (angle, tubing, thin wall pipe, round bar stock and flat). The saw has plenty of power, cuts square and virtually burr free. But be prepared to shell out another $100 for a better blade. Don't bother wasting your time sharpening the Milwaukee Blade, I did with the same disappointing results. The saw gets a 5 Star Rating the Blade a 1.

19.) Excellent saw, terrible blade.
Reviewed by: A Tool Junkie Mountain View , CA.
Rating:
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!

20.) Disappointed
Reviewed by: Robert A. Johnson Annandale,MN
Rating:
First of all, Amazon has been great throughout the experience, they get 5+ stars. But, Milwaukee needs to do much better at designing this saw. I found upon recieving my saw that it would immediately trip the breaker upon starting the saw, no matter what circuit I plugged it into (15 & 20amp). I called Amazon and they sent another one out right away without recieving back the original one. They sent out a prepaid return tag with UPS to pick up the 1st saw, Thank you Amazon!!! I used the second saw for about 5 cuts and the breaker started tripping again. I placed an amp probe on the circuit(with nothing else using that circuit) and found this saw pulls 136 amps (peak) on start up. There aren't going to be too many home breakers that will put up with a hit like that, even for a brief time. I called Milwaukee technical support and their response was to buy a 50 ft 10 gauge extention cord(about $60-$70 with todays copper prices) to act like a resistor to temper the startup amperage. They seemed to suggest the 3 year old SquareD breakers were the problem. I wired a new 30amp circuit with 10 gauge wire just for the saw. I finally got the saw to stop tripping the breaker but after about 100 cuts the blade is now shot . In the owners manual it states "To Maximize blade life, increase force on handle until sparks subside" I think this is what killed the blade. I have been cutting nothing but thin wall 1" square tubing and never seen a time where the metal wasn't sparking just a little bit. Now I am looking for another blade(not made by Milwaukee)to try in this saw. If I had to do this all over again I would stay with the fiber blade saw. When this blade was sharp it cut great,very little burr left but, I cant afford to bed putting in $130-$160 blades in this saw every 100 cuts. If theres a blade made that would last, I would probably suggest this saw. But, with the the electrical issues and the blade life....at this time I wouldn't buy it. Amazon did have the best price AND great customer service. Thank You Amazon!!!!

21.) not properly presented
Reviewed by: Kenneth Buerger Avoca Texas
Rating:
This saw works great on light iron, such as purlin. When cutting heavy pipe or structural steel, the blade quickly overheats and the life of the blade is shorter than abrasive blades. Milwaukee does not tell you that this machine is not suited for hardened steel or galvanized iron. I made 10 cuts with this saw on 2 3/8 in. pipe and the 10 th. cut was the blades last. I was very disapointed in the life of this $100.00 blade. If you only cut light iron, this saw is the best. If you plan on cutting any shaft or bolt, forget it. The blade can not handle the heat.

22.) EXPENSIVE TO USE
Reviewed by: Herb Michigan
Rating:
Have had mine for three weeks and just installed my third blade today (at a hundred dollars a pop. If you are buying them with expectations of saving money over the abrasive cut off blades , you will surely be disappointed. I have not cut a lot of metal and the metal i have cut has all been mild steel 1/4" hot roll flatstock
Am waiting to hear from a milwaukee but i think i am just going to find out they are what they are.
Will most likley be selling this one on ebay if i cannot get Milwaukee to take it back.
The first two blades were the Milwaukee blades. The one i put on today was a Morse I bought from Amazon last week for 138.00

Features of Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine

The 6190-20 utilizes dry (a.k.a. "cold") cut technology which will cut on average three times faster than an abrasive machine and costs 1-1/2 times less to operate. The saw produces little to no sparks when cutting and leaves a virtually burr-free finish. The motor is a 15 amp, 4.8 max H.P. The base is a heavy-duty cast aluminum reinforced with a 1/4 in. steel plate. The vise and back fence is tool free. The horizontal D-handle provides optimum comfort whether the tool is on the ground or sitting on a bench. Includes 14-inch 72 Tooth Dry Cut Carbide Tipped Circular Saw Blade and Hex Key.

1.) Powerful, 4.8-horsepower/15 amp motor for quick cutting applications;
2.) Tool-free fence and vise system for less downtime;
3.) Heavy-duty cast base for optimal stability;
4.) Largest cutting capacity-inch class for larger stock;
5.) 1,500 rpm for fast cuts;

Package Height x Length x Width: 25.2 in. x 25.2 in. x 18.9 in.
Package Weight: 60 lbs.

Accessories for Milwaukee 6190-20 15 Amp 14-Inch Metal Cutoff Machine