On Jun 19, 1:27*pm, N4aeq wrote:
*As a electronic guy I often need to cut 1/16-3/16" & sometimes 1/2
small pieces of Aluminum, I
have a Craftsman cast iorn 12" bandsaw. *They sell metal cutting
blades for these all the time
however I know I will have to drop the rpm. *One blade has 9 tpi the
other 14 tpi but neither say
what rpm to run. *The stock saw has 1725rpm motor 2/1 pully for 862
rpm of the 12" wheel.
*If i figure it right thats around 2700 fpm, again this is for wood
cutting. *What would be a good
fpm to go for when cutting aluminum. *Another thing is both say for
non ferrous metals but will
also cut thin ferrous metals, one 9tpi and ones 14tpi both fit the
same model saw, I guessing the
9tpi could run a faster fpm?

One problem is that the rubber tires pick up the aluminum swarf,
particularly if you use cutting wax sticks.. When you switch back to
wood, this will come loose and embed itself in your project just at
the worst possible spot to remove it before finishing. DAMHIK. In my
shop, thin aluminum sheet gets either sheared or whacked out with a
saber saw and a fine blade. Sandwiching it with scrap door skins makes
it a lot easier to cut, I used to get mine from a lumber yard that
usually had a few than the pallet bands messed up and could be had
cheap.

Stan