Cutting Aluminum & Brass Metals on a Wood Bandsaw

[Bruce Barker]

I've been reading the archives to get a handle on this dilemma...I need to do a little aluminum and brass metal cutting, preferably on my 14" Grizzly wood BS -- but not enough metal cutting that I can justify buying a variable speed BS or a separate metal saw. (Also do not have any additional floor space for another machine.) So, if I *must* use my wood BS for this task, how can I stack the deck in my favor?

- Is there a relatively easy way to reduce the speed of my BS? Such as the commonly available inline variable speed units used for routers?
- Are there any blades that would work especially well for this task? Perhaps with small teeth spread further apart, to reduce the "virtual" speed of the blade?
- Is there some maximum thickness I should keep in mind when cutting aluminum and brass on a wood BS?
- Or is it such a bad idea, I should cut some other way, such as using my chop saw with a negative hook blade?

What bad things happen if you cut aluminum or brass at the high speeds a wood bandsaw runs, anyway? ... thanks ...

[Rod Sheridan]

I presume that you are going to cut thin sections?

If so you need a fine pitch blade to keep several teeth in the material at once.

Thicker sections obviously need a coarser pitch blade to keep several teeth in the material.

You will have a terrible time cleaning your bandsaw afterwards, metal cutting saws do not have rubber wheels, they use metal wheels.

I tried it once, made a mess of my saw, had to replace the tires and went out and bought a horizontal metal bandsaw afterwards.

A sabre saw may do what you want without damaging your band saw, or you could use a scroll saw if you want to cut intricate pieces.

You cannot use a phase angle speed control device on the induction motor in your bandsaw, they are for wound rotor motors only. ( such as a drill or router).


Regards, Rod.

[Bruce Page]

Bruce, I made this table for my old Delta BS. It is made from 1½” thick 7075-T6 that was rough sawn right on the old Delta with an off the shelf 3tpi wood cutting blade. It made one heck of a mess and I fed slowly but the little ½ hp motor never skipped a beat. Brass is much denser so I would recommend an 8 or 10tpi blade but it should be doable also.

[Charles Wiggins]

Bruce,

I wouldn't recommend putting your saw and yourself through it. If you could give me some more details about what kind of metal work you need to do I might have suggestions for alternatives. You can do quite a bit with a hacksaw, coping saw, angle and die grinders, and files.

[Bruce Barker]

OK, first project is shaping several 1/2"x14x14 aluminum plates to size, from square to rounded corners. I was hoping to BS the corners roughly quarter-round and then do the final shaping with a router & template.

Next was to cut some 1" aluminum tubing to size.

After that, some 1/2" brass rod. And so on.

I don't mind using a jigsaw/hacksaw/file, but was hoping for a more professional looking, and faster, cut.

[Larry Fox]

Is this a one-off type of thing or sonething you need to do frequently? If one-off I would hunt around for a local machine shop - one of the guys there will likely do it for a very reasoable price.

[Carl Eyman]

Also nibblers do a good job on thin stock. Though I've cut thin (1/16") brass. One trick is to sandwich it between sheets of 1/4" plywood. Using wood or machine screws to hold it tight to the brass is a good idea.

[Charles Wiggins]

OK, first project is shaping several 1/2"x14x14 aluminum plates to size, from square to rounded corners. I was hoping to BS the corners roughly quarter-round and then do the final shaping with a router & template.

Next was to cut some 1" aluminum tubing to size.

After that, some 1/2" brass rod. And so on.

I don't mind using a jigsaw/hacksaw/file, but was hoping for a more professional looking, and faster, cut.

Sounds like the hacksaw/coping saw with a fine tooth blade and a couple of files should do it. If you take your time you can get exceptional results with hand tools. Even if you did use the band saw you'd still have some cleanup to do by filing or sanding.

You can rough it with the saw and trim the rough with an angle grinder if necessary, the hit it with the files. Tip: Aluminum is so soft that it tends to clog files. Use some cheaper/older files and rub some chalk into the files before you file the aluminum and the file won't clog up so easily.

For cutting the tube and rod to length, make a v-block to cradle the round stock and cross-cut a kerf with your band saw to the bottom of the v-groove to act as a guide for the hacksaw blade.

