Best Way To Blaze Thru Aluminum Blocks/Flat Bar ???

[twocik]

Just about to start a small run on a product and noticed my little 4 x 6 harbor freight isn't going to cut it.. Well it will but very slowly. I'm using bi metal 18, 10-14 pitch 1/2" blades, but still very slow.

I have about many cuts into 6061-T6 1" x 3, 1" x 4 and .75" x 3 12' footers (total of 5 12' flat bar stock). So far I've cut out a few for demo and noticed it's taken me at least 3 - 7 mins to cut thru just the 1" x 4 flat bar if not longer. Not to mention I opened up a can of worms playing with the alignment on that POS.



My next idea was to use my 10" home depot dewalt miter saw with maybe a higher end aluminum cutting blade (not a bad little motor on it), but thought maybe this isn't enough due to it being a general purpose / wood cutting saw.

Saw this blade, anyone ?

MSC Item Detail



Any recommendations on a new piece of equipment or of a better blade, etc... that will speed things up for aluminum cutting, please let me know


Thanks
.

[doorknob]

I haven't used it yet so I can't give any actual user experience, but I recently purchased the following 10-inch, 100-tooth carbide saw blade for my table saw (and it would probably work just fine in a chop saw as well):

Amazon.com: Oshlun SBNF-100100 10-Inch 100 Tooth TCG Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch Arbor for Aluminum and Non Ferrous Metals: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Oshlun SBNF-100100 10-Inch 100 Tooth TCG Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch Arbor for Aluminum and Non Ferrous Metals: Home Improvement

[rowbare]

You can use a much more aggressive blade in aluminum. If you can get a 6 or 8 tpi blade, you would be better off. Also how are you holding your stock? Are you laying it down flat (__) or standing it up on edge (|)? You will get better results if you stand it on edge. There is more pressure per tooth plus you aren't dragging chips 4 inches through the material.

A non-ferrous blade in your miter saw will work well though if it fits your budget, the 14" dry cut metal saws do a really good job.

bob

[Geof]

Get what is called a "triple chip" carbide blade for your miter saw and the cut will take rfraction of a minute. Lubrication is essential, especially on wide material, and the easiest thing is to brush a bit on the aluminum and the blade just before each cut. That or get a mister.

[CNC Lurker]

Freud makes a 10" Diablo blade designed for cutting aluminum and other non-ferrous metals:

D1080N 10" blade for Non-Ferrous Metals/Plastics

Amazon and Home Depot carries these, not sure about Lowes.

[twocik]

I thought of standing it up, but noticed the cut is a little sloppy from vibration being 4" tall. It does seem a little faster this way and guess I just use the factory extruded side in my vise instead. At this point anything to speed up production is best.

The Freud blades I believe are sold at homedepot but highly doubt they have the triple chip. Maybe I'll try MSC or McMaster.


As for the bandsaw blades, do they make 6 - 8 in bi metal ? I've never seen one in bi metal, but at the time wasn't looking for one.

[CNC Lurker]

Originally Posted by twocik I thought of standing it up, but noticed the cut is a little sloppy from vibration being 4" tall. It does seem a little faster this way and guess I just use the factory extruded side in my vise instead. At this point anything to speed up production is best. The Freud blades I believe are sold at homedepot but highly doubt they have the triple chip. Maybe I'll try MSC or McMaster. As for the bandsaw blades, do they make 6 - 8 in bi metal ? I've never seen one in bi metal, but at the time wasn't looking for one.

Triple chip or not, the Freud is designed to cut non-ferrous material. Actually there are many on here who cut there 80/20 aluminum extrusions for their CNC router with a Diablo woodworking blade, including me, so getting one specifically for aluminum cutting will definitely work.

Notice the Home Depot price on the attached pic; you can buy 2 of these for the cost of the one in the first post. This is for the 10", not sure what the price is for the smaller ones.

Lubrication is highly recommended because aluminum can gall the blades. I used WD40, but hitting the spinning blade with a wax stick would be idealsss.

Cut-Ease Metal Cutting Solid Stick Lubricant LINK

[twocik]

Have you used this blade to cut solid stock too ?


Yea I know what a joke. I'm in the middle of a small run and kind of need something asap. This little bandsaw is laughing at me.. I guess I'll pay that this time around. Where are you buying your blades from ? Another blade someone was telling me about that is supposedly awesome, but haven't tried... Tenryu Ever hear of them ?

Tenryu America, Inc. - Tenryu Website Products page


BTW thanks for the help guys, I really appreciated it

[DMF_TomB]

try
7-1/4" Metal Cutting Circular Saw
.
a portable metal cutting circular saw i use to cut up to 1" thick steel and maybe thicker aluminum
.
cuts 3/8" steel plate at easily 1 inch per second. biggest problem is support both ends of plate so cut piece does not fall and bounce and break your leg.
.
i had more trouble cutting wood than i have had with this metal saw

[thedave]

I bought a Evolution Steel Saw 2 with their aluminum blade a few months ago. I cant say how long the blade will hold up, but the 1st large batch (6061) I cut up was, (144) 2" x .5", (45) 1" x .357, and (45) 1.25" tube with .25 side wall, in about 2 hours. The cut is better than a band saw and decent accuracy. I have also cut 2" x 2" (solid) 6061 with no issues. This is dry cut. Build quality is good, with a 3 Year warranty. I built a custom stop for it and it worked great. As it uses a 14" blade it flexes a bit and I do get some side to side variation in the cut. I would guess in the .01 range. After I have used it for a few months, I would say the videos are accurate.

[BobWarfield]

These DeWalt Multicutters are great:

FREE SHIPPING — DEWALT Multi-Cutter Saw — 15 Amp, Model# DW872 | Chop Saws | Northern Tool + Equipment

What's different about it versus sticking a carbide blade on a conventional saw is the rpm. The Multicutter runs at 1300 instead of the normal miter saw's 3600 rpm.

Of course you do wind up buying another saw. I guess you have to decide whether you want to pay more for blades or saws, LOL.

Seriously, this saw is my first choice if the workpiece fits. It just boogies on through the metal.



Best,

BW

[twocik]

OK I'm a believer, damn that blade is awesome !!! Added a little bit of wax and I went thru a whole 1" x 4" x 12' footer in less than 20 mins and that's including measuring time. Wow is all I have to say.


Thanks for the heads up Lurker, you saved me many hours !!


Bob I've been looking at the smaller version of that saw for a few weeks now and just noticed that I have a northern tools near me. I might have to check that out later, but noticed it's only 1300 rpms... I kind of wondering it having more torque than speed might actually be better for aluminum, no sticking....