|
|
Bryan Gilles Inner circle Northern California 1732 Posts |
Greeting to all in the land of sawdust, and wood tools, and metal shavings- Oh my!!!
The more I work with angled aluminum trim, the more I realize how important it will be for me to purchase a chop saw or miter saw! I'm sick of cutting this stuff by hand and would like something to make my angles more precise. Has anyone else had this problem? What brand or model of saw would you recommend for this kind of work? I've even tried using a band saw blade with more TPI on it and have been lucky to walk away with all my digits!!! Cut me a break and give some advice (pun intended)! Bryan Gilles |
leapinglizards Inner circle 1263 Posts |
Well, they do have special metal band saws.... They are pricey. Otherwise, you could use a miter saw with an abrassive blade.
Leaping Lizards!!! Who knew it was possible.
<BR> <BR>www.LeapingLizardsMagic.com |
London Special user U.S.A. 769 Posts |
A miter saw with the right blade works great. I have used one for a while with out any problems. And you should be able to go to any Lowes or Home Depot and find one within your budget.
THOUGHTfully,
LONDON |
Chance Wolf Inner circle 2425 Posts |
Bryan,
We have the RIDGID brand Compound Miter Chop Saw in our shop which can be found at Home Depot. Aluminum is a Non-Ferrous metal so it can be easily cut with a quality Carbide tip 80 tooth blade. Be sure to use the 80 tooth blade and verify that it states the use on Non-Ferrous stock. CLAMP your metal down!!! Use a slow downward cut force, do NOT dive down into the aluminum, and you will be left with a perfect, clean straight or angle cut everytime with MINIMAL clean up. Usually just a bit of flaking on the edge which can be knocked down with a fine file or sanding disc. I remeber the bad old days of using a hack saw and hours of clean up...uggh! Hope this helps! Chance
Creator of Wacky Wolf Productions & Fine Collectibles
A DECADE of building Magic and we're just getting started! http://www.wolfsmagic.com |
Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
While the type of saw is inportant, you want a good brand with a good motor, the real important here is in the blade. Invest in a high quality blade (not cheep) designed to cut what you need. The "all purpose" blade that comes with it is probably completly worng for the job.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
Bryan Gilles Inner circle Northern California 1732 Posts |
Thanks to all on this post! Chance... excelent advice... I'm Bryan singing the sore hand- hacksaw- blues right now!
-Bryan Gilles |
Michael Berends Loyal user Canada 220 Posts |
Hey Bryan,
Hope things are well??? Cutting Aluminum with a chop saw is definitely the best way!!! I've been cutting like this since I was a kid. My father and brothers all work in the glass industry, so I've been around aluminum fabrication of frames and stuff since I can remember. Always use a Non-Ferrous Blade. They are expensive but a neccessity. You can also buy a Hard Cutting Grease that comes in a tube, like the type used in a grease gun. As the blade spins you actually let it run through the cardboard tube and cover the teeth with grease (It's more like a wax than grease) This lets the blade slide through the aluminum easier. Makes for better cuts and prvents the piece from grabbing! Because you are always cutting small ends off of the aluminum there are a lot of hazards. One is the small piece that's being cut off flies off. The cutoffs sometimes fly extremely fast and hard. So make sure that you are protected properly and there is nobody around that can get hit. Another thing is that the Blade goes into the aluminum too fast and grabs it. When this happens it actually tries to wrench the aluminum out of your hands. After many years I still get caught sometimes!!! One addition that I recommend for your chop saw is to mount a small piece of wood to the fence. I usually use a piece of 1/2" ply scrap that spans the whole fence and is as high as the fence. What this does is makes the gap in the fence where the blade rides smaller. Once I install it with screws, I then make a straight cut through it, then a cut at 45 degrees each way. With a smaller gap It is less likey that the small cut-off piece will go flying off at 200 miles per hour. Don't know if this last part made sense. If you need pics of it, let me know??? One other thing in buying the saw. If you get a 10" version. You can also use the Non-Ferrous Blade on your Table saw to cut any sheet aluminum, for the bottom of bases and stuff. You have to use good safety practices with this method but it works great. Just use a lot of caution, use the grease that I mentioned, and don't stand directly behind the piece being cut. In case of Kickback!!! Hope this helps??? Michael
www.michaelberends.com
"IMPOSSIBLE HAS JUST BECOME AN OPINION" |
Bryan Gilles Inner circle Northern California 1732 Posts |
Michael,
Excellent advice... In fact, I printed it out and posted it in my wood working area to go back to... Thank you, Bryan Gilles |
EsnRedshirt Special user Newark, CA 895 Posts |
As for clean-up work, another good investment is a handheld disc grinder. I picked up a 4" Makita grinder a few years back for around $50, and have never regretted the investment- with a cutting wheel, it's good for spot jobs, and with a grinding wheel, excellent for polishing and shaping steel. It was invaluable when I was making the twenty or so swords for my sword-box; since I had actual stage fighting blocked into the routine, I used 1/8" strip steel. Heavy, but impressive, and the sparks flew whenever the blades clashed.
