Cutting Aluminum on the Home Shop Table Saw.

[savarin]

One thing I do worry about is the aluminium chips getting into the motor and shorting it out. I've not heard of this happening but the way they fly around I do think about it.

 

[John Hasler]

You should be using a totally-enclosed motor on a table saw.

 

[LEEQ]

Having professionally operated a Milwaukee circular saw (hand held) designed for cutting metal, I hate it. Not the brand, the practice. Any tiny deviation from a true cut in any plane, in any amount instantly results in a slight to severe pinch and pop. After cleaning your pants you discover you have knocked one or more teeth off that pricey blade. I would opine that using a metal cutting blade in a table saw with both sides of the cut supported and the work pressed against the rip fence with an easy feeding pressure would be much safer than these hand held saws designed to do this job. I don't believe they would sell blades designed for metal cutting in a table saw if they thought it would be a problem. All that being said, I will avoid the practice after my own experiences circular sawing metal. I can't afford that many new pairs of drawers.

 

[kevin]

I have cut thin aluminum with my table saw, before I got a metal cutting bandsaw, but not since. This tells me that, given a choice, I stay away from the table saw for cutting metal. On the other hand, it can be done, but more than the usual (wood cutting) precautions are necessary.

- Use a sharp carbide blade with a lot of teeth; carbide blades designed for metal cutting are ideal (but expensive) so likely people are not going to make this special purchase (and maybe better to put the money into a metal cutting bandsaw anyway)
- Wear a full face shield
- Expect and prepare for kickback (that is - a small piece of metal flying back ay you at high speed)

I'm inclined to agree with LEEQ - when I think about doing something in the shop that makes me nervous, I take this as a danger sign.

 

[GA Gyro]

i need to say, i followed the suggestion and cut 4 parts using my antique Craftsman horz. vertical bandsaw. i have to say, even a one eyed dude can cut pretty straight if the line is wide enough and dark enough.
thinking about the noise and those dang shavings getting all over the wood shop was only a couple reasons i choose to not use the table saw... i believe it would work great if you had a blade that was for that. . . . i have a steelmax skil type saw that is scarey as heck to used, even with all precautions. . . but its results are really great for thicker things than sheetmetal.
with a many toothed carbide blade, like maybe 100 teeth, on a table saw, running at about half speed with the blade exposure set quite high, would this not be very similar to a "cold cut saw" ? ? ? i would not go thru all the trouble to do that but im curious as to why it would or wouldn;t work. . . however,
caution, caution, caution. always consider the outcome prior to attempting something you have not experienced. . . "the worst thing that could happen if i. . . . . "
i will post some pictures of the project if they turn out ok. . . . . and thanks for the concerns.
davidh, the old guy.

Just for fun... Talking about inviting Mr Murhpy (murphys law) to your shop...

Kinda like: The worst thing that could happen... probably will... LOL

Seriously... if anyone is gonna be 'adventurous'... think it through before setting up and starting the saw.

And one more thing... Have your cell phone in your pocket... just in case you need to call 911...

 

[barlow l]

I understand and appreciate the safety concerns the Admins have with this issue.

I have cut Aluminum plate from .125 to 1.250, angle, tubing round and square and solid round stock with skill saw, miter saw, wood band saw and table saw. In fact, all my woodworking machines have cut more aluminum than wood.

Cutting speeds for both wood and Aluminum are pretty close to the same. Do not confuse cutting steel with Non ferrous material, the speeds are very different.

Cutting Aluminum on a table saw can be accomplished very successfully and safely IF and ONLY IF you use the blade INTENDED to do so. While a general purpose carbide wood blade will work fine in a miter saw or skill saw it will NOT work safely in a table saw. This is the part you MUST understand, the proper blade MUST be used.

Running recap tires on a C7 Corvette WILL get you to 190 miles per hour but the end results will be disastrous if not fatal. So don’t run recap tires on your C7 vette and don’t use an incorrect blade to cut Aluminum on your table saw.

I have attached a photo of the blade I personally use that is designed to be used in a table saw. They cost 50 to 60 dollars but last for a good number of cuts. I also leave the blade around .001-.003 below the top surface, this greatly reduces the amount of swarf in your face. Sometimes it may leave a small burr that needs to be cleaned up but the reduction in flying hot chips is worth the time to deburr.

As with any tool or machinery use, common sense and caution must certainly be used along with the proper personal protection.

 

[keithmifflin]

I spent 10 years in a shipyard and cut countless items of Alum. on table saw safely and easily. Take the same precautions you do with wood and yes the chips do fly but then you have your safety glasses on don't you. Kickback on the table saw follows the same rule as with wood. Now to just throw out a new thought to many, in the ship yards and in my own shop a carbide router bit on a wood hand router can do a very fine job for many things like radius corners and some decorative edges etc. Again secure the work well and use the same safety that you do with wood.

Make good use of your existing tools just be sure that you also follow the same safety procedures you SHOULD with wood.

 

[sgisler]

I for one do it all the time. It bears repeating that all caution must be taken. But, a fine toothed carbide blade works a treat on non-ferrous metals. I've often cut 1/4" alum on a table saw. Ive cut up to 1/8" brass sheet on the table saw. I've cut several hundred round brass (1"dia) baluster end fittings at an angle on a table saw. I cut all my alum sections (angle, bar, tube, window extrusions) on a power miter saw with fine carbide blade.
Again, obviously, be very careful! As we all know and agree, ALL the tools in our shops ARE inherently dangerous, more so if brain is not engaged.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joebiplane]

This is a Safety Issue that Admin and the Moderation Team feel needs to be discussed in depth. I was PM'd by L. Burton and one comment he made stood out. "It is probably more dangerous not to discuss it." With that said I open the floor to comments for and against this practice. This in no way infers that we here at HM are going to change our position on what is safe and what is not. We will never condone the use of a machine for something it was not intended to do. Your safety is our primary concern here.

It will be OK to disagree here as long as it is done in a civil manner. If you post, make sure it is exactly what you wish to say before you post it. A good idea here is to preview your post before you post it. We would especially like to hear from those that do this on a regular basis. I think that should cover what we are looking for, now it is yours to discuss.

Thank you;

Admin and the Moderation Team.

I was told that we could cut sheet steel siding with a Skil saw "BUT WE HAD TO REVERSE THE BLADE"
Would this hold true for aluminium ??? and perhaps reduce the chips that my table say produses when cutting alum material ??
Just wondering !
Joe

 

[sgisler]

Again, a skilsaw with a fine carbide blade works great in alum also. Still, LOTS of flying chips. Have done it quite a lot. I'll add also, as Keith mentioned, that a router works well to square or round over edges in alum. I've used the router when laminating alum to a plywood base to flush trim the alum to the plywood.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk