Cutting Aluminum Stock

[Gregg Feldstone]

I bought 1/8" x1" aluminum barstock which I need to rip down to 13/16" wide to fit the miter slot on my Agazzani bandsaw. I purchased a metal cutting disc to place on the talble saw for this feat. I've never done anything like this. I do not own metalworking equipment. Any advise??

[John Grossi]

Greg, I am a toolmaker by trade. I have never attempted to cut aluminum on a table saw, and probably wouldn't even with a special blade. We always rough cut aluminum on a band saw and then finished on a milling machine. Aluminum can get very gummy at high speeds. Hopefully someone out there has done this type of work on a TS and can let us know how it worked out. Paul

[Steve Clardy]

I have. I don't recommend it to everyone.

If you do, wear a full face shield, gloves, long sleeve shirt.
Then little pieces hurt;)

[Bruce Boone]

Gregg, if you mean carbon abrasive disk, that won't work on aluminum. A carbide tipped blade will work, but it can easily grab, and the hot metal will land all over you. As Steve says, a full face shield and long sleeves are a must.

Another thing to watch out for; do not trap any metal between your fence and your blade. Take the 3/16 off one blade width at a time.

A safer option is to do it on a bandsaw and simply file the metal down to a scribed line. Hold it in a vise and file or sand it down. With 1/8" stock, it would go pretty quickly.

[Gary Keedwell]

Hi guy,

Let me see if I have this right. You are fitting this aluminum bar in a miter slot, right? So, it must only be around 2 feet long, right? and your starting with a bar that is 1" wide and you want to take 3/16 ths ( .187) off, too?
I would treat your saw blade like a milling machine and take 1/16th at a time off. Just take off 1/16th... 3 times and your good. Use a featherboard to keep it tight against your fence, and push it through with a push stick. Spraying a little lubricant like WD 40 or even a little water on the blade sure would help to keep it a little cooler and less sticky.
Also, it wouldn't hurt to have another feather board on your fence and pressing DOWN on the aluminum bar to keep it flat on the table.
Hope I helped,

Gary K.:o
(edit) If you are not up to this...I recomend you bringing it to a machine shop.

[pat warner]

Using wood/metal hybrid technique I mill aluminum (http://patwarner.com/bev_straight_edge.html); it's one of things I do.
Bandsaw, then rout as necessary. The fixturing is very solid stuff. If the work squirms expect adversity. Do not expect to saw and have the work fit precisely in the groove. Sawing is a rough operation. For your safety, do not rip narrow stock on the table saw. Bandsaw indeed is the tool of choice for rough sizing.

[Kyle Kraft]

I have cut aluminum on the TS with excellent results using a Triple Chip Grind carbide blade. The material was 1/2" thick T6061 aluminum tooling plate. This alloy is not the gummy cheap crap you get at the BORGs metal rack. I ripped a 24 x 48 inch piece into smaller chunks on a Delta contractors saw, I think maybe a 1hp unit. No complaints here. However, I would use caution trying to shave 3/16" off a thin/small piece.

[Bruce Page]

I agree with Pat. This is best done on a bandsaw and hand filed to fit. Getting a true 13/16 (.8125) cut on the table saw will be difficult, not to mention the dodging of hot chips.

[Doug Mason]

I cut aluminum with both my drill press and table saw (not production-just for jigs/etc). On the saw I use a cheap blade with no problems whatsoever. I haven't ripped thin slices--but I wouldn't hesitate--just set up a jig for safety. I also cut it with my router using templetes and colar guides. Also, if you're good w/files, I have read that you can really shape aluminum well.

[Joe Branch]

For some reason I do not see much talk of using a jigsaw on the woodworker forums. With the proper blade, even available at most Borgs, you can trim thin aluminum like butter with a jigsaw.;)

[Dan Forman]

I agree, jigsaw is what I use for aluminum, angle grinder for steel.

Dan

[Noah Katz]

Are you trying to make a miter bar?

I was thinking of making an extra long miter bar for my TS to increase croisscutting capacity.

Mcmaster has ground steel stock for pretty reasonable ($24 for 3/3x3/4x24).

The only potential gotcha I see is that the width is +/-.005, so if the miter slot is't at least .005 oversize it could be trouble.

