cutting metal

[RichD]

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -


--
Rich

 

[Cursitor Doom]

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:46:48 -0700, RichD wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut it in two, that is, a
straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group of
engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -

Personally I would use a die grinder with an aluminium cutting disc. Any
wobbles can be sorted out post-cut with a suitable file. Die grinders and
the accessories available for them are great; everyone should have one.

 

[Tom Biasi]

On 7/28/2017 1:57 PM, Cursitor Doom wrote:

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:46:48 -0700, RichD wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut it in two, that is, a
straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group of
engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -

Personally I would use a die grinder with an aluminium cutting disc. Any
wobbles can be sorted out post-cut with a suitable file. Die grinders and
the accessories available for them are great; everyone should have one.

If I had a lot to cut I would put an aluminum cutting blade in the chop
saw. For one piece just use a hacksaw.

 

[Robert Roland]

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:46:48 -0700 (PDT), RichD
<r_delaney2001@yahoo.com> wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Sheet metal hand shears will do it easily. A sturdy, high quality pair
of scissors might also work, depending on what alloy and hardness you
are dealing with.
--
RoRo

 

[Baron]

RichD prodded the keyboard with:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -


--
Rich

I regularly cut 2" inch thick by 4" inch wide aluminium bar with my 10
inch chop saw. Negative rake TCT blade 2800 rpm. Plenty of WD40 as a
cutting lube. The work piece gets a bit warm so a clamp is required.
but is does the job without a problem.

In fact I cut some 10 mm thick slices from a 45 mm diameter round bar
this morning.


--
Best Regards:
Baron.

 

On Friday, July 28, 2017 at 1:46:54 PM UTC-4, RichD wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -


--
Rich

I use a metal cutting blade on the table saw and chop saw, can also use for wood. Get one for Aluminum, not iron.

 

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <147257da-62cc-4bed-97b7-a2d32f434e45@googlegroups.com>,
r_delaney2001@yahoo.com says...

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -

I think I would go to a shop that does fabracation work, maybe even a
heating and air condition shop. Have them to put it on a sheer. Would
take them almost no time. Maybe they would do it for free or a very
minimal cost.

I being retired I miss having access to some scrap aluminum and
stainless steel and breaks and shears to work with.

 

[rickman]

Ralph Mowery wrote on 7/28/2017 6:13 PM:

In article <147257da-62cc-4bed-97b7-a2d32f434e45@googlegroups.com>,
r_delaney2001@yahoo.com says...

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -



I think I would go to a shop that does fabracation work, maybe even a
heating and air condition shop. Have them to put it on a sheer. Would
take them almost no time. Maybe they would do it for free or a very
minimal cost.

I being retired I miss having access to some scrap aluminum and
stainless steel and breaks and shears to work with.

You can do a lot with wood using basic tools, but metal is a bit harder to
work with. However, a 0.050 inch strip of aluminum doesn't really take
much. I would use a hack saw, cutting carefully and trimming up the edges
or any other irregularity with a file.

I did that once with 0.062 inch aluminum to make pieces to repair a canoe
thwart that had rotted a bit and the screws pulled through. I spent a fair
amount of time filing them, but that was more to get an exact fit than
anything. The part needed to be a bit of a trapezoid rather than a
rectangle. In the end it looked pretty good and worked well.

--

Rick C

 

[whit3rd]

On Friday, July 28, 2017 at 11:40:24 AM UTC-7, Robert Roland wrote:

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:46:48 -0700 (PDT), RichD
r_delaney2001@yahoo.com> wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Sheet metal hand shears will do it easily.

Agreed. For best accuracy, scribe a line before cutting (and
if it's critical, blacken the aluminum with felt-tip pen or Dykem,
so the scribed line will show up bright).

 

[amdx]

On 7/28/2017 12:46 PM, RichD wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -


--
Rich

By 1/20" I'm assuming that is 0.050" thick.
I could scribe that through with a box cutter. A good one, not a cheap
plastic one.

https://tinyurl.com/y8enx648

I'd put a square on the aluminum and a try to make a medium
presure cut across it. Then continue four or five more times in
the same cut line.
Then I would push the blade in on each edge to make a mark
that shows on the other side. I would use a ruler to line
up with those two marks and scribe along the ruler, then make
several more cuts along the ruler. At this point you should
be able to flex it and it will come apart. Clean up the edge
with a file.
I could have had it done faster than the time it took me to
write up how to do it.
Mikek

 

[Tom Biasi]

On 7/28/2017 7:57 PM, amdx wrote:

On 7/28/2017 12:46 PM, RichD wrote:
Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -

--
Rich


By 1/20" I'm assuming that is 0.050" thick.
I could scribe that through with a box cutter. A good one, not a cheap
plastic one.
https://tinyurl.com/y8enx648


I'd put a square on the aluminum and a try to make a medium
presure cut across it. Then continue four or five more times in
the same cut line.
Then I would push the blade in on each edge to make a mark
that shows on the other side. I would use a ruler to line
up with those two marks and scribe along the ruler, then make
several more cuts along the ruler. At this point you should
be able to flex it and it will come apart. Clean up the edge
with a file.
I could have had it done faster than the time it took me to
write up how to do it.
Mikek

Geez,
..050 aluminum for 2 inches, nobody here can use a hacksaw?

