Thanks.

Hul

Bob La Londe wrote:
"Hul Tytus" wrote in message ...

Bob, what's MIC 6?

Hul

***************

Cast aluminum tooling plate. Not as strong as 6061, but supposedly has no
internal stresses so used more often for fixtures and tooling plates.



Bob La Londe wrote:
Now I know guys use their regular circular saws sometimes, so this isn't
huge. I have used my Skill Wormdrive for cutting aluminum sheet with
the blade adjusted just right. Its a little fast and a little scary,
but if you prelube the cut areas it works ok.

I picked up an Evoluton 9" metal cutting circular saw a while back to
tackle these jobs instead. Its supposed to be good for mil steel upto
1/2 inch. The first thin I used it for was stainless sheet for some
lower shelves on the welding table I built last year. Of course that
trashed the blade, but it did do the job. Kinda of scary like cutting
aluminum sheet with a Skill saw. LOL.

Well today I used the Evo saw a little more in keeping with its intended
use... I sliced up a piece of 12 x 24 x 1 inch MIC 6 that was just to
big to break down on the bandsaw or easily on the mill. If I had a
slitting saw... I blocked up the piece and clamped it to the deck of my
welding table, supported the cut off side, and had a piece aluminum to
clamp on across the cut behind the saw. I adjusted the fence on the saw
for the rough size bar I wanted, and laid down a bead of cutting oil
along the cut line.

It was all rather anti climactic. It was noisy, but not as noisy as
ripping hardwood on the table saw. The cut looks saw cut, but otherwise
pretty good. Hardly any temperature rise, and the burr is there, but
easily manageable with a burr tool or even a pass with a sanding block.
Its much less than the burr I usually get with 6061 on the horizontal
bandsaw. Now to make my jig... or is it a fixture?

I'm using the MIX 6 to create a plate with a guide slot to mount two
spindexers facing each other quickly, easily and repeatably. I can
throw them in a pair of vises easily enough, but the vises are mounted
fully inside the cutting envelope of the machines. Last time I used
them that way I had to leave one half hanging out of the vise. If I
have to unbolt the vises anyway I figured I'd just have a keyed fixture
plate that can drop on easily and repeatably.