I was getting set up for a big rod build, where I needed to do a lot of chopping of blanks, as well as extensions.

I wanted a bit less noise, so I dug through my bin of parts and came up with an electronic speed control that I have used for other projects in the past.

The shop saw that I use contains the equivalent of a heavy duty sewing machine motor or universal ac/dc motor.

Perfect.

So much more convenient, to use my foot and just as much speed on the cut off wheel needed to do the particular cut, whether it was glass, carbon, brass or steel.

I use this saw:

[www.harborfreight.com]

I remove the blade guard and blade. I attach a 3 inch abrasive cut off wheel and do the work.

I also disassembled the saw, and then removed all of the miter and lettering on the saw base. I added a 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch aluminum back stop to the base and made a single cut through it for the perfect 90 degree cut for blanks and extensions. I can not cut at angles, but I only wanted to make 90 degree cuts.

The original saw that I had purchased some years ago, was short on power so I replaced it with a heavy duty universal motor that still fit into the case and used the same pulley and belt for more power.

Now, with the use of the foot pedal for variable speed, it works very well with just enough speed to quickly make the cut. The foot pedal that I used is a Line Master electronic control. But, I don't believe that they make that pedal any more.
But the Foredom pedal is still available and works very well for this application as well.


[www.amazon.com]

Be safe

Hello,

Thanks for the info on the Foredom, I'll have to look into that.

My chop-saw is also wired up to a foot pedal, albeit one without variable speed control.

-chad