Aluminum Angle and a chop saw?

Ok, first off. I'm old and stuck in my ways.

Now, I have read here and other places about cutting aluminum with wood working tools. I also know that when I didn't move my fence out of the way on my Miter saw, the blade didn't have much trouble trimming the aluminum fence.

I need to cut some 1/8" 1 1/2 aluminum angle. I usually use my Jorgeson Miter saw with a metal cutting blade.

1-Just how does the carbide balde on a Delta 10" miter saw fare with aluminum?

2-I would imagine the best way to cut is with the corner up, right?

It just doesn't feel right cutting metal with a power saw. Help me into the 21st Century.

Thanks,

First I would put on an old blade that you're not to proud of, with at least 40-60 teeth. Then dust off the old safety goggles, as metal flies and is very hard on the eyes. Then take a slow cut, not fast chopping like wood.
When you are done, look at the saw teeth and notice the alum. buildup on the teeth points. You will have to take a knife or something and scrap it off as it will build up on the teeth.
Steve

Your miter saw will cut aluminum angle just fine. Don't use your best finish blade when you cut it use a old blade that you don't care if it gets trashed. Also spray your blade with WD40 or similar oil to prevent the blade from getting clogged with aluminum. I would not cut the angle with the corner facing up. I would set it on the miter saw with one side against the fence and the other side against the table. Use a C clamp to clamp it to the fence to hold the angle in place when you cut it. It is slippery and has a tendency to move. I have cut a lot of 1 1/4" diameter aluminum hand rail and 1/4" thick toe kick with a miter saw with no problems.
Hope this helps you,
Dave

Hal. I own a Dewalt 705 compound miter saw that was initially purchased to cut all of the aluminum for a custom shower enclosure I built. I used the 80 tooth blade that came with the saw The guys at the place I bought the aluminum from instructed me to get a blade with a lot of teeth. I admit that at first it was unnerving but after the first few cuts I got used to it. The miter saw and that blade are still in use today, in fact I even used the saw with a tilesaw blade(dry) to cut the bazzilion pieces of tile for the same job, this had a more detrimental effect on the saw than the aluminum. The entire saw had to be dissasembled and all of the surfaces polished when I got done cutting the tile. I agree with Dave tho', that you want the material firmly held against the fence.

Thanks guys!

I think I will use an aging Sears 80 tooth blade and position the angle like Dave suggested with c-clamps.

I'll let you know when I do it how it came out. It may be next week, since SWMBO has informed me that she is suffering from grandchildren withdrawal and we need to hit the road Friday.

Thanks again!

Hal

Hal,

Just to reiterate, you will be fine. I did this with my chop saw. Just go slow. I cut exactly what you wan to cut. I used the OEM DeWalt blade my 705 came with (this is my cut crap blade) and no problems at all. The carbide is still sharp. Aluminum is pretty soft when you think about it.

Hal,

One other thing, ear protection is in order as well. Depending on the blade and aluminum profile it can make for quite a racket - and the blade will "sing" sometimes as well.

Wes

I found this old thread and decided to share a tip I found on a metalworking forum and with it my solution to the question.

Rubbing alcohol, 70% isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol or 2-propanol) or greater, is a remarkable lubricant for cutting, drilling, and even tapping standard 6061 aluminum stock. I believe that the 70% azeotrope of isopropanol and water is somewhat more viscous than the higher purity products you can sometimes find. If you use it around steel, be careful to wipe up when you are done. It will cause a steel drill press table to rust.

I just tackled the problem of cutting 1/8" x 3/4" x 3/4" aluminum angle in this way. I hand cut the piece with a hacksaw (using isopropanol) and then installed a 3/4" stop at 45° on my disk sander. I sanded the piece carefully, cooling it with water from time-to-time.

Isopropanol is also a nice lubricant for wet sanding aluminum to remove scratches. A few drops kept my countersink from gumming up with aluminum.

I keep a small dropping bottle (an eyedropper bottle with a cap works great) next to the drill press.

I kept the sanding disk clean with a synthetic wine cork. Don't discard them. Ask you wine drinking friends to save them for you. They clean sanding disks at least as thoroughly as the commercial art-gum eraser type cleaners. They are "free."

They also make great graphite pencil erasers.

John

plus 1 on the goggles. It will shoot out lots of little pieces of shrapnel.

I like to line up my cut and then hold a scrap block of wood over the alum to help support the cut. I've had some small pieces go flying of the blade in the past and it was a bit unnerving.

the Omga dual mitre saw I've bought recently was used to cut aluminium and metal, the angle on the teech of the blade are backwards inclined... i would suggest use proper blade....

I use the blade that came with it to cut timber. its beautiful finish.

Wood will dull your blades as fast as aluminum, don't worry about it. I know, I processed aluminum in my basement shop for 15 years before I sold that business. For thin extrusions, you want a lot of teeth, 60 on a 10 inch saw, 80 on a 12 incher. Ideally teeth will be triple chip with a slightly negative hook. If you have just a few cuts to make, just use your regular carbide trim blade. WD-40 works well as a lube to keep chips from sticking to the teeth, although I used a wax stick made for cutting aluminum. Heavier extrusions need fewer teeth with a bigger gullet to prevent filling. I have cut as big as 2.5" solid round 6061-T6 with a 10" blade in my 3 hp Kalamazoo cutoff saw. I now keep an abrasive wheel in it, and if I have a quick cut to make in aluminum, I just step to my Milwaukee miter saw with my 48 tooth thin cut off blade. And best wear a face shield if you will have small offcuts.

I have made thousands cuts in aluminum when I was installing Revco Drug stores as they used it as trim at the ceiling and on all the wall fixture. I used a triple chip blade carbide blade that was made for non ferrous metal and Porter Cable wax on the blade.

Since this old thread has been resurrected, I would just add to turn off your dust collector. I had a lot of aluminum angle to cut and, as other have suggested, my chop saw did just fine. When I smelled smoke, I removed the drum on my dust collection and saw aluminum chips making smoke in my wood chips. No harm done, other than speeding my heart up for a few seconds.