DIYbanter - View Single Post - cutting 1/2" thick aluminum bars on a budget?

Mark Storkamp

In article , JBL wrote:

On 06/25/2017 03:35 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 25 Jun 2017 13:56:31 -0400, JBL wrote:

On 06/25/2017 01:45 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jun 2017 23:13:21 -0400, JBL wrote:

I am attempting to make a few "dovetails" which are brackets used to
attach a telescope to a telescope mount. If purchased outright, for the
kind of dovetails I need, the expense is beyond my budget. I recently
acquired some 1/2" aluminum sheet/ bar. The dovetail needs to be 1.75"
wide at the base, with the sides cut at a 15 degree angle. Length can
vary a bit, but usually about 12-14". My plan was to make at least 3
for the various telescopes I have.

I just recently picked up a Craftsman router table, but no router yet.
I've never seen a router in use or used one myself and I have started
checking videos on the topic. At some point, I'll pick up a used router.

Don't try to route aluminum. At work we do have a Biesse CNC router and
a 35' 4 axis router that we do aluminum on every day, but that Craftsman
will be too fast for the diameter of cutter you're likely to use, and
doesn't support the work firmly enough. You'll probably end up sending
the work piece through a wall, and anybody standing between it and the
wall. A carbide tipped blade in a table saw will probably be the best
tool at your disposal. The cutting force from the saw is mostly in a
vector down toward the table and isn't trying as hard to launch the
piece as a router would be.