grumpyvette Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91852 now I could use a saw that will cut aluminum pipe/tubing and plate with up to about 1/2" thick walls,but I need to have the ability to cut angles, now obviously I would never think of using this cheap saw IF it was going to get more than occasional use, and IM sure the blade it comes with is trash,as its designed for wood, so any thoughts or info on selecting the correct blade for cutting ALUMINUM , a better saw with similar capability,would be appreciated gentelmen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I tried using a DeWalt miter saw to cut aluminum and steel with an abrasive wheel. It worked for a while but I smoked the motor after a few months. If you're going to use it with a toothed blade make sure you compare the saw's motor speed and the blade's designed max speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 http://www.bulletindustries.com/Shop/Control/fp/scat/253320/SFV/32766 With a standard abrasive chop saw should work very nicely. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roostmonkey Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 A std wood style chop/miter saw with a good carbide tipped blade works great on aluminum. Its important to use a grease/wax stick to lube the blade so it doesnt load up with gaulled aluminum. Ive used an old Makita for years with no issues. You dont want to use an abrasive blade on non ferrous material. They dont remove the material fast enough, you need each carbide to peel a chip out. I dont recomend using this same setup for steel tho. Those type of saws turn at too high of an rpm and the carbides will be flying around like .22 cal rounds. I also use a std table saw and skill saw for alum. all the time. Just dont forget the wax stick.Applied dirctly to the blade while its spinning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 ^ nice tip, I cut aluminum with my chop saw at one point with dismal results. Seems the toothed blade is a better bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleaf Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 A std wood style chop/miter saw with a good carbide tipped blade works great on aluminum. Its important to use a grease/wax stick to lube the blade so it doesnt load up with gaulled aluminum. Ive used an old Makita for years with no issues. You dont want to use an abrasive blade on non ferrous material. They dont remove the material fast enough, you need each carbide to peel a chip out. I dont recomend using this same setup for steel tho. Those type of saws turn at too high of an rpm and the carbides will be flying around like .22 cal rounds. I also use a std table saw and skill saw for alum. all the time. Just dont forget the wax stick.Applied dirctly to the blade while its spinning I've been doing the same thing for years. Works great. I would not recommend it for steel but you'd be amazed at what a good carbide blade will cut through. (Don't forget the WAX) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(goldfish) Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91852 now I could use a saw that will cut aluminum pipe/tubing and plate with up to about 1/2" thick walls,but I need to have the ability to cut angles, ...... What kind of angles? With simple angles I've seen this saw work good for quite awhile. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93762 Not much more money either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaximumHP Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I bought a special blade made specifically for cutting aluminum (or any soft metal), it has some modified tooth angle or something for soft metals. Cuts through like butter. Like mentioned above I use wax on the blade as a lubricant. You can use a regular blade too I've heard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I tried using a DeWalt miter saw to cut aluminum and steel with an abrasive wheel. It worked for a while but I smoked the motor after a few months. If you're going to use it with a toothed blade make sure you compare the saw's motor speed and the blade's designed max speed. I thought you weren't supposed to use abrasive blades on aluminum due to the risk of the blade exploding... Grumpy, I have that saw in 10" size. It works, but it doesn't cut square at all and in general is pretty crappy, blade deflects with pretty minimal pressure, etc. I would not buy one if you're looking to cut anything close to an accurate angle. I did work for a company that used an industrial chop saw for aluminum and they had a 12" 100 tooth carbide blade. They did not wax the blade or anything and it lasted a very long time, I think they replaced it once in the 3 years I worked there and the thing was running probably 20 hours a week, so the blade shouldn't be the hard part of the equation. If you have some time to kill I'd suggest Harbor Freight's metal cutting band saws, I say that because they really take a lot more time to finish a cut. I have the smallest one and have put it through it's paces, and in my opinion it is a much better piece of equipment for cutting metal. It is also not perfectly accurate, but I think its a lot better than my chop saw. I have this model (but in green) and they have bigger badder ones if you want a faster cut/bigger blade: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93762 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essdeezee Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I've also had good experiences with the cheaper horizontal metal cutting bandsaws. Slow, but accurate and safe (ie: no chips flying like .22's!). I use the Nikx Stix (something like that lol) for lubricant, and it makes a world of difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 That saw really looks like the sort of thing you would cut wood with! For alluminium and steel use I would be getting something like this if you want to save $$$! https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Horizontal-Bandsaws And for the best cuts, something like this if you have 3-phase power and $$$ ! https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Metal-Cutting-Coldsaws-Ferrous https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Metal-Cutting-Coldsaws-Non-Ferrous But if you are just cutting alluminium tube I would be getting the bandsaw, remember reading another hybridz member mentioning a cheapy bandsaw they bought from harbor frieght! Think it was this one, Its cheap as and has a 1hp motor! http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93762 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(goldfish) Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 ...Grumpy, I have that saw in 10" size. It works, but it doesn't cut square at all and in general is pretty crappy, blade deflects with pretty minimal pressure, etc. I would not buy one if you're looking to cut anything close to an accurate angle. ...... Hmm.... I was just at the store looking at the 12" and it looked fairly good. All the slides and pivots moved nicely, no play or binding. I didn't feel and shaft play on the blade. Wouldn't changing blades change a lot of those issues you're having? I didn't like the angle preset, indent system it used. It seemed like it would wear out fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Changing the blade would help some, but part of it is the inherent crappiness of the machine, loose pivots, angles are not exact, etc. It's possible the 12" is better than the 10. Put it this way, the blade brake that slows the blade down after a cut worked 2 times. 3rd cut it didn't work any more. It still slows down faster than a saw without a brake, but not like it's supposed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo7MN Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 For what you want to do why not step up to a band saw actually made for cutting metal. I find the bad saw to be much more accurate than the chop saw, I contribute that to the blade flexing on start up with the chop saw. I have used this unit, and other than how slow it is and the blade popping off from time to time it can make some great cuts. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93762 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 For what you want to do why not step up to a band saw actually made for cutting metal. I find the bad saw to be much more accurate than the chop saw, I contribute that to the blade flexing on start up with the chop saw. I have used this unit, and other than how slow it is and the blade popping off from time to time it can make some great cuts. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93762 Hey, have you seen this bandsaw? Just thought it needed a 5th posting in this thread. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93762 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo7MN Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I'm more saying that I have personally used that saw and wanted to give my input on it.... hell it must be good if 5 people have posted a link to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 It's cool, I wasn't the first person to post a link to it either. I just saw a new post in this thread and thought "Hey I wonder if that's another link to the HF bandsaw" and sure enough. I guess we all like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(goldfish) Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 For what you want to do why not step up to a band saw actually made for cutting metal. I find the bad saw to be much more accurate than the chop saw, I contribute that to the blade flexing on start up with the chop saw. I have used this unit, and other than how slow it is and the blade popping off from time to time it can make some great cuts. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93762 It's slower than the chop saws, but inline for metal band saws. I've never heard of the blade popping off even after several years of use by my dad. He later went to the larger unit HF sells as he felt some of the "production" runs were getting to much for the little guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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