If you want to stay with plan A, there are blades made especially for cutting nonferrous maetals; check amazon and ebay.

[Dino Makropoulos]

We cut aluminum every day with the Dead Aluminum Concept.:rolleyes:



The idea is to secure the aluminum and safely slide the tool on the track.
http://eurekazone.com/gallery/custom-smart-base/dual_top_smart_table_115

With no fence to bind the aluminum we have no kickbacks binding and accidents.
http://eurekazone.com/gallery/custom-smart-base/dual_top_smart_table_116

A similar jig can be made with an edge guide (piece of wood) and 2 screws.
Cover the aluminum with an edge guide and secure the guide and aluminum the the tabletop with clamps or 2 screws.


http://eurekazone.com/gallery/custom-smart-base/dual_top_smart_table_118

http://eurekazone.com/gallery/custom-smart-base/dual_top_smart_table_120

Good luck.



Dino Makropoulos
Eurekazone Inc.

[Doug Shepard]

It's not something I like to do much of, but I've cut both aluminum and brass on a TS without any problems using an 80 tooth carbide blade. Like others said - wear safety glasses. I'd also shut off any DC that might be hooked up so you don't get any hot sparks going into a collection bin. I'd cut slightly oversized and file down as the edge wont be super smooth. Another thing that helps is if you cut the metal a couple inches longer than you need then screw through the ends to a scrap piece of ply and set the blade height just a little higher than the metal thickness. Pushing the metal/scrap piece through the saw is a little less nerve-wracking than the metal alone. The blade and flying chips will be hidden and the cut edge will be a little less rough.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I bought 1/8" x1" aluminum barstock which I need to rip down to 13/16" wide

Aluminum doesn't spark. It will however clog and kill an abrasive metal cutting blade very quickly

hyou should use a non ferrous metal blade but any carbide blade will cut aluminum.

I cut alum quite often. It cuts like butter on the TS. Hot (REALLY HOT) chips fly everywhere you should wear a choker to keep 'em out of your collar or you'll be leaping around as you pass your hands past the blade.

Some twenty or so years ago I bought a Makita 10" chop saw just for cutting production runs of 3" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock. I still have the non ferrous metal blades from that job and they are great for all woodwork too. I still have the chop saw it suffered not at all from that usage.

[Phil Thien]

Problem w/ cutting aluminum is getting the chips everywhere and having the chips scratch the crap out of your tools. If they get stuck between the fence and the fence bar, they put wicked scratches into the paint.

If nothing else, vac thoroughly when done.

[Gregg Feldstone]

are the non-ferrous metal blades the same as abrassive disks or are they metal blades with teeth? What kind of blade should I have on my woodcutting bandsaw for this task? I don't want to destroy my new bandsaw blades? My saw runs at around 4500 sfpm.

[Noah Katz]

I see that there are carbide (actually they say cermet, which I believe means ceramic metal alloy) tipped circular saw blades that cut steel; has anyone tried them on aluminum?

[Rick Lizek]

I see that there are carbide (actually they say cermet, which I believe means ceramic metal alloy) tipped circular saw blades that cut steel; has anyone tried them on aluminum?

I've used the new saws that cut steel with a carbide blade and if it cuts steel it will cut aluminum, that's a given.

In fact I've been cutting non-ferrous for years using negative hook blades on my table saw, miter saw and radial arm saw. Aluminum cuts like butter and so do most brasses, zinc, copper. The chips are warm but not hot enough to catch fire. I also have jointed and planed aluminum on jointers and planers with HSS steel blades. It really does work well and isn't detrimental to the blades. You can even deburr the aluminum with a block plane or spokeshave.

[Pete Brown]

I've used the new saws that cut steel with a carbide blade and if it cuts steel it will cut aluminum, that's a given.

In theory, true. However, I do some machining as another hobby, and I know the end mills for aluminum are different from end mills for other metals because they need more chip evacuation clearance to avoid gumming up.

A carbide blade with too many teeth, or an abrasive, would likely make a mess with aluminum. It will work, just like you can usually get a masonry bit to drill wood :)

[Rick Lizek]

In theory, true. However, I do some machining as another hobby, and I know the end mills for aluminum are different from end mills for other metals because they need more chip evacuation clearance to avoid gumming up.