79445

[Raul Hernandez]

Copper tubing cutters (the kind where you turn the little handscrew and then wind it around the piece to be cut) will cut aluminum tubing as well. It gives you a cleaner cut than a hacksaw, the cut will be perfectly perpendicular to the tube, and it's probably faster as well. They aren't expensive - look in the plumbing section of your local big box store.

[Steveo O'Banion]

Change the driven pully to get the speed you want, you can probably slow it down enough to make it happen.

Get a metal cutting saw blade, preferably for soft metals. We have an old Delta that we use for both metal and wood and we have no problems with the wheels or anything else. We cut wire, AL, copper and brass sheets, sheet metal, wood.... well, you get the picture.

Steve

[Kevin Groenke]

Circular saws (tablesaw, chopsaw even portable) are commonly used to cut aluminum. Blades designed for non-ferrous metals have a triple-chip grind and a negative rake angle.
http://www.amazon.com/NON-FERROUS-10-x60T-8-BORE/dp/B000K9P6JG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1200617038&sr=1-1

Cutting wax will prevent aluminum chips from filling our gullets. We frequently use a tablesaw to cut alum plate up to 1" and the chopsaw on tubing and extrusions, clamp round tubing so they don't start spinning on you. I haven't done it but the manufacturer's sites say these blades can be used on brass, copper, etc..

We've found that these blades also work well for wood in a chopsaw and plastics in a tablesaw or chopsaw.

You could try an abrasive blade in a chopsaw or handheld circular saw to cut the harder materials, NOT THE ALUMINUM.

Jigsaws work great with the proper blade, 10-14 tpi bi-metal. This could effectively radius your corners.

I saw Gary Bennett gave a demo on cutting metals with a wood bandsaw and the chips didn't bother him too much, he did say that he generally used blades that were too dull to cut wood well.

We have a metal bandsaw, so don't allow it on the wood saws, but for the occasional alum, brass or copper up to 1/4", we use a 10" bandsaw that we have 12 tpi blades in, in thin sections this works fine regardless of blade speed.

The router may be the most problematic, routers just spin too fast for metals. If you've got VS go as slow as you can, make very light cuts and use cutting wax to keep things slick.

Good luck!
kg

Here's something from the manufacture of Cut-Ease cutting wax sticks:
http://www.agscompany.com/products.php?line=5&category=19&subcat=99&product=250

http://www.agscompany.com/images/uploaded/CE16.jpg Cut-Ease®

http://www.agscompany.com/images/icons/msds.gif (http://www.agscompany.com/downloads/msds/cut-ease_-_011807.pdf) MSDS (http://www.agscompany.com/downloads/msds/cut-ease_-_011807.pdf)
http://www.agscompany.com/images/icons/datasheet.gif (http://www.agscompany.com/downloads/datasheet/air_tool_anti-freeze_-_tds.pdf) Technical Data Sheet (http://www.agscompany.com/downloads/datasheet/air_tool_anti-freeze_-_tds.pdf)

Description:

A stick lubricant for cutting applications of non-ferrous metals and plastics. Where a circulating lubricant is not possible, Cut-Ease applied to the cutting surface will provide a cleaner, faster, and smoother cut. When used consistently, Cut-Ease can prolong tool life, stop binding, and prevent burring.





And from Amana/AGE on non-ferrous circular saw blades:
http://www.agecuttingtools.com/sawblades/nonferrous-saw-blades.html

Non-Ferrous Saw Blades
TCG (Triple Chip Grind)

Thick Walled Saw Blades
The special carbide formulation and blade geometry makes this blade ideal for cutting aluminum and non-ferrous metal bars such as copper, brass, bronze and lead. Also, good for cutting relatively thick-walled extrusions and profiles. The negative hook angle, triple-chip grind and thick plate combine to produce a superior finish. Use as coolant or blade wax and clamp down the work piece when cutting non-ferrous metals. The blade can be used to cut other “difficult” materials such as plastic, PVC tubing and fiberglass.

Thin Walled Saw Blades
Designed specifically for cutting relatively thin-walled aluminum and non-ferrous extrusions and frames. Use a coolant or blade wax and clamp down the work piece when cutting non-ferrous metals.
http://www.agecuttingtools.com/images/spec-metalthickwal.jpg