HELP WITH 8020 ALMUMINUM.

[Imacman]

Hi I am in the process of a homebuild... it is mainly 1/2" Aluminum and 8020. I am Using parts purchased from George in Toronto.. great quality work on the parts I have. here is my problem... I am using 8020 1010 for the under gantry bracing... as well as to attach the endplates... I need the ends cuts on the 1010 Aluminum to be perfectly flat, smooth and square ( They should be machined )
the cost of machining ( 14 ends in total is over $300...lol I can buy a verticle mill here for $799!.... so I tried using a compound Miter saw 7.5" blade.. the cuts were pretty good... but not good enough... I have a router table with variable speed router ( Craftsman 600 & Craftsman Electronic )... and I have some straight bits and an upspiral Straight bit ( no bearing type )... So... will I be able to achieve the results I need with this method?... or does anyone have any suggestions for me? I bought the 8020 on ebay... and I'm down to my last few pieces and I'm afraid to ruin them... if I do.. my build will be delayed by 4 weeks while I wait for more to show up and we all know what waiting for 'Stuff to Show Up" is like..Ughh...... All help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Paul In Newfoundland

[pencilneck]

I got good cuts using this saw blade:

Amazon.com: Freud D1084L 10-Inch Diameter 84t TCG with 5/8-Inch Arbor: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Freud D1084L 10-Inch Diameter 84t TCG with 5/8-Inch Arbor: Home Improvement

I'm cutting up 8020's 1530 and get good clean edges. I've got a Ridgid brand compound saw.

I hope this is info is of some use to you or the next guy.... except for Steve... he is on his own.

[Imacman]

Thanks... I never even thought about various blades... Good Idea... they are cheap enough that I can try a few. I will write down the specs for the blade you mentioned and give that a shot... fortunately...being down to my last few pieces of 8020....also means i have Plenty of ruined pieces on which to perfect a solution!...lol

Thanks

Paul

[rowbare]

Once you have a good blade it comes down to getting the saw squared off for the job.

You want to lubricate your blade. You will get more accurate cuts. There are wax sticks available for that though I am not sure where you would get them. I bought mine some time ago at a show. The wax is a bit on the sticky side. If you can't find it easily, use a candle. Run the saw, and cut into the candle slightly just enough to get some wax on the teeth. The cutting wax is good for a few cuts, if you are using a candle, lubricate every cut.

If you are a bit out of square, you can always hit it with a sander to square it off. Or you can build a shooting board and mount a file on the slide or use an appropriate sandpaper.

bob

[Imacman]

Thanks Rowbare... I've messed up a good bit of my 8020, before checking here on the zone.... The Compound miter saw I'm using is brand new, and was set to "0" degrees.... Ahem...Ahem.... so.. thats what I wnet with.... after I read your post ( Thanks for posting )... I took a small square, and checked the angle on the saw... Guess what.... surprise surprise.... the indicator is off by at least 5 Degrees..easy!.... Should have checked it instead of assuming the read was good huh..lol... newbies..Pfffft...lol... So I loosened the tilt angel, and there was more motion left in it, so after resetting it.. It's now 90 degrees.... i will test with a cut in the morning... so I'm thinking... the blade I used gave me a good cut.... and has 40 teeth... so I'll buy a few tomorrow, with say 80-...100 & 120 teeth...and cross my fingers.... Thanks for the tips guys.
Now I feel pretty stunned for assuming the factory "0" degree mark would be accurate...lol.. live & learn i Guess.. ( actually...i's a bit of a relief... now that I know at least reasons why my cuts were not good enough...)..lol.. theres still hope!.....it's all about the hope!...lol

Thanks

Paul

Newfoundland

[eaglezsoar]

I have had the best luck using a miter saw with a NON FERROUS blade.
I is made to specifically cut aluminum and should be available from Home Depot or Amazon. They cut through aluminum like it was soft wood.

Amazon.com: Freud D1080N Diablo 10-Inch 80 Tooth TCG Non-Ferrous Metal and…

Amazon.com: Freud D1080N Diablo 10-Inch 80 Tooth TCG Non-Ferrous Metal and…

[Imacman]

I'm having trouble locating the right blade.... I was using a 40 toothcarbide
7 1/4"... as I sadi good but not good enough..... so i thought I hut the jackpot, when I found a 7/14 150 tooth blade ( was thinking..more must be better... this blade looked like an oversized Gear from a clock.... really small teeth... but... it didn't work out at all... it tore up the aluminum.... the edges pretty bad so obvioulsy my logic was flawed...lol... I did find one diablo blade but it was only 40 teeth ass well, so I'm thinking thatvwould be about the same as the 40 tooth I have. I tried the sander ioption with my belt sander... but because of the profile on the 1010... the center area with the hole, soesn't sand down as fast... so the piece ends up with a rise in the centre around the hole. Good news is I still haven't used "the Good 8020" yet.. I'm saving it untill I find the solution. So at this point... I'm looking for an 80 tooth blade.... next option is to but a small router table ( the one I have is no good : ( ) and try using the upspiral bit I have and try shaving the ends a little at a time. This CNC build is very rigid, and all of the ends MUST be perfect or the axis are thrown out of wack... it requires very percise cuts.... so..thats a good and bad thing I guess. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. This is the first real obstacle I've come across in my build.


Thanks

Paul

Newfoundland

[rowbare]

Paul,

Another option is to use a metal-filled epoxy such as JB Weld to fill in the gaps (might not have to be metal filled). This way you can compensate for the inevitable inaccuracies. You might find this thread interesting: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30751

The author describes how he used epoxy to get good firm joints. See at a minimum posts 5 and 14. The whole thread is pretty good though it has been a long time since I read it through.

The blade eaglesoarz mentioned would do a really good job if you can find one. I have seen them at Home Depot.

Good luck!
bob

[EBC]

60 or 80 tooth .125 carbide tooth AL blade with a close to negative rake.

Gene

[Imacman]

Thanks guys, I'm still searching for an 80 tooth blade ( 7/ 1/4 ) 3 of the 5 local hardware stores don't have them : (... home depot & rona left to check. I'll grab some JB weld / epoxy and see how that works out. funny how something as simple as getting a square smooth edge can slow one down so much...lol

Thanks

[Drools]

I think the 10" blades are more common. I used the Freud non ferrous blade to cut my 8020 and the finish was perfect! It was like a mirror.

[Imacman]

Thanks Drools... I wasn't sure any blade could get that good a finish, but now I know what i'm looking for in a finish..Cool. Wouldn't you know... as luck would have it...my wife just bought me this saw, it's a Mastercraft 7 1/4" compound miter saw as a fathers day gift...lol....It's a nice little saw with a very accurate ( surprisingly enough ) Laser guide.... i didn't have the heart to tell her..'Yes honey...size does matter"...lol