A carbide blade with too many teeth, or an abrasive, would likely make a mess with aluminum. It will work, just like you can usually get a masonry bit to drill wood :)

I'm not talking theory, but real use. The new cermet blades are rated for
Ferrous Metals
Aluminum
Brass
Stainless Steel
http://www.toolbarn.com/product/milwaukee/48-40-4515/

[Pete Brown]

"This 8 in. 50 tooth blade is designed to cut a variety of ferrous materials 3/32 inch and thinner including aluminum The blade has vibration damping which reduces heat, sparks, and noise for cleaner, smoother, burr free cuts. Use with Milwaukee Dry Cut Saw 6370-20."

It may work. It's a circular saw blade, though. I assume it would work in a table saw if you get the one oriented like this (https://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_27_40027_-1_268775_189634_189314_127418_Y). It's a compromise when it comes to using it on steel. The steel blades, like this (https://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_27_40027_-1_267713_189634_189314_127418_Y), have a lot more teeth. Steel won't gum up like aluminum, so it doesn't need larger gullets.

All that being said, the thickness those say they'll cut is only 3/32. I'm not sure that that's useful here, unless you use it for shaving from the bottom in several passes.

In the end, anything will work one time, so it probably doesn't matter :)

[Noah Katz]

Thanks for the info, Rick.

That's weird, one link says "3/32" and thicker" and the other says "3/32" and thinner"; I'd guess thicker is correct.

[Ed Blough]

Pick up a copy of Shopnotes magazine. They build a square out of aluminum and give all kinds of ideas and tips for cutting and drilling aluminum stock.

[Norman Hitt]

DO NOT use an abrasive blade to cut aluminum. If you will firmly stick a length of celophane tape over the cut line on both sides, it will lubricate the blade AND make a smoother cut.

[Rick Lizek]

Thanks for the info, Rick.

That's weird, one link says "3/32" and thicker" and the other says "3/32" and thinner"; I'd guess thicker is correct.

It's definitely "thicker". I've cut 1/4" cold roll steel with almost no sparks. As usual the technolgy is old and from Germany. I first saw it demonstrated with a Jancy slugger12 years ago. The salesman cut a piece of 1/2" cold roll steel with it. A few years later Milwaukee, Makita and even Harbor Freight has them.
http://www.jancy.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.showProduct&productid=41
If you just need to cut aluminum get a negative hook blade which is rated for non-ferrous and is typically used on miter and radial arm saws. The negative hook is less grabbing. I've cut brass 2" thick as well as aluminum, copper, zinc and aluminum. This isn't based on arm chair theory either but real practical experience. It's also posible to work in very tight tolerances in the thousandths on a simple table saw. Obviously an indicator and caliper is necessary. I've cut miles of metal on cabinet saws and contractor saws with the Biesemeyer and Unifence (one of my least favorite fences).

[Noah Katz]

On closer reading it's thicker for the 42T blade and thinner for the 50T.

[glenn bradley]

I take this kind of work to the local machine shop. They did a totally trick router plate job for me for $20. To simply mill down that bar might cost less than the blade you picked up.

[Ron Blaise]

I bought 1/8" x1" aluminum barstock which I need to rip down to 13/16" wide to fit the miter slot on my Agazzani bandsaw. I purchased a metal cutting disc to place on the talble saw for this feat. I've never done anything like this. I do not own metalworking equipment. Any advise??
Table saw. In my youth, I did, 1" thick 6061 T6 (scary as hell). What your talking about is way too dangerous. Not only that, even if you did it on a bandsaw it would probably warp because of stress-relieving caused by the sawing. I am an old tool maker too so take my advice while you still have fingers.:D

[Noah Katz]

Check out these videos of these blades in action - all done freehand!

http://www.metaldevil.com/seeing.html

I'm especially impressed with the C-channel cut; it would take many times longer for that cut on my horizontal metal cutting bandsaw.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Are they fine to use on my tablesaw also?Who sells them?

[Noah Katz]

Amazon and ebay.

I think they should be fine on a TS, but note that they're rated for lowish rpm, so you should get a smaller one.

I'm getting a 12" for my miter saw but I can slow down the universal motor with my router speed control.