Cutting aluminum using carbide saw
 

Hi to all,

Someone at the metalshop where i was buying a few aluminum flat bar tell me that aluminum (series 6000) could easily be cut using a table saw if the blade is made of carbide teeth.

Does someone has the experience of doing this and what about the results and safety of it ?

It works quite well. Keep the blade up just over the top of the flat
bar. Don't use a fence on the free end or it could cock and go flying
off at high speed. If possible clamp the bar in a jig and feed into the
saw. A mitre saw I find works better, usually with a non-ferrous blade
if you are going to be doing a lot of it, but for a couple of cuts a
regular carbide blade works fine (a fine pitch blade preferred) If you
do have a mitre saw, stop the blade at the bottom of the cut before
letting the blade come back up, the loose part can get grabbed by the
blade on the way back up and get flung across the room :-) good luck

AndreL wrote:
Hi to all,

Someone at the metalshop where i was buying a few aluminum flat bar tell
me that aluminum (series 6000) could easily be cut using a table saw if
the blade is made of carbide teeth.

Does someone has the experience of doing this and what about the results
and safety of it ?

Also, use a little WD40 on the blade. If you're going to buy a blade,
get one of the non-ferrous ones.

Wear safety glassess

FS


On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 14:11:53 GMT, machineman
wrote:

It works quite well. Keep the blade up just over the top of the flat
bar. Don't use a fence on the free end or it could cock and go flying
off at high speed. If possible clamp the bar in a jig and feed into the
saw. A mitre saw I find works better, usually with a non-ferrous blade
if you are going to be doing a lot of it, but for a couple of cuts a
regular carbide blade works fine (a fine pitch blade preferred) If you
do have a mitre saw, stop the blade at the bottom of the cut before
letting the blade come back up, the loose part can get grabbed by the
blade on the way back up and get flung across the room :-) good luck

AndreL wrote:
Hi to all,

Someone at the metalshop where i was buying a few aluminum flat bar tell
me that aluminum (series 6000) could easily be cut using a table saw if
the blade is made of carbide teeth.

Does someone has the experience of doing this and what about the results
and safety of it ?

Works fine in both the table saw and the miter box. BUT it is extremely
noisy (wear muffs), throws chips (wear safety goggoles or full safety
glasses with eye shields), and likes to grab (clamp the stock to the
miter gage) A fine tooth (40 teeth and up) carbide wood blade works ok,
better is a special "non ferris" blade with zero hook angle (keeps it
from grabbing)

AndreL wrote:
Hi to all,

Someone at the metalshop where i was buying a few aluminum flat bar tell
me that aluminum (series 6000) could easily be cut using a table saw if
the blade is made of carbide teeth.

Does someone has the experience of doing this and what about the results
and safety of it ?

On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:32:01 -0400, FredSmith wrote:
Also, use a little WD40 on the blade. If you're going to buy a blade,
get one of the non-ferrous ones.

Why would you put a water-displacing compound on the blade?
Why would you put WD-40, which attracts dust and turns to gum, on
anything?

Dave Hinz wrote:
On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:32:01 -0400, FredSmith wrote:

Also, use a little WD40 on the blade. If you're going to buy a blade,
get one of the non-ferrous ones.


Why would you put a water-displacing compound on the blade?
Why would you put WD-40, which attracts dust and turns to gum, on
anything?

Because it's convenient and it works.
Kerosene also works, IIRC, but how many of us keep it around in a squirt
can?

On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:53:00 -0500, Rex B wrote:
Dave Hinz wrote:

Why would you put a water-displacing compound on the blade?
Why would you put WD-40, which attracts dust and turns to gum, on
anything?

Because it's convenient and it works.
Kerosene also works, IIRC, but how many of us keep it around in a squirt
can?

I can't be the only one who does, can I?

Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:53:00 -0500, Rex B wrote:
Dave Hinz wrote:

Why would you put a water-displacing compound on the blade?
Why would you put WD-40, which attracts dust and turns to gum, on
anything?

Because it's convenient and it works.
Kerosene also works, IIRC, but how many of us keep it around in a squirt
can?

I can't be the only one who does, can I?

I was raised next the RR (in the era of steam) and I smelled enough kero to
last ten lifetimes. It always reminds me of dirt and being poor.

On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 12:08:41 -0400, Ted Cummings wrote:

Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:53:00 -0500, Rex B wrote:

Kerosene also works, IIRC, but how many of us keep it around in a squirt
can?

I can't be the only one who does, can I?

I was raised next the RR (in the era of steam) and I smelled enough kero to
last ten lifetimes. It always reminds me of dirt and being poor.

