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Cutting Aluminum

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  • #16
    I did buy a Track Saw, or a "plunge saw" and track. I bought a Makita as the HF one didn't review that well. I does a great job as a portable panel saw. I also bought a fine tooth (56T) blade. It zipped through .032 and .025 aluminum super quick. Very tiny burr removed with 320 grit very quickly. It cut through .050 mild steel almost as quickly. I didn't try 4130 yet.

    There is no reason a regular circular saw wouldn't do just as well. You would just have to put a thin wood sheet over the AL. Set the blade very deep. If you set it to barely cut through you get a huge burr.

    I cut several strips to bend as window channels. Extremely quick, easy, and dead straight cuts.

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    • #17
      Originally posted by whee View Post
      I’ve tried several different methods of cutting aluminum during our build but never found any that I really liked.

      Snips leave a rough edge that takes a ton of clean up and make long cuts difficult.

      Power shears waste a bunch of material and still leave an edge that has to be cleaned up. Get too aggressive with them and they warp the piece your trying to make.

      An A&P recommended an air grinder. It took forever and I hate all the noise air tools make, especially my compressor. But the cut edge take very little cleaning so this was my preferred method.

      Tonight I was working at home but most of the tools have been moved to the airport. I scrounged around and put a 4” cut-off wheel on a HF 4.5” angle grinder. It was awesome! Made sort work of all the cutting and the edges need very little finishing. This will be my go to method from now on. Too bad I’m almost done😏

      I could not find my old grinder so I went out and bought one on sale ... do you use the thin cuting wheel or the thicker ones...what have you the best results...

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      • #18
        I like the 1/16” thick disks.
        Scratch Built 4-place Bearhawk. Continental IO-360, 88" C203 McCauley prop.

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        • #19
          My preference is to mark my line using ultra fine sharpie or a scribe. Rough cut with a Milwaukee shear +1/16 -1/8” of my line. Then use snips and files specifically for aluminum to sneak up to my scribbled line. The files and snips I purchased from TM Technologies...Kent White. The snips leave a very clean edge, no serrations. The files I use look like super aggressive wood rasp files... https://www.tinmantech.com/products/...ar-body-files/
          Looked on Kent’s site for the last set of snips Kent sent. Don’t see them..call and ask...

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          • #20
            Originally posted by way_up_north View Post

            I could not find my old grinder so I went out and bought one on sale ... do you use the thin cuting wheel or the thicker ones...what have you the best results...
            I use the 3/64 wheels from Canadian Tire. They go on sale in the bulk packs fairly often.
            -------------------
            Mark

            Maule M5-235C C-GJFK
            Bearhawk 4A #1078 (Scratch building - C-GPFG reserved)
            RV-8 C-GURV (Sold)

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            • #21
              Originally posted by rv8bldr View Post
              I use the 3/64 wheels from Canadian Tire. They go on sale in the bulk packs fairly often.
              I was wondering about the wheels themselves, any worry about imparting iron(or other) into the aluminum...don't mean to be the party pooper...if one type of wheel should be used over another...

              this is does sound like a great idea...plan on trying it out this week when my aluminum sheets arrive

              I've not used the Canadian tire scotchbrite knock off burgundy pads cause I was not sure what was in them as the abrasive.....

              picked up the grinder at princess auto(Canadian version of harbour freight) for 29.99 cnd....btw......if anyone is looking for a good deal on one
              Last edited by way_up_north; 12-17-2018, 08:48 PM.

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              • #22
                I have never found that cutting aluminum with an abrasive wheel to be very satisfactory. I have used a circular saw with a very fine panel blade and power shears (air). With the circular saw, I set the saw for a very shallow cut. I cut all my ribs to to the finished shape with a hand held router. To do the rough cuts I used saws and shears.

                With thin material, I have clamped the material between pieces of plywood above, below and either side of the cut to stabilize and protect the aluminum as I cut.

                As you cut with an abrasive wheel, where does all the worn abrasive material go. And the abrasive wheels tend to pick up bits of aluminum, so why would the aluminum not pick up bits of the abrasive material.

                Just my opinion.
                Last edited by S Lathrop; 12-18-2018, 08:39 AM.

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                • #23
                  Hello all, newbie here getting my shop set up and this question has been on my mind. Is it possible to use a bandsaw with a fine-tooth blade to cut thin aluminum sheet, or is that asking for trouble? I have a standing vertical bandsaw (currently with a wood blade) and would like to save a little shop space if I can end up doing some of the more substantial cuts on the bandsaw. I found the helpful link below, but the sheet sizes quoted are still substantially thicker than most of the sheet used for the Bearhawk.



                  Thanks, and I’m looking forward to being part of the group!
                  4-Place Model 'B' Serial 1529B (with many years to go...)

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                  • #24
                    I use a wood cutting bandsaw for any aluminum thicker than .032, though I haven't had need to cut anything thicker than 1/4 inch yet. It works great!

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                    • #25
                      Jared is right. I used tin snips or band saw to cut almost all of my aluminum, no matter how thick. I even used my band saw to cut my spar blanks out of full size sheets. Of course edges need some clean-up to remove tooth marks.

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                      • #26
                        I use a bandsaw at wood-cutting RPM for aluminum without much trouble, using a multi-purpose variable tooth blade.
                        For steel, I use the same bandsaw but slowing it down with pulleys and belts, and I ordered a dedicated steel-cutting blade with a pretty high tooth count.
                        In both cases it has worked out really well.
                        I think I recall in one of the Bearhawk kit videos one of the guys there was using a bandsaw to notch steel tubing. Seemed pretty clever.
                        Mark
                        Scratch building Patrol #275
                        Hood River, OR

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by S Lathrop View Post
                          .....I have used a circular saw with a very fine panel blade and power shears (air). With the circular saw, I set the saw for a very shallow cut. I cut all my ribs to to the finished shape with a hand held router. To do the rough cuts I used saws and shears.

                          With thin material, I have clamped the material between pieces of plywood above, below and either side of the cut to stabilize and protect the aluminum as I cut.
                          .
                          Try turning that inexpensive fine tooth panel blade blade around backwards....learned that trick from a missionary kid.
                          Brooks Cone
                          Southeast Michigan
                          Patrol #303, Kit build

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                          • #28
                            This is the most used tool in my shop. Can't cut large sheets with it, but it cuts everything else. 1 Harbor Freight portable hand band saw & 1 Swag Offroad Portaband Saw Table. Love it!

                            SWAG V4.0 Portaband Table for portable band saw. Portable bandsaw tables are used to mount your hand-held band saw for tabletop use. Please verify that your model of saw is listed below as a supported model of the SWAG V4.0 table. Milwaukee 6232-20, 6232-21,6232-80, 6232-81, 6238-20, 6238-21 & BS125 Milwaukee Fuel M18 2729-20, 2729-21, 2729-22 & CBS125 Here at SWAG our Portaband tables are built for individuals looking for quality, 100% American made tools at an affordable price. Designed for those working with limited space and or those looking to maximize the full potential of their hand held band saws. Product evolution and expansion has led us to SWAG Portaband table V4.0. The SWAG V4.0 features built in dual miter gauge slides, 1/8" thick bolt on steel legs to greatly reduce shipping cost, a fixed center section and an improved blade slot with narrower window to reduce potential blade binding. To convert your saw into a vertical band saw installation could not be any easier, slide the adjustable foot guard to the furthest forward position then insert the saw into the stand and tighten the provided red thumb knob, that's it. You now have a saw that performs two functions, a portable band saw and a vertical band saw that does not require any tools to switch between the two functions. Our V4.0 table is cut on a CNC laser out of 3/16" thick steel plate, formed on a CNC press brake and weighs in at ~ 18 pounds for ultimate durability. The table dimensions are 9.75 tall, 11" deep & 13.5" wide. With the saw installed the overall dimensions are ~22" tall, 18" deep & 13.5" wide. This kit contains all the necessary hardware to attach the Milwaukee deep cut Portaband saw on the SWAG V4.0 Portaband table. SWAG V4.0 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Optional Accessories 120V Foot Switch Imagine how easy your job is going to be using the foot pedal to start and stop your SWAG Portaband table. Plug your Portaband power cord into the outlet on the foot pedal. Plug the foot pedal cord into a 110 volt outlet. Press the pedal to start the saw, then remove your foot to turn the saw off.


                            Attached Files
                            Rob Caldwell
                            Lake Norman Airpark (14A), North Carolina
                            EAA Chapter 309
                            Model B Quick Build Kit Serial # 11B-24B / 25B
                            YouTube Channel: http://bearhawklife.video
                            1st Flight May 18, 2021

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                            • #29
                              Thanks all! Rob, that looks like a pretty fine blade. 18+ TPI? Raker/wavy cut? What blade width? I have an 89.5” Craftsman standup, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need a new blade other than the stock woodcutter I have now. I’m not home, so I don’t know the TPI, but it can’t be more than 8 or so from memory.

                              Thanks again everyone!
                              4-Place Model 'B' Serial 1529B (with many years to go...)

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                              • robcaldwell
                                robcaldwell commented
                                Editing a comment
                                The blade is a Milwaukee 24TPI. Small wave in the blade, about 1/32.

                              • robcaldwell
                                robcaldwell commented
                                Editing a comment
                                The blade is a Milwaukee 24TPI. Small wave in the blade, about 1/32.

                            • #30
                              Originally posted by Bcone1381 View Post

                              Try turning that inexpensive fine tooth panel blade blade around backwards....learned that trick from a missionary kid.
                              That should give an even finer cut. Great suggestion.

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