Hi- you could waste most of the stock with a good hand held saber saw with a
coarse blade with lots of set.
If its tough going, cut a series of holes around the perimiter, say 1/4 inch
dia. on 3/8 centers before using the saber saw.
Finish with a file like bump and paint guys use on lead- or a 1" wide
vertical belt sander designed for internal sanding- or with a single pass in
the vertical milling machine, or some combo of these. I would layout the
holes with layout dye and prick punch along the lines
in case the line gets "lost". Be aware that alum. can be tricky to
drill-flatten the cutting edge a little on a stone. Consider
clamping two or more plates together to save time. Consider bandsawing out
the hole without breaking the blade and then welding the slot closed.
Perhaps the saw slot could be left as is; no way for me to tell. I think my
24'' Delta floor mounted scroll saw could cut the aluminum with one starting
hole. I think you will find trying to cut multiple depth cuts with an end
mill
more trouble than it is worth. Regards, jim
njrich wrote in message
om...
Gentlemen,
Hope you are fine wherever you may be.
I have a job which came my way which calls for making 2"x2" square
holes in 3/4 inch aluminum plate.
I am a construction worker, carpenter, with access to a heavy
mill-drill machine and a small home shop size band saw. I have to make
24 of these square holes in separate 5" x 6" x 3/4" sections. The
tolerances are not tight. + or - .01 inches is ok.
My question is what is the best way to do this? From what I can see
there are three choices.
1. Layout the square, drill a 5/8 hole, put a hacksaw blade through
and start hacking away. Finish off
using an end mill. Of course I might need a new set of arms when I'm
done. i need a new brain already!
2. Due the same but weld the bandsaw blade through each plate and cut
using the band saw before
finishing with the mill.
3. Drill out a square shape formed by a series of holes using a 1/4"
drill bit and finishing with the mill.
My 3 ideas might suggest to you that I have little experience with
machining metal. And that would be
quite true. So I would appreciate your suggestions.
Thanks,
Rich
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