ALUMINUM: how to cut thick stuff...

[Bootybug]

I am needing to cut SOLID 3 inch aluminum. What can I use? I have a reciprocating saw (a good one), a new circular metal cutting saw, and a cut-off machine (only 6 inch so not much use on this stuff).

Thoughts, as always, greatly appreciated.

 

[creativecars]

Find someone with a nice big band saw, a machine shop? , a vocational school or metal shop. A lot of schools ended up with some real HD equipment from state surplus.

 

[little d]

+1, i just cut a peice of 1 1/2". tryed everything you mentioned and ended up with a band saw. damn it was a *****.

 

[pgreen]

Yup, bandsaw will definitely be your best bet. A recip saw doesn't move enough to clear the chips. The metal cutting circ saw can do it too. Do you have an aluminum cutting blade? Might have to make several passes.

Is this a 3" square or 3" thick x 5' long cut? I used a Slugger metal cutting circular saw years ago when they first came out to cut 1" thick aluminum plate. Had to cut a total of 12 feet during a 20 minute worker lunch, and get the place cleaned up. Worked very well. But have to have the right blades.

 

[A_Pmech]

Regular old Skilsaw and a new carbide combination blade will work just fine.

Lightly coat the underside of the aluminum and the blade with Boelube or WD-40 for best chip clearing.

 

[unclemoak]

My first vote would be for a bandsaw.

One other thing that I've seen successfully done was to put a carbide tooth blade in a circular saw, spray the aluminum down with pledge, and have at it. You wouldn't think it, but it does a surprisingly good job. Granted you have to be really careful and take your time, but you do get a pretty nice cut.

One thing you definitely DON'T want to do it use any type of abrasive wheel on it. They tend to get clogged up with aluminum very quickly.

 

[fflintstone]

Put cheap wood cutting carbide blades in your metal cutting circular saw. Put wax on the blade and have at it. Do not use the ferrous metal blade that came with the metal cutting saw. Wax the blade periodically. Try cutting just over half way thru on one side before flipping it over

 

[BlindViper]

I would clamp in my dewault 12" miter saw and give it some wd40.

 

[Bootybug]

Great comments, as expected.

I am not completely confident in operating a circular saw on a round (or square, for that matter) thick piece of aluminum. There is too much that can go wrong in my opinion. The large, 2.5 inch thick, solid aluminum rod is very dense and certainly going to try to run on me.

Band saw sounds like the right choice, for me. Any suggestions on one? I'll be cutting a lot of it so I don't want anything from Harbor Freight, if you know what I mean.

I picked some steel up today and they were using this beastly band saw I couldn't even hear at 40 feet away. I was stunned how quiet and effective it was, and they were running it dry. They were cutting some massive pieces of steel like nothing.

No one using a grinding wheel anymore--too much noise, too many fumes, too much mess and very sloppy.

Band Saw. Please provide some reasonable direction folks...

Thanks again~

 

[porschedude996TT]

In the shop that I supported years ago, we used a heavy band saw with a blade that looked like a hook tooth. We ran the speed pretty high and it made a whole lot of noise.

 

[A_Pmech]

Great comments, as expected.

I am not completely confident in operating a circular saw on a round (or square, for that matter) thick piece of aluminum. There is too much that can go wrong in my opinion. The large, 2.5 inch thick, solid aluminum rod is very dense and certainly going to try to run on me.

Band saw sounds like the right choice, for me. Any suggestions on one? I'll be cutting a lot of it so I don't want anything from Harbor Freight, if you know what I mean.

Nothing to it. Clamp in a vise and go to town, just keep a firm grip on the saw and avoid entering into a situation where the saw could kickback. All the aluminum alloys cut easily with a circular saw. It's accepted practice to use a worm drive Skil saw or a table saw for sawing aluminum plate to size.

If you want a cutoff saw for bar stock of all types, look for a used horizontal bandsaw. Kysor-Johnson, Kalamazoo, Do-All, etc.

For that matter, you can use a miter saw if it has sufficient power. Millions of feet of aluminum extrusion are cut with wood miter saws every year.

 

[Torque1st]

I have a carbide ex-wood blade dedicated to use for cutting aluminum in my miter saw. Just clamp the stock in securely and go slow. Lubrication with WD-40 or Kerosene works well.

 

[Bootybug]

Can this do the job? Used it once to intall hardwoods.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/machinery-portable-table-saws-dw745_2.aspx

 

[Torque1st]

Can this do the job? Used it once to intall hardwoods.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/machinery-portable-table-saws-dw745_2.aspx

Personally I would not. Kickbacks would be a real *****...

 

[A_Pmech]

Can this do the job? Used it once to intall hardwoods.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/machinery-portable-table-saws-dw745_2.aspx

For bar stock, a table saw is not the correct tool. A Skil saw, miter saw, cold saw or horizontal bandsaw is what you want.

 

[rsanter]

horizontal bandsaw, no problem

bob

 

[Bootybug]

I've got an electric miter saw, just don't know how powerful it is.

