Cutting aluminum?

[Robby Tacheny]

Woodworking CNC's can mill aluminium in light passes, so it can definitely be done.

Definitely go slowly and take light passes. Definitely wear eye protection. Definitely hold on tight to the router and make sure work-piece can be thrown or move easily.

-Robby

[Bruce Wrenn]

Check and see if anyone in your area does food truck conversions, as they cut custom sized openings all the time. Ask how they do it. It may be just as cheap to hire them to do openings. "You can't beat a man at his own game."

[pat warner]

" a pattern with the smallest Festool plunge on the lowest speed, the Festool being much lighter than the bi"
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Just for the record, when I rout aluminum, it's at full speed. 18-25K, and no lube.
Indeed, it took many tears/years to learn this unorthodoxy, but see for yourself.

[Larry Edgerton]

Good to know Pat. I will use the big router then, and I have a couple of 1 1/4" whiteside pattern bits with a flaws in the end that I can use. The larger radius will help as well as the weight.

[Randy Viellenave]

+1 on the face shield or goggles! I had flying aluminum bounce behind safety glasses and embed in my eye. Luckily it wasn't too far, but scared the stuff out of me. Had to go to the ER to get it removed.

[Jim Dwight]

I would just use my Bosch jig saw. Cutting within 1/16 requires care but is easily possible.

[Brice Rogers]

I have cut aluminum with a sabre saw, a sawzall, a radial arm saw (But NOT as a climbing cut !!!) and a few other methods. One that hasn't been mentioned is using Harbor Freight's double cut saw. It uses a pair of carbide tipped circular blades that are counter rotating. That greatly minimizes the tendency to grab. Cutting through 1/8" aluminum would be a piece of cake. I've used it for slicing up aluminum car wheels (I use the cast aluminum for doing aluminum metal casting and need to make the chunks small to fit in my crucible).

It is a must to wear eye protection. It will throw the chips everywhere, including down the neck of your shirt. It periodically goes on sale for either 49 or 59 bucks. If you buy one, read on the internet about going through a 5 minute break in (no cutting).

[Steve Peterson]

I would just use a circular saw and a carbide blade to cut holes for the windows. They make triple chip blades especially for cutting aluminum, but a standard blade also works. I would wear goggles and a full face shield plus a long sleeve flannel shirt. Hot metal chips will be flying everywhere.

Steve