QC my thoughts? cutting 3/8" Al plate with saw

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I am making a top for a router table. I'm using 3/8" Aluminum plate for the material.  I intend to cut it with a 7 1/4" Skill Worm drive Circular saw.  I have purchased a  7 1/4" 40 tooth Carbide blade. I'm going to protect every inch of my Bod from the debris and clamp the plate down securely to my bench,  and use a piece of angle iron clamped down for a saw guide. I'd like to do an interior cut  i.e. make a 9x12"  cutout in the middle of the plate.  I'm thinking to do that like I would if I was using a router in wood... Begin by  cutting 1/8"  then lower the blade and cut another deeper slot till I'm through it.  I think I should  finish the interior corners with  3/8" drilled holes and a sabre saw.  Well there's my plan, I'd appreciate any tips or thoughts. right or wrong pics to followBretLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:PapaLion,Do you have a friend with a milling machine?  Are there any WW members in your area that will volunteer this cut on their mill?You'll get a much nicer and more precisely sized cut on a milling machine than with a circular saw.  I'm sure you already knew that which is probably why you asked about the circular saw in the first place.
Reply:There is no mill around for me to use.  I could pay to have the interior cut done.  I figure to make the interior plate which the router bolts to first, mark the opening and try to match them.  I have plenty of air and carbide tips I do feel quality may suffer if i rush it, but safety is a big ? I feel what I got in mind is safe.Last edited by PapaLion; 11-26-2010 at 05:51 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:An ordinary wood blade should work fine on the cuts with the circular saw.  You could 'drop in' with the circular saw for the interior cut, but the corners will be a little tricky (use a jig saw to finish each line) and keeping it pretty will be more of a challenge.With a lot of patience, you should be fine.  Debris from aluminum is generally a non-issue.  Kickback is what you've got to be aware of.  I'd be careful to clamp stuff down very securely.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:I might cut it all out, fab it as much as possible,  and do the drilling taps etc and then take the finished interior plate and the top over and have them mill the opening... what kind of clearances might I ask for from the mill fellas to keep it simple.The going rate for this table is about $3-400, it fits on the left end of my table saw... I'm in $90 so far including the blade, so I got some room.Last edited by PapaLion; 11-26-2010 at 06:10 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Can you clamp it to your table saw and then raise the blade into it?My name's not Jim....
Reply:anyone around you with a cnc plasma?tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:I've done similar in 1" aluminum, it works pretty good actually, as was said be careful re the kickback. Be sure to use some sort of lubricant on the blade to prevent the aluminum from sticking to the teeth, not a lot. If you don't have a lot to do a wax candle works good, it'll save you buyng something you may not use againDon't under any circumstances attempt to cut "just a little" bit backwards to finish a cut. Yes I know you shouldn't but I did and it grabbed, big time, tore the saw right outa my hand and scared the crap out of me......Mike
Reply:boostinjdm, yes  I could use the table saw and raise the blade, a blind cut spooks me some,  sheesh, it's a thought.  EXACTLY the ?  mrmikey what NOT to do.  Ok, no back up at all.  I think I'll cut out the form, which is pretty simple and sand the edges, drill, tap, polish etc and then take it all over and have them mill the inner rectangle to match the router plate... life will be easy and it'll turn out right and I'll keep my fingers all good things.  I'll send in pics as it gets closer to something to look at. It begins Monday with building a steel bracket which attaches to the table saw and holds the router table. Thanks much for the good advice.  enjoy, Bret.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:We used to cut gates into aluminum irrigation pipe with a router & 1/4" bit.  I bet you could do the same with this, just make 2 or 3 passes with the router bit, moving at a fairly good clip.  The bits will break if they get too hot, carbide might be a better choice.I've got 2 routers if you need one for the project.  It will also leave a pretty good edge.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Duhhh, never even thought about a router, (old age sucks btw LOL)  Mark's right on. I've used 'em to bevel edges for welding as well as cut circles out of the center of a plate. Make a template out of 1/4" plywood, allowing for the size of the base naturally and cut it out. Make sure you take note of the direction of rotation of the bitt, you want it to keep the router into the template....Mike
Reply:I cut alum. plate just like i would a piece of wood...On table saw or router..Lube the blade with some wax first. and take your time....I made my router table that way... I have never had problems.
Reply:I'd use a router. I've  cut 0.25 7075 using a two flute carbide cutter with a downward spiral. Holds the router down well and forces the chips through the cut. Simply drill a hole and do it in a single pass. I'd make a pattern from mdf or plywood and follow it. I usually wear my leathers, face shield, and hearing protection.