Horizontal bandsaw is too big a machine for my garage, but I'm sure it'd work.

 

[tdkkart]

I am needing to cut SOLID 3 inch aluminum. What can I use? I have a reciprocating saw (a good one), a new circular metal cutting saw, and a cut-off machine (only 6 inch so not much use on this stuff).

Thoughts, as always, greatly appreciated.

The recipricating saw will work just fine with a long enough blade in it, go slow with some wd40 and you'll be fine.

 

[Boiler]

are you cutting it to length as needed, or do you know what you need? The place that supplies my steel and aluminum would cut it for me for a relatively low cost, especially if the pieces are long. I use them for that on my home projects. At work we've got one of these for such cutting:

 

[blue dog]

As stated before, a horizontal band saw is the way to go, but i have cut 2 1/2" thick 6061 on my powermatic 66 table saw before. I do not recommend it as it is very dangerous. Take it to a supply house as Boiler stated and pay them to cut it if you do not have the proper tools to do so. Safety first.

 

[Kenwc]

I do this all the time with a Delta 12" compound miter saw with a Freud Non-Ferrous blade mounted...cuts like butter.

 

[danski0224]

I am needing to cut SOLID 3 inch aluminum. What can I use? I have a reciprocating saw (a good one), a new circular metal cutting saw, and a cut-off machine (only 6 inch so not much use on this stuff).

Thoughts, as always, greatly appreciated.

Do you have a sliding compound miter box saw?

Get a non-ferrous metal cutting blade for it and have at it.

That's what the guys cutting solid aluminum extrusions for 1" thick glass railing panels use. Those extrusions wers about 4" x 3". Hot knife through butter.

At a minimum, goggles and earplugs are suggested.

 

[nehog]

For lubricant we use ATF (used but in good condition) which seems to work better than anything else considering the price (free). We cut hundreds of pieces in thicknesses of 1/4" to 1/2", using a Rockwell saw and a regular (high-quality) carbide blade. As a side bonus we get a couple of hundred pounds of chips each year--just wish I had a use for them other than scrap!

FWIW, we don't clamp the work either, but the saw is configured for the cuts we do, so it (the stock) can't move much. In production we cut 17 pieces from a 6 ft extrusion, grab another piece and start over.

 

[Bootybug]

The recipricating saw will work just fine with a long enough blade in it, go slow with some wd40 and you'll be fine.

Too herky-jerky for me, not to mention I need very flat and level cuts.

are you cutting it to length as needed, or do you know what you need? The place that supplies my steel and aluminum would cut it for me for a relatively low cost, especially if the pieces are long. I use them for that on my home projects. At work we've got one of these for such cutting:

I bought scrap pieces that are short, but still need to be cut as I find uses for the metal. The right thing to do is know what I'm going to use it for prior to purchase and have them cut it for $1 per-cut.

Do you have a sliding compound miter box saw?

Get a non-ferrous metal cutting blade for it and have at it.

That's what the guys cutting solid aluminum extrusions for 1" thick glass railing panels use. Those extrusions wers about 4" x 3". Hot knife through butter.

At a minimum, goggles and earplugs are suggested.

No, mine does not slide. At the time I bought it the sliders were not as prolific as they are today.

I may try and bolt it down to the miter box and make an attempt to see how it works.

I do this all the time with a Delta 12" compound miter saw with a Freud Non-Ferrous blade mounted...cuts like butter.

Mine is a Delta, too. Do you use any lubricant? How thick have you gone?

 

[tdkkart]

Too herky-jerky for me, not to mention I need very flat and level cuts.

So just chuck it in the lathe and fix it up..........

 

[bsaint]

3" aluminum tube/round/square?

 

[Bootybug]

So just chuck it in the lathe and fix it up..........

I may just do that for grins. But going forward, I'd like a more permanent and safer solution.

3" aluminum tube/round/square?

Primarily round, but also square.

Do you think this could do the job???

(I'm trying to avoid the big table band saw if possible, from a space perspective. I will primarily be cutting 1 inch square tubing, but the saw needs to honeymoon for this aluminum stuff too.)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DD0AC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[MotoDave]

It's not going to cut it for production work, but for my home shop use the 4x6 harbor freight horizontal band saw has been perfect. I have no doubts it would make the cuts you want to do.
If you really hate hf you can get through same saw in green from grizzly, or white from jet ... for 3x the price

 

[Az Scooter]

I second the circular sa. put it in a vise and go to town. Make sure that you have the nonferrous blade in it.
Failing that, how about a protable band saw? If you know where to shop, you can pick them up cheap.
It does sound like you are going into production with something. If that is the case, spec it out from your metal supplier, and have them bid it. You might be surprised at the cost savings.

 

[Zeke]

I've cut a lot of light gauge AL with circular saws, both table and hand. I can say this, make sure the work is clamped well. Or in the case of the table saw, use feather boards. AL will jump at you, especially if you have too few many teeth on your blade.

