Any tips on cutting 1" thick aluminum plate?

[Perry]

Good evening gentlemen.


I was lucky enough to get a 8 foot by 2 foot by 1" think chunk of aluminum. All 225+ pounds of it.

I need to cut this down into pieces a little easier for me to handle.

My plan? Busy Bee has a Blue Tornado metal cutting blade on sale right now. As usual they have it on sale, but none in the store. So I went ahead and bought one sight unseen. The flyer mentioned that is could cut aluminum. I received the blade today and it is clearly marked ferrous metal. Model CBT102.

It is a 7.25 inch blade and should fit into my skill saw.

Before I go crazy on this, I figured I would check in here to see if anyone else has had experience with this.


I've read a little on the net and it seems any carbide tipped blade should cut.


Cheers, Perry

 

[kylemp]

@Alexander has some experience with this..

 

[Dabbler]

Any metal cutting blade will work at the appropriate speeds. I know many have used wood cutting speeds, but if you slow the blade down you will get longer blade life. I typically used about 400 fpm, but up to 700 will be fine.

great find!

 

[Dogpounder]

I've used both ferrous and non ferrous blades on aluminum; albeit small gauge roofing sheet metal etc. With aluminum I got the best cuts from a non ferrous 12 " blade in my cutoff saw. When I had it reground the sawyer explained the rake angles etc. and was pretty specific about using only flat ground non aggressive blades for aluminum. After he reground it it cut like a dream, I just wish I could remember what he ground it too. It was the little shop on Bowness rd. next to the Old Bow Cycle place. Another place for really good blades is All Blades Canada in the Highfield Rd area.

Hope that helps, I'd take the blade back.

 

[Alexander]

I cut allot of aluminum plate using a skill saw and a blade I got at my local Rona on 52 street. It actually has a 5 degree negative rake on the teeth and is labeled for aluminum cutting in miter saws only. I used that in my skill saw and it was excellent

 

[Dabbler]

Really sorry that I simply can't read. I somehow missed the skill saw part. My apologies. In hand tools, I've used recip saws with metal cutting blades very successfully, but not on 6 sq inch cross section.

 

[Bofobo]

WEAR HEARING PROTECTION! And use some A9 cutting fluid. The work will be slow, just keep steady and avoid blade binding.

 

[Perry]

Thank you for all the advice and tips.


Just a follow up for those who may need to try this down the line.

First of all, earplugs, earmuffs, safety glasses, face shield and gloves. I didn't have any mishaps or issues, but I was prepared for it.

I used the Blue Tornado ferrous metal blade (7.25" Model CBT102) in my skill saw. I had planned on taking light 1/8" cuts until I was all the way thru. Even with a straight edge clamped down, it was obvious on the second cut that it was going to be hard to follow each pass.

So, I set the blade down to 1.25 inches and took one pass thru the 1 inch thick chunk. I was cutting it width wise 24 inches across. Dry cut, no lube or wax. I read on the net that a few prefer this method as it is less messy. (I dry mill 95% of the time and I have no issues so I figured why not try.) After the cut the blade was cool and the chips looked correct. Shinny one side, dull on the other. Basically a good looking chip and lots of them. Speed wise I was cutting faster then what I would have cut something similar on a band saw.

I cut it in half then cut a 6 inch strip off the side for a project. It is still pretty heavy but I was able to now store it in a better location.

Now I'm not 100% sure, but I'm taking a guess that this is 6061. No obvious markings on it.

Cheers, Perry

 

[Vancouver Island Waterjet]

Waterjet cutting that 1 inch aluminum is only $1 per inch of cut travel, and the finish is perfect and accuracy is better than 0.005 inch.