Reply:Papalion, I cut tons of aluminum with a skilsaw. Use a Freud blade that is made for cutting metal; not the metal and plastics blade. There are 2, the kerf is a bit different, and it does make a huge difference. I will tell you the secret to great aluminum cutting: Wax that blade. Even a household candle will do it; wax as you go, keep steady pressure, and yes, you can drop the blade in like you would for cutting in a 'window'. But... do not bother with a shallow cut, then a deeper cut in this manner. You will load the blade, and the cut quality will suffer. (You will also spend a lot of time cleaning the aluminum that gets smudged onto the blade.)I like to do my layout, then use a holesaw for my corners. I usually go with a 3/4" or bigger; then just use a jigsaw or sawzall to finish a hard corner if need be. I will often cut straight through the circle cutout and carry it to the corner, it just makes the center piece fall very cleanly for me. Routers can be good, but you need a helluva stiff shoulder to cut 3/8 aluminum with a hand held router.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:The more I look at this the more I'm wondering about the way it works?  There is a table top about 27 x 17".  l provide a level sturdy support for that top, fine.  There is an inner smaller rectangle which floats on adjustment screws from top and bottom to lock it flat. I see how that works.  The router attaches to that inner plate.  That smaller inner plate allows for several plastic inserts for your various router blade sizes.  WHY? zactlee do we need this inner plate at all?  If the router were simply bolted to the larger table top and a hole were there in the middle for the various inserts, seems all would  work well.  I'm hoping for some clarity on this before I cut up the materials.  BretLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:PapaLion,I have the following Veritas router table top.  It is 1/4" steel with a hole in the middle like you mention.  The mount is more sophisticated than necessary in order to fit various routers without having to drill mount holes.  Anyway....for what it's worth.....I've had it for years and it works great. Attached Images
Reply:PapaLion,Well, I decided to provide a sneak peak into the special skunkworks router table project at the top secret JoeDirt woodworking facility.  I enclosed the base, added an plexiglass door, and a simple mitered pvc pipe that runs up to the router for dust collection.  The fence was made from poplar.  It also has dust collection.  Works pretty well in my opinion. Attached Images
Reply:Over the years I have cut many miles of Aluminum with wood working tools. Look out for kickback.Think of aluminum as hardwood, all will be fine. Plunge cuts work great, with the circle saw, finish with a reciprocating saw. Remember that you want radius corners on the inside of the cutout. Wood rasp for deburing.
Reply:Joe that's what I'm thinking? Why would I need  the floating inner plate unless I wanted to mount several different routers, have a lift  etc... I don't.  You got a very keen shaper there.  The Veritas system is top quality, my needs are very simple, I doubt I will do much height changing as I want to work with 3-4 very specific templates and they all use a 1/4" MDF reinforced template that will guide the  bearing on the end of the bit and the cuts will be in material less than 1" thick.  This could get much simpler. FB thanks for the reassurance, I know U know a lot of detail on making things go well.  I'm going to try some practice cuts Monday using some of the techniques recommended, I got lots of bees wax.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Here's where I'm going>Insert Ex: Insert with 2-1/2'' opening (for large bits)I could just make the hole in the table top directly for the insert and with  screw threads etc for these inserts, buy 2-3 and at $7 each be done with it? Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Originally Posted by PapaLionHere's where I'm going>Insert Ex: Insert with 2-1/2'' opening (for large bits)I could just make the hole in the table top directly for the insert and with  screw threads etc for these inserts, buy 2-3 and at $7 each be done with it?
Reply:That convinces me... going to do it that way.   I will go by Rockler on Dec 10 so just after that I can get the round hole milled in to match the inserts.  Monday starts the support base. thanks guys...Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:I got some nice new 2x2" 1/8" angle iron for the support for the router top which will bolt on my table saw. Stqrted cutting it out and it went very smooth.  ? I noticed the angle iron did not look to be a 90 degree angle... sure enough it is overbent about 3-4 degrees.  Still for this it is fine but ???  Do the Chinese know how to do ANYTHING correctly.  I went and looked in my pile at old angle iron chunks... for the most part 90 degrees right on.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Things went well today, thanks for the tips beforehand, still got all my fingersI built an angle iron base for the table, mounted it with some adjustable support arms. It can easily be leveled.  I cut the AL  with beeswax, Skilsaw and clamped tightly. It went well.   I am ready to figure the hole for the router blade and mount it down... the old Rockwell table saw is also in rehab.  It is only 35 years old so a coat of dark grey and new homebrewed handles and fence guide might be nice.  So it all goes together now, then comes apart and gets paint etc.  I understand electrolysis and I will paint the steel and use a thin gasket between the AL and steel.  In Az we got very little moisture problems.    I couldn't figure any way to mill a trough for the hold down channel stuff so I made the base a bit larger and welded a cap of 1/4"  flat stuff on the edge and voila we gots us a trough for the hold down blue stuff  Hokey but it worked fine. More to go these projects take a long time huh? Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Come by next weekend, we'll make up a couple handles for your table saw.  I just made one for my bandsaw & it turned out ok.  Just need the shaft diameter & any keyway's that need cut.  Otherwise, we can just bore the hole & add a set screw.  Or two.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate BuildKool, the originals are plastic with a brass insert  I got one broken one off it.  Saturday pm probably I'll call u.  I'd like to see that lathe all up and cranking. Hope UR doing aok...BLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Have to make a trip to Nebraska tomorrow for a funeral.  Will be back next Thursday late, that's why I suggested next weekend.The lathe works pretty cool too.  We can make knobs, handles, thread some drill rod, maybe even machine a slot or two.  Just give me a call next weekend, I'll be around.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:here are a few pics of the end product of the first routing. It works very well.   The router table will get some milling, clean up, frame painted  etc and a few pics later. The first one has the template on top, the bottom black thin piece is the new pickguard.  The second one shows the very thin edge fuzz left  to be cleaned up with just a razorblade.The final one shows the new guard free of the template and ready for the 5 mounting holes. The material is Bakelite/Garolite from McMaster.   This is the correct material for a Blackguard Tele. Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools