Anyone ever cut a steel T Post?
- Thread starter TheGerman
- Start date
For crying out loud just drive it deeper
That's what she said...
For crying out loud just drive it deeper
You must not live where there are many large rocks.
I use my Milwaukee Sawzall with The Torch for cutting anything metal that a perfectly straight cut isnt required.
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-To...r=8-4&keywords=milwaukee+metal+sawzall+blades
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-To...r=8-4&keywords=milwaukee+metal+sawzall+blades
A metal cutting blade is only designed to spin about ~1500 rpm, a table saw would be way too fast.
Hacksaw would be cheapest, or a chop saw or plasma cutter would definitely speed thinfgs up (if you have a buddy who has one).
A torch or a cutoff saw (like the nice one a carpenter might use) with the blade changed to an large abrasive cutoff wheel will also work. A proper band saw is better.
When I was younger and on a ranch we cut 'em both ways and probably had to use a hacksaw once or twice; not fun with the thick ones. Repairing fence is a constant chore, wood or steel posts.
At the farming and co-op stores they generally sell 'em in different sizes, maybe check that out. You'll still need to cut the ends and weld it to the target. If they have ends to go into the ground they're generally designed to keep it in the ground, FWIW. Usually you use a fence post hammer to put 'em in, but on a target you don't have that luxury, hence the angled cut. A lot have those nubs to hold wire too, which gets in the way.
But there's another, perhaps better way...
As memory serves, when we made steel targets in the army for SDM school, we used heavy (1.5-2"?) angle iron welded to the targets quite often and the ends were cut at an angle to make 'em go in the ground easier, and you could usually just "stick 'em" on the first try. These targets were very heavy, thicker than 1/2 IIRC. The angle iron worked really well and legs were cheap, easy to repair and replace when hit. Those were almost always cut with a cutoff saw and not a torch and just stick welded. So that's probably your best solution for legs on a steel target IMO.
When I was younger and on a ranch we cut 'em both ways and probably had to use a hacksaw once or twice; not fun with the thick ones. Repairing fence is a constant chore, wood or steel posts.
At the farming and co-op stores they generally sell 'em in different sizes, maybe check that out. You'll still need to cut the ends and weld it to the target. If they have ends to go into the ground they're generally designed to keep it in the ground, FWIW. Usually you use a fence post hammer to put 'em in, but on a target you don't have that luxury, hence the angled cut. A lot have those nubs to hold wire too, which gets in the way.
But there's another, perhaps better way...
As memory serves, when we made steel targets in the army for SDM school, we used heavy (1.5-2"?) angle iron welded to the targets quite often and the ends were cut at an angle to make 'em go in the ground easier, and you could usually just "stick 'em" on the first try. These targets were very heavy, thicker than 1/2 IIRC. The angle iron worked really well and legs were cheap, easy to repair and replace when hit. Those were almost always cut with a cutoff saw and not a torch and just stick welded. So that's probably your best solution for legs on a steel target IMO.
How about your trusty hacksaw will take about two minutes, making this way to complicated no need for all the power tools.
To be honest, my son's getting married this week, and other than watching my wife run around like a chicken with its head cut off, I'm a little bored. This thread is more interesting than decorations for the rehearsal dinner, maybe everyone else is bored this weekend too.........idk? It is a little strange though.
In case you haven't noticed, new and exciting content is hard to come by these days. At least this one went 4 pages without a screaming fuck you fit.
Any time you want to kill the thread off just make a comment that he should call the police and ask for their help.
I use them quite a bit but I wear a respirator most of the time and always a face shield with safety glasses underneath. There are far too many pictures with a disc sticking out of a person's face. I also recommend buying good wheels, cheaper isn't better in this situation. I've seen them blow apart when the company wants to save a buck.
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