Ah, you have to steal the wife's scented kerosene from the
pretty-lamp-filling bottle. Or, Marvel Mystery Oil which is pretty much
the same stuff.

Yes, I have some experience (about 15 years and several tons worth).

1. Make sure your blade and fence are properly aligned parallel to the
miter slot.

2. Read, understand, and obey all safety rules associated with the use
of a table saw. If you get a kickback while cutting hunks of aluminum,
you'll be lucky to be live and tell about the experience.

3. Wear an apron and full face shield. The chips are sharp, hot, and
come streaming toward you at high speed. They will cut and even embed
into any soft tissue (like skin and eyes).

4. Use a blade designed for non-ferrous metal cutting. This would have
a "tripple-chip" tooth grind with a negative (or neutral) hook (rake)
angle. A standard wood cutting blade (alternating top bevel) will dull
very quickly and become hazardous.

5. Use some sort of lubricant. The aluminum will weld itself to the
teeth and fill the gullets of the blade if you don't. I do so much
aluminum cutting that I have a spray mist unit on the saw. A stick wax
lubricant works pretty darn good. I would not feel comfortable using
flamable liquids (like kerosene).

This really isn't an activity for the novice tablesaw user. If you are
not already familiar with using a tablesaw then learn all the ins and
outs cutting wood first.

Hope I've been able to help.

Ed Bennett

http://www.ts-aligner.com

I suggest a saber saw for the less adventuresome.

jw

I have used stick wax in the past with good results.
If you have longer cuts you would have to re-apply.
Also, a strip of 2" masking tape helps protect the edges from scratching
from the saw. Makes it easier to slide also.
If you overlap the cut line 1" on each side of the cut, make your mark on
the tape and then make your cut...

I use a wax stick lube, conveinient and very little odor, LPS stuff I
think. Just brush it up against the running saw blade lightly on each
side, every 10-15 cuts.

Dave Hinz wrote:
On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 12:08:41 -0400, Ted Cummings wrote:


Dave Hinz wrote:


On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:53:00 -0500, Rex B wrote:


Kerosene also works, IIRC, but how many of us keep it around in a squirt
can?


I can't be the only one who does, can I?


I was raised next the RR (in the era of steam) and I smelled enough kero to
last ten lifetimes. It always reminds me of dirt and being poor.


Ah, you have to steal the wife's scented kerosene from the
pretty-lamp-filling bottle. Or, Marvel Mystery Oil which is pretty much
the same stuff.

On Mon, 3 Oct 2005 08:21:36 -0400, "AndreL"
wrote:

Hi to all,

Someone at the metalshop where i was buying a few aluminum flat bar tell me that aluminum (series 6000) could easily be cut using a table saw if the blade is made of carbide teeth.

Does someone has the experience of doing this and what about the results and safety of it ?


I've done it several times - wear full face protection AND goggles, as
well as a good heavy pair of coveralls. The chips fly fast far and
furious - and they are hot and sharp.

Do NOT use your circular (skill) saw - if the chips get into the motor
at all they WILL damage the armature. Ask me how I know.

After expensive lesson number one, I've used my old Beaver 8" table
saw (with a cover over the motor (which has a drip-proof case) for
good measure.).

On 3 Oct 2005 15:26:43 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:32:01 -0400, FredSmith wrote:
Also, use a little WD40 on the blade. If you're going to buy a blade,
get one of the non-ferrous ones.

Why would you put a water-displacing compound on the blade?
Why would you put WD-40, which attracts dust and turns to gum, on
anything?

I draw the line to cut with a candle. The parafin does a better job of
keeping the chips from welding to the carbide than WD40 can ever hope
to do.

Thanks for all the good information provided here. I've learned a lot in reading and i'm now equipped to do the work !

Great collaboration !
"AndreL" wrote in message ...
Hi to all,

Someone at the metalshop where i was buying a few aluminum flat bar tell me that aluminum (series 6000) could easily be cut using a table saw if the blade is made of carbide teeth.

Does someone has the experience of doing this and what about the results and safety of it ?

"Ted Cummings" wrote in message
...


Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:53:00 -0500, Rex B wrote:
Dave Hinz wrote:

Why would you put a water-displacing compound on the blade?
Why would you put WD-40, which attracts dust and turns to gum, on
anything?

Because it's convenient and it works.
Kerosene also works, IIRC, but how many of us keep it around in a
squirt
can?


I always use WD 40 or one of its clones when machining aluminium. Kero
stinks !

Tom

Just ease the metal into the blade very slowly. If the metal smacks
the teeth in any way it can strip the carbide right off faster than you
can blink. I've seen one of these blades minus the carbide, and
neither it nor the saw it was in looked too pretty. The carbide chunks
that come flying off have a nasty tendency to turn into bullets.