Advice on cutting aluminum plate

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Hi fellas (and lurking ladies),I do a lot of repair welding on aluminum parts such as tranny cases, engine blocks, bike frames, rims, etc.  I rarely work with material over 1/4" and when I have to cut material I simply use a cutting wheel on a 4 1/2" angle grinder for material 1/8" and under or a jig saw or saws-all for 1/4" plate.I just got notice of a small project heading my way which involves putting some rectangular end pieces on some aluminum I-beam for bolting onto some type of structure.  Is there a faster way to cut heavier aluminum plate than a saws-all?  I vaguely remember an old timer welder friend of mine telling me he uses a circular saw with a carbide blade many years ago but never had to cross this bridge until now.  I never tried it.The pieces will be around 10" x 6".Any help is appreciated.Thanks,Tony
Reply:Use a carbide blade and circular saw.  You will never bother with a sawzall unless you are in a tight corner.Safety: face shield, gloves , ear plugs. Set depth of blade to minimum I rarely have it more than 1/4 below the depth of the plate.  Do not pull blade out of kerf until it has stopped.  Use a cabide blade intended for aluminum.  The angle of the teeth is different and it is less prone to grab.    Wax your blade by running the saw and rubbing stick on both sides, not the teeth.  Run the saw through a piece of 2x4 to remove excess wax.  As the saw is used the wax will creep down to the teeth.  Any excess wax and you will have problems with porosity in your welds. You maybe have to wax three times in a day.  This will sound stupid but more expereinced hands will hold the saw so that they are pulling it towards themselves pulling the trigger with their little finger.  The idea is that if the saw grabs it take off away from you.   Aluminum I beam has to be cut on the flanges with a circular saw then the web finished with a sawzall unless you have a big stationary band saw.   For blades I am cheap and use as fine a carbide blade as I can find... 30 + teeth, disposable.  They grab more so keep that in mind.
Reply:Worm drive skill saw, carbide tipped blade, and Crisco.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Appraised a bunch of equipment in a window manufacturing facility several years ago and most of the aluminum frame cutting they did was just on standard wood miter saws.
Reply:For hard to reach spots I use a 3 3/8 toe kick saw carbide blade that I modified to fit my air grinder.  Works good for cutting out small patch areas too.I turn down the air flow so it does not over speed (air pressure the same) and then just carefully cut with it.  We nickname the outfit the "spinning wheel of death." ....might seem unsafe...but it works really good and no need for lubeI'll get a pic later tonight.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDave  We nickname the outfit the "spinning wheel of death." ....might seem unsafe...but it works really good and no need for lubeI'll get a pic later tonight.
Reply:might also look at the kreg rip-cut guide to put on your skill saw. for $35.00 its a real time saver and adds accuracy.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet
Reply:If you have a bunch of pieces the same size (all 10x6), then by all means use a table saw with a non-ferrous blade.  If you are doing one's and two's of a size, then a circular saw with a non-ferrous blade.  If you cannot find a non-ferrous blade in time, find a blade for laminate counter top.  It will have the number of teeth and grind that you need on the carbide tips (triple chip grind).  I have been using both of these saws with great effect on aluminum plate...the blade...closeup of the blade tips...both of the saws I use for straight cuts on aluminum plate...I use either the Diablo non-ferrous blade (easily available at Home Depot) or the Onsrud non-ferrous blade (easily available on eBay).Wear long-sleeved everything...it makes a LOT of swarf and it goes everywhere...the swarf hitting your arms during the cut feels like little dart guns.An angle grinder is the painful way to do this.  Cutting aluminum plate on the tables saw gives you lots of perfect cuts easily...almost feels like stealing.Be careful!  KevKevin / Machine_Punk from The Aerodrome Studio - Lincoln PowerMIG 210 MP - Meco N Midget w/custom welding station - Vintage Victor 100Current Projects: The Aerodrome Studio
Reply:Thanks for all the advice.  Question!  I am trying to remember the explanation that my welder friend told me about using his skill saw to cut through aluminum.  I THINK he told me that he ran the blade backwards instead of cutting in a normal fashion.Did I hear him right?  Anyone heard of this?Thanks,Tony
Reply:that backwards blade is only for cutting thin stock---sheet metal or aluminum siding.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet
Reply:Ever considered a Plasma cutter?  if you do a lot of aluminum it may be a worthwhile investment.   I have good luck with a 6 1/2 makita cordless saw using a Freud carbide narrow kerf blade for wood. cuts well due to the lower blade speed of cordless tools.   consider a cold cut chop saw or miter saw like and evolution.  they make aluminum specific blades for these too.   the RPM on my Evo 14" is 1350 the slow speed really excels when cutting AluminiumTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by therreraThanks for all the advice.  Question!  I am trying to remember the explanation that my welder friend told me about using his skill saw to cut through aluminum.  I THINK he told me that he ran the blade backwards instead of cutting in a normal fashion.Did I hear him right?  Anyone heard of this?Thanks,Tony
Reply:i'd deffinetely recommend ebay as well the blades on there are a lot cheaper around 75% less than retail and they last well . http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_saca...errous&_sop=15are current non ferrous blade listings. first 10" blade I got for AL was $100 and brand name Tenruu. Now I just pay around $25 per blade, much cheaper.
