Cutting Aluminum?

[eggy]

I have a need to cut a bit of aluminum 1" square tubing. Is it wise to cut this on a standard 10" woodworking chop saw with a carbide tipped blade, or does the motor turn too fast?

[a1gutterman]

eggy,
As my name implies, I have installed aluminum gutters and downspouts for a living for 27 years. I have made literally thousands of cuts with a chop saw using a carbide tipped blade to cut through the downspouts. The material is only .024" thick however. I have found that the more teeth on the blade, the better and cleaner the cut. It is like cutting warm butter. It is so much faster than a hack saw. Occasionally I have had the need to cut a 7" aluminum gutter spike down to something less than 7". The spike is aproximately 1/4" thick. I have to be very careful and very slow, but it can be done. It requires that you clamp the material down good and tight or you could damage more than just the saw blade. Use a saw blade with as many teeth on it as you can afford. Wear goggles and protective clothing in case the material "flies". Go very very slowly. It will make a better cut than a hack saw, but it is a lot safer to use a hack saw. Cutting tubing may even be faster using a hack saw. With the right blade I think that you could also use a band saw. Be careful. I believe that doing what you are thinking of doing will be risky. It will be costly too if you damage your blade.

[deanthom]

If you've got a chop saw, why not invest in a cut-off wheel for it? I did that for cutting some steel tubing a while back. It worked. MUCH faster than a hack saw, and a lot closer to square, too.

Hey GutterMan! Is there a special cut-off wheel just for aluminum??

[a1gutterman]

Those cut off wheels are great! I am not aware of any that are made special for aluminum. I know that none of my aluminum suppliers sell one. The thing about the carbide tipped saw blade is that it practically lasts forever. I am making between 20 and 50 cuts through the aluminum downspouts every day and I only have to replace it maybe every 2-3 years, and then only if someone cuts something other than the aluminum, like old wood gutters with nails in them.

[deanthom]

I sure agree about the cut-off wheels being great.

I was really thinking about that more in terms of Eggy's needs to cut tubing. The wheel would seem to me to be a little safer, certainly won't throw carbide teeth!

The wheels do cut pretty hot, so they might discolor the tubing some, or maybe even blister it a bit. Cut a tad fat and file it down and dress the sides of the tubing. Or cut it two tads fat and use your disk sander on it to make sure it's square cut and purty, too.

Did a little googling and discovered that there are indeed wheels for aluminum and for "harder grades of aluminum alloy", maybe like aviation grade stuff. I found at least one at PFERDUSA.com. Lots more hits available on Google.

Just a thought.

[eggy]

Hey...Thanks a bunch! I think I'll try the 10" chop saw (since I already have it). If it gets too hairy, I'll try and get an abrasive cut-off wheel.

[deanthom]

You might also want to use good clamps to anchor your saw AND the tubing so that nothing can go flying.