[How-To] Cutting 1 1/2” aluminum plate

[cederholm]

Hi all,

I need to make a 14” long cut in some 1 1/2” think aluminum. Do you think my old (1940/50s) Delta wood/metal bandsaw would be up for the task?

If so, which blade would you recommend? Any other thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[francist]

Yikes, that’s a heavy cut. I’ve cut a lot of aluminum on a wood cutting bandsaw but nothing that thick. At the very most a 6TPI blade maybe, possibly lower. I think with that thickness it won’t be blade as much as horsepower that may be lacking. It’s going to be slow.

 

[cederholm]

Yup, my concern as well. The saw has a gear reduction on it but still. And did you mean 16TPI?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[projectnut]

Yup, my concern as well. The saw has a gear reduction on it but still. And did you mean 16TPI?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The 6 tpi would be a good choice. Rule of thumb is a minimum of 3 teeth engaged in the material to prevent knocking a tooth off, and a maximum of 24 teeth engaged to prevent the gullets from loading up and jamming the blade.

 

[francist]

And did you mean 16TPI?


Nope, I did not. 6 (six) teeth per inch. Like a wood cutting blade. Any of the finer tooth patterns on aluminum that thick will just gum up solid in a matter of minutes.

 

[cederholm]

And did you mean 16TPI?


Nope, I did not. 6 (six) teeth per inch. Like a wood cutting blade. Any of the finer tooth patterns on aluminum that thick will just gum up solid in a matter of minutes.

Ah, I see! Very helpful, thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cederholm]

The 6 tpi would be a good choice. Rule of thumb is a minimum of 3 teeth engaged in the material to prevent knocking a tooth off, and a maximum of 24 teeth engaged to prevent the gullets from loading up and jamming the blade.

I didn’t know about the maximum. Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[francist]

Are there still rubber tires on that saw? Or more to the question, have you ever used a cutting lubricant like a Relton stick wax on it before? That really helps but with rubber tires it can cause blade slip.

 

[cederholm]

Are there still rubber tires on that saw? Or more to the question, have you ever used a cutting lubricant like a Relton stick wax on it before? That really helps but with rubber tires it can cause blade slip.

I’ve replaced the tires, but if memory serves the replacements we’re not rubber.

I have not tried a lubricant. On the saw, I’ll investigate.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Charles scozzari]

Good morning, I have used my 7 1/4" circular saw using Irwin tungsten carbide tipped 24 tooth blades with great success on 5/8 stock. The speed of the saw and the 24 tooth blade never galled the blade. Slow feeding when cutting is key. Might work well for you.