Is it safe to cut steel with a miter saw?

I have a small project and I need to cut 3/4" steel square tube. I already own a miter saw, and I don’t have the space or otherwise a need for a dedicated tool for cutting metal. I was hoping to just pick up a metal-cutting circular saw blade and use that.

My googling seems to either tell me it will cut like through butter or it will explode in my face and set fire to the house and my wife will leave me and take the kids with her.

  • bryndos@fedia.io
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    14 hours ago

    Second this. Why take the risk of abusing a tool designed for different work when there are readily available cheap tools that are more suitable for the job?

    If there’s only a few cuts to make you can also just use a (metal cutting) handsaw. Hand tools are usually the safest option as they give you much more control and sensitivity/feedback than any power tool. The worst that can happen is a skin deep cut or graze, or a broken blade that is easy to replace. You just need to have a bit of time and a bit of patience.