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Thread: BS Aluminum

  1. #1
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    BS Aluminum

    How many of you bandsaw aluminum with a HSS blade and what limits do you impose? I cut thin aluminum, up to 1/4", on my Grizzly 14" G0555 and have had good results, so far. I do have to go slowly and occasionally spray WD40 to the sides of the blade.
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  2. #2
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    Al, I rough cut the plate for the table I made using a run of the mill 3TPI HS band. 7075 T-6 aluminum, 1.5” thick. I had to go slow and did not use any lubricant. It was a very messy process!
    1982 Rockwell 14” with 1/2hp motor.
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    Last edited by Bruce Page; 09-26-2017 at 12:15 PM.
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  3. #3
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    Bruce - nice work! Was the original table missing or damaged?
    Last edited by Bruce Page; 09-26-2017 at 12:32 PM.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Day View Post
    Bruce - nice work! Was the original table missing or damaged?
    Thanks, I just wanted a bigger table and ran across the alum plate at a salvage yard.
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  5. #5
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    One problem with cutting metal on a wood bandsaw is that the metal can get embedded in the tires. Spraying WD 40 could contaminate the tires giving them less grip.
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  6. #6
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    The chips can be a messy problem for sure. IIRC, I used a brass wire welding brush to clean the tires up. There was no damage that I could see.
    I sold the bandsaw in 2004.
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  7. #7
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    I cut aluminum using my carbide wood cutting blade with no lube.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  8. #8
    As a general rule, I never cut or engrave any aluminum without some sort of lubricant. I have an ancient Dayton 'metal cutting bandsaw' that I've cut a lot of aluminum with. While its HSS blade WILL cut aluminum without oil, it cuts MUCH better with it. Since I have homemade flood-cooling setups on all my tool engravers, I just fill a 2 oz. needle-point dispenser bottle with a Trim Sol mix and just squirt it on almost continually while cutting. I regularly cut .09" thick black anodized aluminum with my 4" carbide bladed safety saw, and I foam-brush a line of coolant along the cut line, it helps with the cut and less blade wear.
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Page View Post
    Al, I rough cut the plate for the table I made using a run of the mill 3TPI HS band. 7075 T-6 aluminum, 1.5” thick. I had to go slow and did not use any lubricant. It was a very messy process!
    1982 Rockwell 14” with 1/2hp motor.
    Bruce that is very impressive. Nice work!
    Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
    As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!

    "We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
    “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
    "
    Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

  10. #10
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    Thanks Al. I regret selling the saw when I bought my MM16. I ended up buying a little 10” Rikon for the small stuff.
    Please help support the Creek.


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