Newbie- Requesting suggestions for aluminum cutting

[h4x354x0r]

Hello all, I'm new here. I am hoping to get a router or router table for cutting aluminum sheeting. I make custom reflectives - basically iconic reflective driveway markers. I use aluminum sheets (street sign material, but I usually use thinner sheets than DOT) as the backing. You can view a few of them on Flickr: http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/3066465...7610915495347/

I've been using a custom made jigsaw cutting table. I just bolted a jigsaw onto a board upside-down, with the jigsaw blade sticking up. It was just a cheap jigsaw, and it has started failing, probably because of aluminum shavings getting into the motor. It also has a lot of problems with accuracy because the blade flops around a lot.

I want to replace my jigsaw with a router, where the router is mounted upside down and the bit sticks up through the table. I would like some suggestions about a relatively inexpensive router, and good aluminum cutting bits to use. If there are router tables like this in existence, I'm iterested.

This is mostly just a hobby. I do sell the reflectives, but I'm not currently pushing the business model. I'm hoping to get a router and a few bits for somewhere between $100-$200. If I can find a complete routing table ready to go, I could probably spend a bit more.

I would appreciate any suggestions, pointers to equipment for sale that might work for me, etc.

Thanks!

[Algirdas]

People do this job with laser cutters, no need for a router.

[h4x354x0r]

Thanks for the tip! I hadn't been very aware of laser cutters before, or at least hadn't considered them as anything but large-scale industrial tools.

So, I've been looking online at laser cutters now, but I don't see anything that's simple enough or low-budget enough to fit my needs. My production volume is maybe one plate a week, at most.

I can't find any "freestyle" laser cutting tools (i.e. just the laser without a servo controller system). It seems like safety concerns would more or less require them to be part of controlled system. Am I just missing/not finding such simple laser cutter tools?

[MCPservice]

I guess big white elephant in the room is what is your budget?

[h4x354x0r]

My old jigsaw and table setup cost me under $100 and a few hours setup time. But then it takes me a couple hours to manually cut and finish a single plate with that equipment - not exactly an opportunity for profit there :-(

When I was pricing routers at the hardware store, I saw prices ranging from $60-$200. That's about what my budget is: up to $200 for the cutting equipment, and a day of labor to retrofit it into my existing cutting table. For a complete cutter and table assembly ready to go, I could probably go up to $300-$500.

Yeah, I know, I'm probably in the wrong place for a budget like this. But like I said in my original post, this is just a hobby right now. I'm still trying to perfect an entire product which would include the reflective itself, a pole and mounting system that can take some abuse, and an optional security system to keep them from being vandalized or stolen. I feel like I'm getting close, but not quite there yet.

My other option would be to have someone else cut the plates for me, and then I add the reflective sheeting and other stuff. I'm contacting a couple places that do this to get pricing.

If I ever lose my day job (I'm an AV systems programmer/installer by day) I plan to turn this into a real business, and I wouldn't even sneeze at investing $8K-$10K for a real machine. But in the meantime, I just need something to be able to make prototypes for testing and a few for "buddy" sales.

Thanks!

[ger21]

You'll find that freehand routing with the router in the table will be extremely difficult, imo. The bit will want to pull the material into it, probably quite violently.

A better alternative would be to make a straightedge that you would clamp to the material and guide the router. Use the router in your hands, conventionally.

[h4x354x0r]

Thanks for the heads-up on that. Interesting. I guess I need to re-assess my method for using a router. I used to clamp the material and use a jigsaw conventionally, and it was a major PITA. The jigsaw table I made was a huge improvement over that. But the jigsaw doesn't do tight corners well, and the side-to-side slop in the jigsaw blade doesn't help. That's why I was thinking router instead.