Self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades and google expert*.
* = Take any advice from this person with a grain of salt. |
Michael Berends Loyal user Canada 220 Posts |
Just a word of caution...
A grinder is NOT a good way of cleaning up or shaping Aluminum. A grinder wheel is made up of "sand" (actually carborundum, aluminum oxide, and other abrasives) that is held together by a "Glue". It is very porous. If you use aluminum on it, it will clog up the pores of the stone. It will also have the ability to heat up in the pores and expand causing the grinding wheel to blow up. Having a high RPM grinding wheel blow up in yout face is the last thing you want. Not only will it throw a piece of it off at a hundred miles an hour but will also cause a severe inbalance in the wheel which could cause catastrophic failure of the rest of the wheel, and harm the operator, if not turned off promptly. I have seen pictures of these things blowing apart and the damage that they can do. Not something to play with. The best thing is to use is a sander! I have a combination belt and disc sander that I bought for under $100 that cleans up those edges perfectly. If you want you can buy a "flapper wheel" for your angle grinder. It is made up of a number of sandpaper flaps that look like a flower. You can use this to give your aluminum that "brushed" look if you'd like Whatever you decide. Make sure you use the proper safety equipment. Cutting aluminum can be dangerous. Michael
www.michaelberends.com
"IMPOSSIBLE HAS JUST BECOME AN OPINION" |
Bryan Gilles Inner circle Northern California 1732 Posts |
Michael... Excellent advice!!!
I think I have that very same sand-station you are talking about... Mine's made by Ryobi. ( This one: http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_......MID=9876 ) So far, I've had good luck with Ryobi products.. I use their bandsaw and jigsaw as well! -Bryan |
magicmarkdaniel Special user Bolton, England UK 831 Posts |
I'll second Ryobi power tools. I have afew and have just bought a Ryobi Jigsaw to replace my Bosch which I've had for about 10 years. It has a fast changing blade mechanism and keeps your cutting line free of dust. Also features anti-splinter device. Really nice bit of kit for the price, under £50!
Mark
Mark Daniel
|
EsnRedshirt Special user Newark, CA 895 Posts |
Michael, thank you for the clarification and warning. I've only really worked with strip steel, which has different properties than aluminum (obviously).
Self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades and google expert*.
* = Take any advice from this person with a grain of salt. |
DoctorAmazo Special user Florida 643 Posts |
Depending on the thickness of your trim and the volume of work, good ol' tin snips might be a less expensive, lo-tech way to go.
|
gsidhe Inner circle Michigan 1725 Posts |
About Michael's comment on using sanders...
Personally, I prefer a dremel tool with a sanding drum. Cleans up things nicely, and is more versatile and less expensive tool than just a sander, and the replacement drums are pretty cheap. If you are trying to smooth a long piece of wood, go with a belt sander, but for tips, touchups and deburring, nothing beats a dremel. Plus you can cut stuff with it, carve, polish, and even grind steel... Yeah...I love my dremel. Gwyd |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The workshop » » Chop/Miter Saw advice... (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.04 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |