Replies

1. 
   danmart | Apr 10, 2009 02:00am | #1

   Other than holding it down well, are there any secrets for working aluminum with woodworking power tools (or hand tools for that matter)?  What band saw blade?

   Look at the Lenox website for metal/alum bandsaw blades.

   dan

2. 
   PeteBradley | Apr 10, 2009 03:08am | #2

   The basics:
   1. It's not wood
   2. You'll get more bad advice than good on this topic
   3. Solid workholding is critical
   4. You get no color or warning before the metal melts. Run slow with light cuts.
   5. Eye protection

   Pete

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/9/2009 8:09 pm ET by PeteBradley

1. 
   user-54856 | Apr 10, 2009 05:08am | #3

   Thanks, but which three of the five are the bad advice?

1. 
   PeteBradley | Apr 10, 2009 06:11am | #4

   :-)Reminds me of the old Steve Martin routine:"I have some hostages, and they are tied up in a sack at the top of a flag pole. I'm going to blow them up at midnight, unless I get these three demands: ONE! I want a million dollars! TWO: I want a getaway car waiting for me! and THREE: I want the letter M stricken from the English language."Aside: "See, you have to make one crazy demand, so if they catch you, you can plead insanity...Heh, heh, getaway car."Pete

2. 
   WillGeorge | Apr 13, 2009 11:01am | #12

   Bad advice.. None of the above?

   I work Aluminum sometimes and I woud say his advice is worth remembering...

3. 
   philip | Apr 10, 2009 09:52am | #5

   Here's some more bad advice:-
   1)Use kerosene as a cutting lube when sawing, milling or turning ali.
   2)Just because it routs or cuts wood it doesn't follow that it routs or cuts ali or brass as well , easily or safely at similar speeds or depth of cuts.
   3)Neither ali nor brass look hot.
   4)Aluminium has a habit of sticking or building up on cutting edges, and softer brasses can do the same.
   5)Tools and cutter specs designed for working ali or non ferrous metals have differing specs to those for wood-for good reason.
   6)Ofcourse, all kinds of things can be done, with a suitable common sense ingredient.
   7)If you've never done it before be mighty careful, take light cuts and be sure the work piece is very secure.Be prepared to kiss goodbye to that favourite cutter or blade.

   Philip Marcou
4. 
   Routerman | Apr 11, 2009 02:56am | #6

   It's what I do.

   Should you have the resources, I teach routing and the working (cut, mil, drill & rout) of aluminum & plastic.

   Not necessarily something you can safely learn on the WWW. You should get some hands-on, in the face instruction no matter where you get it; just too many surprises.

    

    

1. 
   bill5335 | Apr 11, 2009 03:36am | #7

   Are you close to a vocational/technical school?  Many of them offer night classes where you learn how to use a mill. I made a very nice aluminum plate for my router table.

   Bill

1. 
   user-54856 | Apr 14, 2009 12:18am | #15

   Back to the aluminum thing, yes, we have an excellent local vocational school where, after several months of trying, I never quite got the hang of TIG welding aluminum. The school now is loosing its funding in the budget crunch. Regarding responses to working aluminum, we haven't said much about milling. Sounds like routers are too fast but, since they can be slowed down a lot, what speed should I use? Can I use wood working bits or should I get some of the used milling bits that seem to be fairly readily available. I don't know anything about that stuff. What would I need? I was thinking of cutting parts to approximate shape with a band saw and then pattern "routing" to final shape.

1. 
   RickL | Apr 14, 2009 03:45pm | #17

   As a Metalsmith I've cut and routed miles of non-ferrous with standard woodworking tools.  Negative hook blade on the table saw  is the proper blade and best blade to use and is a common blade in the shop and standard 2 flute router bits are fine. Setting your router at the lowest speed is optimum. Just nibble at it as it can be very grabby and send things flying. The aircraft industry used overhead pin routers for machining aluminum in the days before CNC.

    

    Common sense is your best help and don't ask too many questions on woodforums on the subject as you will get mostly bad answers.  Telling which are the bad answers is the hard part for most folks.   Just start working with the material and use common sense. if it feels unsafe don't do it. A face shield is best as the chips are warm to hot, no where near the melting temperature of brass or aluminum.  Just enough to make you flinch which could send your hand into the blade as a distraction. I've cut and routed brass, aluminum, copper, zinc, etc with standard woodworking tools. Beware the poster who posts only theory with no real experience.

   I've ripped 3" square brass stock on contractors and cabinet saws.  It's a lot like wood in many ways. Extruded non-ferrous has the same characteristics as case hardened oak.

   This is not the best forum for unusual topics.

   Edited 4/14/2009 8:47 am ET by RickL

   Edited 4/14/2009 10:05 am ET by RickL

1. 
   user-54856 | Apr 14, 2009 05:20pm | #18

   Thanks. Best answer so far for me, and I agree that this isn't the best forum for unusual topics. But where else? I'd quickly join a conversation among craftsmen (and women) with experience in areas applicable to but different from woodworking. However, this probably would have to remain pretty much at the amateur level since most of us don't have fancy machinery.

2. 
   RickL | Apr 14, 2009 09:15pm | #19

   There's metalworking forums out there as well.  You'd be surprised at how many professionals are using the crappiest equipment.  I see more hobby guys with better tools than many pro shops. 

   When I was working for the Metalsmith we had the cheapest tools money could buy. That's why I started using the table saw to work the brass and there wasn't an equivalent to do what I could do on the table saw. We did folding operations where I would angle the blade on the table saw and leave 1/64" of web and soft solder the folded miter. We had benders but the fold wasn't nearly as crisp as my kerf method. 

   Where else...there's books on many subjects, proactive searches on google.  Other shops in the area. I just go to the answers rather than waiting for the answer.  I pretty much taught myself through practice and experimentation to cut brass and aluminum with alternate methods. Have also used shears. milling machines, lathes, lasers, etc but non-ferrous can be cut with standard woodworking tools for the most part and it doesn't hurt the tool or cutters any worse than wood or plastic.

3. 
   RickL | Apr 15, 2009 03:14am | #20

   There's even special blades for cutting steel with standard saws. Here is a piece of cast iron cut on a cabinet saw. These blades are not to be confused with abrasive blades. It's an entirely different blade but it looks like a standard carbide blade. It hardly produces any sparks. I did clean out any sawdust and disconnected the dust collector. The blade technology is at least 20 years old. I first saw it from Jancy Engineering and now Milwaukee, Makita and others sell it too. Even Harbor Freight sells portable circular saws with this technology.

   Edited 4/14/2009 8:49 pm ET by RickL

   
5. 
   mike4244 | Apr 11, 2009 03:59am | #8

   I am not an expert on cutting aluminum but may be of some help. If you are using a chop saw to cut for length, make sure the work is clamped down securely,EVERY TIME.Don't ask why I put this in capital letters.

   I have bandsawed aluminum, it gets hot. I used a blade with about 6 teeth per inch and another with about 18 tpi. Made no difference in 1/8" or thinner sheets. Also have ripped aluminum on table saw. In general I had no problems other than burnt finger tips and a broken mitersaw fence.

   mike

6. 
   douglas2cats | Apr 11, 2009 05:10am | #9

   What's the big deal??

   Doesn't everybody cut aluminum with their TS blades??

    

   If you build it he will come.

   
7. 
   roc | Apr 11, 2009 08:46am | #10

   >Aluminium has a habit of sticking or building up on cutting edges<

   Philip knows allot so DO listen to his "bad advice". I have not used kerosene. I copied this

   http://www.tapmagic.com/TMaluminum.htm

   to paste here before I read about the kero. so mite as well post it. Smells like cinnamon for what that is worth and does not give me head aches or make me feel strange as some cutting fluids that get vaporized or atomized can.

   Probably not to put on for routing or other very high speed cutter use though who knows a wipe down of the bit might help. Probably burn right off.

   Tap Magic is good for drilling especially if drilling a deep hole, for using with very small bits ( which jam and break off in alu. ) and for tapping.

   Cleans up easy unlike most other cutting fluids.

   roc

   Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/11/2009 1:52 am by roc

8. 
   jako17 | Apr 12, 2009 02:09am | #11

    I use a parawax block as a lubricant when cutting aluminum on the tablesaw with a 60 tpi tri-chip blade.At one time I recollect some wax in a stick marketed by Porter Cable called Wax Lube (as far as I can remember).Wether it is available now I am not sure as I have settled for parawax  Jako

9. 
   bigfootnampa | Apr 13, 2009 05:36pm | #13

   I have cut up to about 3/8" stock with skillsaws. I like to use cutting wax on the blades. I have also cut lots of thin stock (which is harder). For the thin stock the carbide blades grab too easily and I like to use hollow ground planer or plywood blades. The hollow ground blades are stiffer and have many small teeth... a waxed blade is essential here. The hollow ground blades will also cut the thick stuff but the blade architecture limits depth-of-cut and the carbides will outlast them (still they can be most economical though for small numbers of cuts). I have cut thousands of pieces with a radial arm in the shop too... just a good carbide blade and a tube of cutting wax is all that is needed. If you cut a lot it will pay to get a blade designed for the work though (non-ferrous blades will have bevel cornered tips, as opposed to the sharp pointed tips on wood blades).

1. 
   user-54856 | Apr 13, 2009 06:03pm | #14

   Thanks to all who contributed. I was getting kinda scared there for a minute but feel better now. For longer TS cuts, will vertically mounted finger boards provide enough hold down?

1. 
   bigfootnampa | Apr 14, 2009 04:54am | #16

   For longer TS cuts, will vertically mounted finger boards provide enough hold down?"Sure. Feed gently and smoothly... I've cut plenty with only my hands, but fingerboards are definitely safer. One vertical and one horizontal works great and then you have two hands free to make a smooth steady feed..