On Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 8:28:02 PM UTC-5, Clare wrote:

I've done it several times. I had a 10 inch "Beaver" table saw and
used it to cut 2 inch blocks of aluminum for the engine mounts.(sold
the table saw almost 10 years ago - did I mention we are 16 years into
this build???) The whole garage was full of sharp shiny chips of
aluminum.

I also cut some 3/16" aluminum plate for an engine cover - and that
cost me over $100 for a new armature for my favorite circular saw -and
spread chips all over the back yard. THAT cut was extremely noizy-.

The cuts were smoother than chopping with an axe, but would require a
lot of sanding or grinding to make the surface quality I want for
these parts - which would make any kind of accuracy very difficult.

I would not recommend a circular saw for aluminium. But do use a table saw whenever it seems like the best way that I have. I have some sheet metal to keep sawdust out of the motor and it works for aluminium chips too. The aluminium chips are a big pain.

If you do not have any aluminium files, I would recommend getting one. The Type A is the best in my opinion. I have a bunch of files from Boeing Surplus, but they do not work as well for good finishes as the Type A I bought many years ago.

Dan