Hey! I’m new to the VEX stuff and to be quite honest, pretty new to building physical things period (I’m a programmer who has rarely worked on hardware.) Our school team often makes designs that require metal to be cut, and at the moment we have no way to do it.
I’m wondering what a good tool for metal cutting is, preferably one that students could use safely if needed and isn’t super expensive (though we have an ok budget for this stuff.) I’ve seen other schools using something that looks like a drill with a circle blade at the end, though I’m not really sure what that is.
(Sorry if this has already been asked / answered here, I searched but didn’t see it.)
Depends on if its steel or aluminum. I cut most AL with metal snips, then I bend the ends back into place sometimes. Sometimes, I use a small hacksaw. If its steel, I use the hacksaw, but I can only get 2-3 cuts before the blade is dull. For cutting axles, I use the hacksaw then use a grinding wheel to round the end and get rid of a burr. I’ve tried using a dremel, but I always end up breaking the cutting disk.
What you are describing is probably a dremel. It’s nice for cutting metal that is already on a robot, but it is definitely not the safest. A bandsaw or chop/cut-off saw is probably the easiest and safest option.
In the lab wee use bolt-cutters (like you use to cut off a padlock, bought at the hardware store). They are very good for shafts, 1x pieces, L-angles, and functional-but kinda-junky results on c-channels. (For bigger or more complex stuff, my husband cuts with his table saw, which has a special blade for metal.)
A hacksaw is the best way to cut, Im not joking you can basically cut anything pretty much anyway with a hacksaw. It probably is the safest way to cut too. Ask @Duke4221c
In my experience, a good hacksaw and vice is good enough for anything. We have a dremel but we never use it because the hacksaw cuts through the metal in the time it takes to plug in the dremel and attach the blade. Tin snips can also be very useful, even if they leave bent ends (my entire 2017 worlds robot was cut with tin snips due to time constraints).
Then use a file of the type used for filing metal (NOT those used for wood) and take off the sharp edges and burs.
Personally, I find tin snips and bolt cutters and things like that to produce an ugly, sometimes dangerously sharp edge. And they too often seem to twist and bend the metal near the cut too much.
Dremels are good for cutting metal already on the robot and for making fancy cuts that a saw can’t achieve but they are too dangerous for beginners, in my opinion, and they throw around a lot of dust. My opinion is that after you get some experience, you can advance to power tools. Cutting things by hand also helps you develop a tactile sense of materials.
A 10" Hacksaw can go a long ways for cutting the metal for VEX. We use both a hacksaw and a dremel rotary tool. A hacksaw blade should definitely last a season worth of cutting (dont force down on cutting when using it). Dremel bits however seem to not last at all.
Dremel bits may not last for long, but they can also do more tasks than a hacksaw. For example, there are attachments for dremels that allow them to smooth sharp edges of metal (very useful in my experience)
Hacksaw to cut metal, file to smooth edges, Dremel cutoff wheel to take off axles that stick out. Part of the EXO initiation is to learn how to make a clean, straight cut with a hacksaw.
We would have a cutoff saw, but I don’t know if I trust our kids to use it safely. In 12 years of building, I’ve never sent a kid to the ER and I don’t want to start now.
