A regular carbide tipped wood working blade works just fine on
aluminum. A wax stick or some WD 40 will help to keep the
aluminum from galling the teeth - I strongly prefer the wax
stick - a wax bowl ring would probably work just fine. There will
probably be some burr on the cut, but nothing like using a fiber
blade. Cuts will be as straight and square as your chop saw is
capable of delivering as long as you have a good grip or clamp on
the stock that you are cutting.

I purchased a non ferrous and I actually get a better cleaner cut
from a wood working ATB blade. I have a good triple chip blade
that I am tempted to try, but it is an expensive blade and have
not done so.

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______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"SMS" wrote in message
...
I bought a 10" metal cutting wheel for a miter saw to cut
aluminum, but it really doesn't work too well. It cuts it, but
it's not a straight cut, presumably because the cutting wheel is
flexible, and the motor isn't fast enough.

I ordered this blade
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006407O" but I may return
it unopened if it's not going to work well.

Is a 14" chop saw necessary for cutting aluminum (3/16" flat
bar)?

Are most of the chop saws 14" because this effectively lowers
the speed of wheel across the metal?

I saw a 6" chop saw that runs at 9000 rpm, which is close to the
speed of a 14" chop saw running at 3900 rpm.