Can use router bit to trim-cut solid aluminum bar?
Masrol
| Posted in Wood and Materials on
I bought a thin rip tablesaw jig recently. My table saw miter slot is not the US standard size (3/8″ deep x 3/4″ wide). So I cannot use the jig with the supplied slider bar. I wanted to trim cut a bit (rabbet) the aluminum slider bar using router bit. My question is will router bit cut aluminum? How can I do it safely? Or alternatively should I use table saw for making the rabbet?
Thanks!
Replies
Got magnet ?
Be positive the slider IS aluminum or the cutters you spoke of will get real sick real quick. If a magnet sticks to the slider it is steel and you are out of luck. The sliders for my table saw are steel. People here cut aluminum with woodworking tools as you discribed. You may need to screw a larger "handle" to the slider so you can safely guide the slider through the cut. Feed super slow and take light cuts. Your cutter, saw blade or router bit, needs to be like new sharp. I am sure there are others with more to add. Alternatively you could find a small machine shop or hobby machinist to do the work for you on metal working machine tool. Or you might go to a metal supply place and get the size material that already fits your table saw and cut and drill that to fit your jig. Aluminum bar stock is pretty darn accurately made. Good luck with it all.
Additional info on the slider.
Thank you for responding promptly Roc.
Yes Roc, the slider is definitely made of aluminum, and I apologize for not giving sufficient infomation of my bacground. You must have thought that I am living in US when you suggested me to go to a metal supply store to get readily sized material, Actually I live in Malaysia where thing like this is hard to find , unless for Industrial usage. No retail hardware store would keep this stuff .
Anyway, I would do as you suggested. I would attach this slider to a wider board as the handle and push it through my router table. I have many suitable rabbeting bits to beat - but I do not own extra saw blade.
Thanks Roc, have a nice day and take care.
Blade pitch.
When I cut brass on my table saw I use a negative pitch blade. That was highly recommended when I was making a brass smoother plane and cutting the finger joints to attach the sides to the sole. Good luck with the router. Take it slow and USE EYE PROTECTION !
Internet vs. real world
This may be a case of the purchasing opportunities of the Internet (where one can find virtually anything online) vs. the Real World. But, you might try Online Metals (http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm), although I'm not sure about the associated shipping costs.
Safe cutting
I would take a large piece of 5/4 stock about 6" wide and 4" longer the slider and plough a dado exactly the size as the slider and screw it in place. Essentially making a large sled to carry the slider. And use your table saw with Freuds metal cutting blade. That blade makes an extremely nice cut in metal (even steel) I would also leave the slider width .005-.010 oversized and lap in the remaining fit.
I don't think you want to use a router table. Those aluminum chips are going to go right into the router motor, NOT A GOOD THING.
Safe Cutting - Freud Cutting blade.
This is another very sound & proactive way of doing thing - safely. But I'm not sure I can easily find 10" Circular Saw Blade for cutting metal in the market (in my case). Perhaps I got to order it at on-line machine tool store, in UK, since I'm using TS with 30mm arbor.
Thanks Bruce S.
About Freud
Freud is based in Italy and does sell to the World. I'm sure you could find a metric sized arbor hole if you google Freud/Europe. Two of their non-ferrous blades LU89M and LU77M
Then there is still the good old hand method, files. Can't get much safer than that.
I'm not too sure why you would have to use a ten inch blade just for this one job. A smaller blade would do if it will get high enough above the table for this project.
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