cutting metal w/ BS

[Monte Milanuk]

Hello,

A friend of mine mentioned he used a bandsaw to make cuts on aluminum (i.e. non-straight cuts such as cutting a curve). I know they make dedicated metal-cutting bandsaws mainly for cutting metal stock to length, and I've heard of people doing a certain amount of metal cutting on either the table saw or on a router table (w/ carbide tipped blades or bits). Is it going to hurt anything if I were to use a general purpose blade to slowly and gently cut some curved parts out of some 1/2" thick x 3" wide aluminum flat stock?

Thanks,

Monte

[chester stidham]

metel band saws run at a slower speed then wood saws but it can be done if you use your wood blade it well be worthles afterword if it even finishes but with a metel blade and slow feed you wont hurt your saw just take the time to clean all the chips afterword good luck

[John Callahan]

I'd use a metal cutting blade. About a year ago I had a fair amount of aluminum plate and angle to cut. Lenox recommended a hardened back carbon steel blade called Neo-type 1/2" .025 10tpi. It worked well and irrc it was relatively inexpensive-about $20. I got it from a machine tool supply place. Ditto to what Chester said about cleaning the chips. If you don't they tend to embed themselves in the tires,

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

you can cut Alum much faster than steel. Alum cuts OK on the TS with a NFM blade and no downward speed adjustment.

Be careful using a blade with a tooth pitch to get 4 - 6 teeth in contact wiht the work. To few will cause tooth stripping.

Some wood saws go too fast no matter what. You might be able to re-pully the saw for this one application.

[Monte Milanuk]

OK... so the consensus is *if* I slow the speed down on the saw as much as I can, and *if* I have the right kind of blade, it should work fine... right?

Thanks,

Monte

[Mike Wenzloff]

Yep, Monte. Do make sure the stock is in good contact to the table at all times as well.

I cut 3/32", 3/16" and 1/4" solid brass all the time. fwiw, the 3/32" is folded over, think backsaw backs. Brass heats the blade more than aluminum. But it is heat and not maintaining firm stock contact to the table are the main issues in so far as breakage of the BS blade.

Take care, Mike

[Frank Fusco]

Good information here. I have a blade for metal that was given to me but I have never used. But, if I do, now I know to slow the machine (It's a Grizzly G0555 and has a two-step pulley) and clean well afterwards, especially the tires. I didn't ask originally, but thanks all.

[Frank Chaffee]

Monte,
There is a very simple blade cleaning device that I have seen on Ellis horizontal bandsaws for cutting steel (hydraulic bypass lowering type), that could be easily adapted to a vertical bandsaw, and probably has been by someone. It consists of a wire brush wheel with bristles oriented radially, and mounted on a shaft whose axis is tipped several degrees from the plane of the blade. The teeth of the blade lightly engage the bristles, turning the wheel and cleaning chips from the teeth.

Just as soon as I can assign a Round Tuit to this project, I will rig one of these up on my Jet 14.

Frank