Reply:Originally Posted by AluminumWelderi'd deffinetely recommend ebay as well the blades on there are a lot cheaper around 75% less than retail and they last well . http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_saca...errous&_sop=15are current non ferrous blade listings. first 10" blade I got for AL was $100 and brand name Tenruu. Now I just pay around $25 per blade, much cheaper.
Reply:Evolution makes some pretty sweet metal cutting tools...If you are going to use a grinder, a good way to cut down on aluminum muck is to use an anti-loading spray, like GF-200 made by Jokisch. Well worth the 10-15 bucks a canwww.triarc.us
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawEver considered a Plasma cutter?  if you do a lot of aluminum it may be a worthwhile investment.   I have good luck with a 6 1/2 makita cordless saw using a Freud carbide narrow kerf blade for wood. cuts well due to the lower blade speed of cordless tools.   consider a cold cut chop saw or miter saw like and evolution.  they make aluminum specific blades for these too.   the RPM on my Evo 14" is 1350 the slow speed really excels when cutting Aluminium
Reply:"Tenruu is an excellent Japanese Brand of blades. Definitely stick with a name brand and not com Chinese import. "  I've been cutting aluminum for years, Every week I probably have a couple pounds of aluminum dust from the chop saw. The tenruu I'm sure is an excellent blad, so are the cheap ebay ones. I've never measured how long they last, as most of the time the blade is damaged by operator error. One thing is for sure the Tenru does  NOT last 4 x the times like it's 4x price would justify. I don't even think 2x the life.
Reply:Here are some parts I cut with a Hypertherm plasma....as cut. First is 3/16", second is .080". Both were cut with 45 amp shielded consumables, air as the plasma gas.Jim Colt Originally Posted by therreraHi fellas (and lurking ladies),I do a lot of repair welding on aluminum parts such as tranny cases, engine blocks, bike frames, rims, etc.  I rarely work with material over 1/4" and when I have to cut material I simply use a cutting wheel on a 4 1/2" angle grinder for material 1/8" and under or a jig saw or saws-all for 1/4" plate.I just got notice of a small project heading my way which involves putting some rectangular end pieces on some aluminum I-beam for bolting onto some type of structure.  Is there a faster way to cut heavier aluminum plate than a saws-all?  I vaguely remember an old timer welder friend of mine telling me he uses a circular saw with a carbide blade many years ago but never had to cross this bridge until now.  I never tried it.The pieces will be around 10" x 6".Any help is appreciated.Thanks,Tony
Reply:Options:1. Rent a plasma cutter2. Rent a portable bandsaw then smooth out the edges with an aluminum grinding wheel.3. Ask your boss if its affordable to take the aluminum plate to a machine shop or other welder shop to sub it out for cutting only.  It won't be that expensive to get your 10"x6" plate cut perfectly for your project.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:OH!  Totally forgot the other option.  Make a pattern of the piece you want in 3/4" MDF, rough cut the aluminum just a little larger than the pattern, then use a router with a pattern-following, wood-cutting bit to clean it up.  I think the table saw is your best bet for lots of the same, rectangular shape, but I wanted to add this method for other ideas for anyone reading this thread in the future...KevKevin / Machine_Punk from The Aerodrome Studio - Lincoln PowerMIG 210 MP - Meco N Midget w/custom welding station - Vintage Victor 100Current Projects: The Aerodrome Studio
Reply:Those are great ideas people. Thanks for sharing them with me.  I have a plasma cutter and used it to cut those plates than ground down the edges smooth with a flapper disc.  I put a straight edge and followed it with the torch.I left my circular saw at our home in the White Mountains here in Arizona, 4 hours away from Phoenix where I am working.  I would have preferred to try and cut the stuff with that and have a nice clean edge, but oh well......for the next time.I have rarely worked with aluminum over 1/4" and this stuff was 1/2" plate and the I-beam had 1/2" flanges.  I have never tried to weld that thickness before and I will say I had a hell of a time with it.  I was able to tack the plates in place and weld half of the plate and burned up the water cooled power lead.  I was welding away and my customer (who was helping out) noticed smoke pouring from my welding machine.  Luckily it was the power cable and not something worse.I replaced it and increased the pressure coming from the water cooler's pump as I attributed the burn out to lack of coolant circulating quick enough to keep the cable cool.I want to ask some questions in another thread about the trouble I had and seek some advice on what I may have done wrong but I don't want to deviate this thread.In the normal course of my work I will probably never be called on to weld aluminum that thick again.  As it is this is the first time in seven years that I have been free lancing that I have had to do so.  I had to stop the job and bow out of it because I was not satisfied with how the job was turning out, but more on that in the new thread.  I billed only for cutting and fitting the plates onto the beams (drilling the holes, etc.).  My client was a good about it and I cleaned up the welds where I goobered it so the next welder would have a clean surface to work with.Thanks again,Tony
Reply:Cut a lot of aluminum building boats with circular saw; keep the nose down slowly drop down the back end and away you go remember to use lubricant like wax on the blade. It's fun cutting 1" aluminum with a circular saw keep your body parts out of the way of any kick back...  can be a doozy...LOL Play safe.
Reply:The angle of the teeth is different and it is less prone to grab.