 

[Jim Thompson]

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 20:43:38 -0400, Tom Biasi <tombiasi@optonline.net>
wrote:

On 7/28/2017 7:57 PM, amdx wrote:
On 7/28/2017 12:46 PM, RichD wrote:
Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -

--
Rich


By 1/20" I'm assuming that is 0.050" thick.
I could scribe that through with a box cutter. A good one, not a cheap
plastic one.
https://tinyurl.com/y8enx648


I'd put a square on the aluminum and a try to make a medium
presure cut across it. Then continue four or five more times in
the same cut line.
Then I would push the blade in on each edge to make a mark
that shows on the other side. I would use a ruler to line
up with those two marks and scribe along the ruler, then make
several more cuts along the ruler. At this point you should
be able to flex it and it will come apart. Clean up the edge
with a file.
I could have had it done faster than the time it took me to
write up how to do it.
Mikek

Geez,
.050 aluminum for 2 inches, nobody here can use a hacksaw?

It must be above their pay scale >:-}

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| STV, Queen Creek, AZ 85142 Skype: skypeanalog | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I'm looking for work... see my website.

Thinking outside the box...producing elegant & economic solutions.

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:46:48 -0700 (PDT), RichD
<r_delaney2001@yahoo.com> wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -

You can clamp it in a vise and run a hacksaw horizontally along the
top of the jaws. That makes a nice straight smooth cut, but don't do
that a lot because it is a little hard on the vise.

A shear is best, but I assume that you don't have access to one.


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc

lunatic fringe electronics

 

[default]

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:46:48 -0700 (PDT), RichD
<r_delaney2001@yahoo.com> wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -


I use my 40 tooth 10" table saw, from sheet metal to 3/8" thick.

Slow feed and make sure it won't catch in the rip fence (if it is very
thin).

 

On Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:46:48 -0700 (PDT), RichD
<r_delaney2001@yahoo.com> wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

I have minimal metal shop experience, but figure in a group
of engineers, there ought to be a few metal benders -

If just one piece then use a hack saw. For .05" thick alunimun you
could even use the corner of a file. Just file halfway through from
each side. If you have a lot to cut and have a chop saw then that
would work great. Use a carbide toothed blade with many teeth. When my
shop was built the building parts were shipped without the roll up
door frame. I couldn't get the frame soon enough and the door needed
to go in. Since the shop was empty and without power I used my
generator and a Skil saw to cut 1/4" thick angle and channel into
pieces the correct lengths to build a bolt in frame. Some parts needed
welding and I found a local welder who was able to make the welds in
time. Cutting the angle was noisy, really noisy, and the chips went
everywhere. I used lamp oil for the cutting fluid. But I remembered
how well the saw worked and years later had a job cutting hundreds of
small aluminum parts from 1/2 x 1/4 6061 bar stock. So I used a chop
saw made for wood, a carbide blade, oil mist, and hearing protection
to do the job. It went very fast. Accurate too.
Eric

 

[RichD]

On July 28, Tom Biasi wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.
Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

.050 aluminum for 2 inches, nobody here can use a hacksaw?

OK, are hackasaws rated? Do I need to look for a specific
rating for this job?

--
Rich

 

[RichD]

On July 28, Tom Biasi wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut it in two, that is, a
straight 2" cut.

If I had a lot to cut I would put an aluminum cutting blade in the chop
saw.

Never used one.
What is the specific purpose of a chop saw?

--
Rich

 

[Jasen Betts]

On 2017-07-28, RichD <r_delaney2001@yahoo.com> wrote:

Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.

Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

a 32tpi blade in a hacksaw should work fine,
tin snips in a pinch, but might be a struggle.
also a carbide tipped blade in a circular saw at slow feed rate, but very noisy

--
This email has not been checked by half-arsed antivirus software

 

[Tom Biasi]

On 7/30/2017 1:43 AM, RichD wrote:

On July 28, Tom Biasi wrote:
Doing a home project, I need to cut some aluminum.
It's a strip 1/20" thick, 2" wide. I have to cut
it in two, that is, a straight 2" cut.
Should I seek a specialized handsaw for this job?
Or a bolt cutter, or some such. Suggestions?

.050 aluminum for 2 inches, nobody here can use a hacksaw?

OK, are hackasaws rated? Do I need to look for a specific
rating for this job?

--
Rich

No offense intended but maybe you should get someone to do this for you.

 

[Cursitor Doom]

On Sun, 30 Jul 2017 10:53:03 +0000, Jasen Betts wrote:

a 32tpi blade in a hacksaw should work fine,
tin snips in a pinch, but might be a struggle.
also a carbide tipped blade in a circular saw at slow feed rate, but
very noisy

myfordboy on YT used a regular TCT-bladed skill saw to chop through a
steel I-section RSJ for one of his projects which I've never seen done
before; most impressive indeed. No way would I attempt that.