Cutting aluminum?

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I need to cut some aluminum for someone and I have only cut steel with my Harbor Freight bandsaw. I was wondering if I need a new blade or to change the speed.I am not sure what shape it is yet I will get it tonight.
Reply:Someone who uses the bandsaws more often than I do can comment on the blades and speeds, but I will tell you to watch out for the aluminum sticking in between the teeth on the blade, eventually effectively rendering it into a toothless band.  I have some hacksaw and recip. saw teeth that are filled with aluminum.  It does the same thing in your grinder wheels too, which then affect the balance and harmonics of the grinder and can make it dangerous.  Just something to watch out for.Perhaps a coarser tooth pattern or certain speeds help keep this from happening.
Reply:I like to run my bandsaw pretty slow anyway - probably around 150 fpm - to keep the blade cool.  I generally run the same blade for all materials unless I want a really fine cut then I switch from about 14 tpi to as high as 28 tpi.  I think you'll do better using the coarser blades for aluminum as far as avoiding the blade loading Mac is referring to.  You shouldn't need anything special unless you are making intricate cuts & then you really need a vertical saw anyway.  I have no idea how a 1/4 inch blade will run on a HF saw.  Has anyone else ever run one?
Reply:I leave mine on the middle pulley for just about everything. You want to have about three teeth cutting the material. tension your "Feed bar a little more to slow down your feed rate, you shouldn't have any problems. By the way I use a "14TPI" "Starrette flexback" blade for everything.
Reply:Ok thanks for the quick replies! I have it in the middle pulley. So there is not that much too worry about.
Reply:Dman, you might want to get some stick wax too. Applying a little to your blade will help keep the aluminum from welding to the teeth. (especially on dry cutting saws) I also keep a stream of air blowing on the blade, while cutting, to blow the chips away.I use Castrol/Johnson 140 Stick Wax, but I'm sure there are other brands.
Reply:Skillsaw with a sharp wood cutting blade does the job just fine for me.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:Got to agree with SDean about the wax. Makes a big difference. It is pretty messy stuff to clean up afterwards but worth the trouble. If you can't get any wax then kerosine works really well but is a fire hazard (like you did'nt know!). If they make a vari-pitch blade for your saw then use one. They will cut anything from wood to non ferrous metals to steel wthout needing to change blades.I'm not very clever,But I can lift heavy things.
Reply:I cut a lot of aluminum, and I haven't had any problem with my plain old 14TPI Starrette flexback blade,.I've never had clogged teeth, or needed lubricants.Here's if I remember cutting a bunch of 3/16" X 4" 6061 Attached Images
Reply:Well I just got the aluminum. I have to cut it at every line. This guy makes model airplanes that are like 8' wide I don't know what there for though. I just cut. Attached Images
Reply:Seems like buying a strip would be practical in this case.www.urkafarms.com