That's why the band saw is the tool of choice.

 

[pgreen]

I have a Jet 4x6 horizontal bandsaw. These can be had pretty cheaply, and will make this a very easy and safe cut. Mine has cut probably hundreds of feet of material, steel and aluminum. These are very quiet, and safe. Clamp your piece in, start it up and walk away.

 

[gmwelder86]

A vice and portable band saw, use them to cut everything from wood, al, unistrut and steel pipe up to about 6" after that their are faster methods.

 

[TurnipTruck]

I built aluminum boats for 4+ years while going to school. We used a slowed-down wood bandsaw for short curvy cuts and ordinary skilsaws for everything else. Carbide tooth wood blades and Pam cooking spray as lube.Earplug AND earmuffs and a fullface shield and no exposed skin, 'cause those chips are HOT. I have since used special nonferrous skilsaw blades, and I can't tell the difference.
The carbide teeth occasionally disappear, and we did have to grind the remaining nub if it affected the kerf width.

 

[Bootybug]

Ok. I will try the vice, but just for this project. I'm going to need something permanent going forward.

Thought on this one??? It has a small footprint--I likey. Please, your thougths...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DD0PL/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Oh, I did look at the HF one and it just looks like a like my cat could knock it over--no offense. I like HF for many things.

 

[unclemoak]

If you're going to be cutting a lot of round tubing, I'd strongly suggest a horizontal band saw. Cutting round stock on a vertical can be a bit dangerous because from time to time if you're not extremely careful the teeth can catch and cause the part to spin on the table and your cut will get all screwed up. So unless it's less than 1/2" solid round stock, I wouldn't even thinking about attempting it on a vertical.

 

[Bootybug]

Circular saws scare me, to be honest. They jump, twist and will leave your hand for the floor as fast as you can say sht.

I had a tooth rip off of one and fly onto my leg--it burned through my pants and into my leg in an absolute instant. The saw hit a lare nail within the wood that was not noticeable from the outside. This was years ago, but I still remember how fast I moved and it wasn't nearly fast enough. Amazing how quickly it melted into my skin. Using tools properly for their intended use extends my life and health.

I know there are many of you that are absolute experts and have acquired a set of skills that can only be learned with many years of experience, and this includes the ability to modify tools or their use for your task at hand. While I work with my hands, it's only a hobby, not a living for me. If I make one small mistake it can be very costly.

Increasing my margin of safety by buying a tool designed for the task is my best bet, and the wife would certainly agree with me.

Your advice is greatly appreciated and very valued.

 

[Bootybug]

If you're going to be cutting a lot of round tubing, I'd strongly suggest a horizontal band saw. Cutting round stock on a vertical can be a bit dangerous because from time to time if you're not extremely careful the teeth can catch and cause the part to spin on the table and your cut will get all screwed up. So unless it's less than 1/2" solid round stock, I wouldn't even thinking about attempting it on a vertical.

I totally agree. I was just looking at jigs to set circular pieces on the table. Using a band saw is the best route. I will be cutting more 1-1.5inch steel tubing and 1 inch angle iron than anything else, to be honest. However, I am taking to aluminum due to its light qualities and great finish for some prototype products. Welding it will be another issue with my Hobart, though.

How well will this saw cut square, steel tubing? Also, flat 1/8 inch steel plating?

 

[unclemoak]

I totally agree. I was just looking at jigs to set circular pieces on the table. Using a band saw is the best route. I will be cutting more 1-1.5inch steel tubing and 1 inch angle iron than anything else, to be honest. However, I am taking to aluminum due to its light qualities and great finish for some prototype products. Welding it will be another issue with my Hobart, though.

How well will this saw cut square, steel tubing? Also, flat 1/8 inch steel plating?

Horizontal band saws are awesome on any type of long tubing or bar stock whether it be aluminum, steel, plastic, whatever. We occasionally even cut titanium on ours as well.

As for the 1/8 steel plate, it would really depend on what size/shape it is. You're not going to be able to cut a sheet of plate on a horizontal, but if it's strips of plate you will be fine, so long as it fix in the jaws.


Think of it this way. Trying to cut a piece of sheet metal on a horizontal band saw would be like trying to cut a sheet of plywood with a miter saw.

 

[danski0224]

No, mine does not slide. At the time I bought it the sliders were not as prolific as they are today.

Go buy one- doesn't have to be a huge monster saw.

 

[Bootybug]

I'll be cutting 1'' square tubing that is 1/16 inch thick. My cheap $39 chop saw does it in about twenty seconds. It makes a damn mess everywhere, smells (toxic chemicals from the disc blade) and makes more noise than my ar-15). So getting a saw that can cut this first, and foremost, is very important.

I may very well have to buy a horizontal saw and verticle one, I suppose.

The plating I'll be cuting is either 1/8 or 1/16 thick and only two inches wide, sort of like a strips of steel cut into small pieces. The strips look like a belt you would wear to hold your pants up. My chop saw gets too hot cutting it, and as mentioned above.