The AM Forum

I bought a 2' x 4' sheet of aluminum (16 gauge) of fleabay to make the mod and RF decks for my 813x813 rig.

I bought a sheet metal brake from harbor junk, what a piece if sh**.  It goes back on Monday. Probably only good for bending the thinest metals.  

So I took K1JJ's advice and cut up the sheet and will use angle aluminum to build the boxes, erector set style.

I have seen that many people claim that a normal carbide wood blade in the circular saw will cut aluminum.  This may be, but I went ahead and bought a 60 tooth aluminum blade (Oshlum), ony $19.

Well it works great, cuts like butter!  The only thing I would change is doing it on a tarp to make cleanup easier.

This may be old news, oh well.

Rich

Rich,

Thanks for the info on the 60 tooth alunimum blade.

Rich,

I bought the 30" bending brake from HF 8 or 9 years ago and mine works fine on 16 gauge aluminum.  Of course they may have changed the design since then (or you may have gotten a bad unit since QC probably isn't a big concern).

I use a Taiwan bender on automotive sheet steel and 16 gauge aluminum. Its out in the shed but I believe the make is Jet. Picked it up at a local belly up industrial auction a decade or more ago.

The one that appeals to me is the ~300lb shear/brake/roller machine...

On my short list for new tools...

                             _-_-bear

I have the 30yo version of that worm drive skil in your first pic. I love that saw. It weigh's a ton but will plow thru anything.

Rich,

Interesting idea about using a Skill saw and a 60 tooth blade for aluminum sheet.  My band saw has size limitations, so I may try this too, next time.

With your new techniques, you now are now the captain of your aluminum ship - master of your aluminum fate... and free of the mini-box/ Bud dragon....;D

Be sure to post some pics of your finished boxes. I'll bet some guys will realize how nice and easy it is to produce your own custom work like this.  Just some sheet, angle and nuts/bolts.  My favorite job is to make a custom sub-chassis air box for tube finals with a squirrel cage on the back. Very efficient air flow rather than using a whole chassis, etc.

T

I like angle aluminum also. I usually visit big Al when I need to cut a bunch of panels. I'm told a table saw works better than a skill saw. A chop saw works great for PVC and angle aluminum.

Worm drive skil saw with an $8 carbide wood cutting blade is the basic cutting tool for those of us in the aluminum gillnetter boat welding business in Bristol Bay..Cuts it all from 1/8th inch to 3/4 inch thickness...The bandsaw with a 7 TPI wood blade cuts the curvy stuff.....Plasma cutter for the rough stuff and the stainless steel...good luck Rich

Weeeel, maybe I was doing it wrong. I clamped a five inch wide piece of Al under the "bar" and tried to bend. All that happened was the bar flexed open with the stock showing no sign of bendage.

Rich

Instead of worrying about bending, I use angle stock fastened by screws and drilled/tapped holes.  I can  do a pretty good job cutting 1/8" panel stock using a simple jigsaw guided by a piece of angle stock clamped to the piece. Besides, too tight a bend tends to weaken the piece if not crack it outright.

I had never heard of such a thing as an "aluminium blade" for a skillsaw.  I'll have to try that out. Betcha I'll have to order it on-line; I'll most assuredly get a RadioShack-esque blank stare when I ask for one at any of the local  hardware stores.

I did use a standard abrasive type sheet metal blade to disassemble the uni-body cabinet of the BTA-1R that I parted out, but AL would clog it up within a few seconds, just as it does a file.

I hate metal work, even though I have become fairly good at it and do it all the time.

Rich,

The only thing I can suggest is check the placement of the "pressing plate"  because that is critical.  If it is too close to the bend it will not let the brake work.  You do have to allow for the thickness of the material being bent.

I looked at the manual online and it looks the same as the one I have but it has been several years so it is possible it changed.  A lot of the HF stuff is junk but the brake has worked well for me and I have their XY vises on both my regular and radial drill press tables along with my mortising machine and they work extremely well.

Rodger

Alcohol works well as a coolant for drilling. It seems to have some effect that makes blades cut through aluminum easily.

Your nuts.  I am on my fourth beer and the damn thing still won't cut.

Rich


 ;)

Mr Vu,

Cutting aluminum on the table saw is not new... fyi...


