best home shop tool for cutting stock into smaller pieces?

[mike_mccue]

I want to cut up some Aluminum bar stock. For example; I have some 1"x1/4" flat stock in 8' lengths.

What's the best tool/blade combo for this type of work.

I have these power tools in the shop and am willing to purchase a dedicated blade for aluminum cutting:

Rigid Chop saw with 14" abrasive blade for steel.

Craftsman Radial Arm Saw 10" blade.

Bosch Hand Held jig or "skil" saw.

Milwaukee Sawzall.

The hand held tools cut well but I'd like to square up with the Radial or Chop saw.

thanks for any suggestions,
mike

[Geof]

You can get 'Triple Chip' carbide blades that are marked as suitable for aluminum and they give an excellent cut with a small amount of lubricant.

I don't think it is safe to try using a Radial Arm saw for cutting aluminum with one of these blades but you may be able to fit a 10" one in the chop saw.

Make sure the barstock is well secured so the blade cannot lift it. I normally rig up a simple fixture out of plywood so that both sides of the cut are held down; build-up a plywood block with a rectangular hole the stock can slide through and bolt this to the saw table. Then just cut a slot in it with the blade to cut the bar.

[mc-motorsports]

Don't use a chop saw with an abrasive blade, it will just load up and melt the aluminum, nasty cuts, and you won't be able to cut anything thicker than 1/4" aluminum, if that.

I've used a miter saw with a carbide tipped blade, but look for the blade that Geof is reccomending, the carbide tipped blades made for wood flex too much, and a little oil goes a long way, and makes a big mess too Just have to be carefull with the feed rate, it can get grabby and try to yank the blade in.

[mike_mccue]

Thanks to both of you.

best regards,
mike

[cjjonesarmory]

If it doesn't have to be incredibly accurate cuts, the sawsall for sure. Use a metal cutting blade with 10-14 TPI or less. Use some cutting oil/coolant. Watch for tooth clogging (the cutting oil will help), and adhesion of aluminum to the blade due to heat. Ideally 6 or less TPI on the blade is great, but due to the thin stock, may do better with 10 TPI. Use a wire brush help keep the blade clear of swarf, just give the blade a wipe or two occasionally.

I would be nervous using the chop saw and radial arm saw for metal. The just wern't designed for the shock loads encountered in metal cutting. I'm assuming the chop saw is a mitre saw or wood cutting saw, but if it's an actual metal cutting abrasive chop saw then perhaps it would work with the circular saw blade mentioned in the other post.

[mike_mccue]

Thanks for the detailed answer.

FWIW the chop saw I mentioned is one of the designs made for metal and occasionally marketed for masonry as well.

I do think you are correct that the Sawzall is probably the safest choice.

I haven't looked for the triple bit blade yet. If I can get one easily I want to try it.

Is it correct to think that a metal bandsaw with a gravity feed is the best tool for this type of work?

best regards,
mike

[Geof]

Originally Posted by cjjonesarmory ....I would be nervous using the chop saw and radial arm saw for metal. The just wern't designed for the shock loads encountered in metal cutting....

No need to be nervous, you don't get shock loading provided you have the work firmly held and you are sensible with the feed. We have a De Walt that has done thousands of cuts on 1" dia 1/8" wall tube and 3/4" x 1-1/2" bar stock without any problems.

The thing that can kill the miter saw motor is getting chips inside where they can wedge near the brushes and short circuit things. This is another reason to have a fixture that totally covers the cutting on all side with the blade working in a slot.

Tha Radial Arm saw is a totally different thing. I think anyone who contemplates cutting metal with one of these has a subconscious wish to lose fingers or worse. The same things goes for the tilt and pull miter saws.

[cjjonesarmory]

Originally Posted by mike_mccue Thanks for the detailed answer. Is it correct to think that a metal bandsaw with a gravity feed is the best tool for this type of work?

Yeah, I have the following in my shop:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-1-...-Bandsaw/G4030

It would make short work of it for sure :-) You can find smaller ones for under $300, but they don't have the built in coolant system which you may not need with a long bandsaw blade (less heat buildup) when cutting thin aluminum. For your job, with a small bandsaw, you could just spritz the blade with a hand pump spray bottle and it should work fine.

[mike_mccue]

Thanks for the reply about the band saw.

Thanks for the reply about the Dewalt chop saw.

best,
mike

[yaddatrance]

I know someone's going to yell at me that it's a bad idea... but...

I've used a dewalt 14" miter/chop saw to cut aluminum stock for >14 years now with no issues yet...

I originally used bandsaws but once when I needed to weld up a new blade, I got lazy and decided to risk the chopsaw... It had a standard dewalt brand medium cut carbide tipped "wood" blade, and went through the solid aluminum bar like a hot knife through butter... The kerf width is more than say a bandsaw, but you can't beat the convenience or price...

From what I noticed, the saw pushes the stock down and into the fence so unless you're doing really short pieces, I wouldn't worry about things like kickback or the teeth grabbing the piece. The carbide teeth do a good job of clearing the kerf as well.

[mike_mccue]

Thanks for your insights.

Yes, I have welded many bandsaw blades... I've never enjoyed doing it... It always happens when you have work to do. :-)

I'm going to buy a triple chip blade for the Chop Saw and work carefully.

best regards,
mike

[Geof]

Originally Posted by yaddatrance I know someone's going to yell at me that it's a bad idea... but... From what I noticed, the saw pushes the stock down and into the fence so unless you're doing really short pieces, I wouldn't worry about things like kickback or the teeth grabbing the piece. The carbide teeth do a good job of clearing the kerf as well.

I will not yell at you....but...

It is not a good idea to tell a novice to do this. Or at least I think it is not a good idea and this is based on my experience having employees use a miter saw this way.

Part of the problem is defining 'really short' and making sure that the edge of the stock is not above the fence. If the stock sticks up too high it will twist and jam the blade. Also if the regular saw blade is dull it can tend to bind in the cut.

For someone like me who has been doing this type of thing for decades there is not much risk but there is too much risk for me to recommend it to someone just starting out.