                  _-_-

Must be light beer


klc

Give "Grizzly Tools" a try.  Their tools are made overseas like HF's but to their specs and QC.  I bought a lathe from them and love it.

Yes, I see that a circular saw can be defined as either a "Skill" saw or a table saw. .  I assumed Rich was talking about using a hand "Skill" saw with a 60 tooth blade.

I'll tell ya though - I have a table saw that I use for wood and Plexiglas. That thing scares the hell outa me every time I use it due to occassional grabbing/binding and flinging the work. There was a thread on this here once. 

I'd even rather use my Saws-All to cut sheet before the table saw... and I often do ... ;D

Though, a well designed table saw with supporting slides should work fine - I see them used in shops all the time. Mine is a $200 wonder.

T

Bending aluminum.
One thing you failed to include is the type & thickness of alloy you are trying to bend. If you have 1/8" 6061 you may be out of luck. Tempered aluminum will fracture at the bend. KL7OF is the resident aluminum expert and can clue you in on what bends and what doesn't. The tempered stuff cuts great but will not tolerate crisp 90 deg bends--so don't be too hasty to blame the brake.
We have an old  Diacro and have have wrecked a bit of alloy by not paying attention to the markings.
BTW we use a worm drive Skil saw to cut 3/4  plate here in the plant. SOP for years--just wear safety glasses!!!!

Yes, certain aluminum grades snap like straw... I've been there.

I'm told that with certain brittle metals like this, by heating the area with a torch before bending, it can be done without fracture. Haven't tried it myself except with steel.

T

2024 aluminum alloy sheet will generally fracture and snap when bent. However, as a plate, it's very strong as compared to other aluminum alloys.
5052 aluminum alloy sheet is great for bending even into a tight radius. 6061 aluminum alloy sheet is also good for forming.

I used to cut Wakefield heat-sink extrusions with a $100 fancy aluminum blade and my table saw. I still have a 4" hole in the shop wall from a piece that kicked back.

I am missing the last 1/4" of my right middle finger from cutting some real thin plywood. Be careful - the thin stuff will kick back and you can't imagine how hard the stuff is thrown out. You don't want to find out firsthand.

This isn't made up - it's from an experienced Dumb A**.

Although some alloys bend better than others,For bending and working purposes, the hardness designation is more important than the alloy...2024 is available in Hardness "T2" thru hardness "T6"  The T2 will bend and the T6 will not...Basically the same with other alloys...There are aluminum data books and catalog sheets available online from Aluminum suppliers such as Alaska Copper and Brass..

Steve,

What would be the best aluminum to fight Yagi element "work hardening?"

I think most manufacturers use T6 but is it better to have a softer metal or harder metal to prevent this problem?  After a few million element bounces in the wind, Yagis can actually fail.  It's probably a compromise between strength for ice loads and limber-ness I would guess.

T

I have always used 60 series , with 6063 being my favorite and T6 hardness..I would imagine 50 series...(5053 or 5086)in T6 would be better, but it is  hard to find in yagi tube sizes...5086 is a marine alloy that is very corrosion resistant and a little more flexible than 60 series while still having a high tensile strength and wear resistance...For really big yagis...6063 is available in standard schedule 40 pipe sizes....6061 T6 works OK but will be more prone to breakage from work hardening....

...just to replay the earlier thread, actually just my comments, on the table saw and kickback... sort of by design, sort of by accident, I use a slightly lower power motor and fewer belts (one vs. 3) on the pulleys of my Powermatic... as a result when the thing hogs it slows a bit so you have back off the push pressure. It is far easier to stall, and ur not going to cut a 4x8 block like butter as a result. But the force that thing can sling at is rather reduced compared to a stock table saw - although still presents danger it somewhat less and has saved my ass, no my hands and body a few times already. If I really needed full power I'd have to go for a bigger HP motor and all the belts...

It got done like this because I had to rebuild the thing as a hulk from a burned down shop - nothing but the steel left, no paint, no rubber, no pot metal, nuthin'. Put in new bearings and a motor... some warp on the table, but what the heck. Been cutting like this now for 20 years, still looks like a rust bucket too.

                  _-_-bear

Hello All!

     I agree on the "kick back" with using a table saw!

     I use a plasma cutter now, BUT just be carefull, I think that those bubles that form when you cut, are from hydrogen gas, from the aluminum. Yes they do "pop," but I still think that it is safer than a table saw!

Tnx,