Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

Sorry for the mess up in the NASA thread. Button pushing fail.

Yeah, sorry about that. No one was hurt when the blade failed, but there were quite a few interesting chunks of metal that came out of it. ::ouch::

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

That has always scared me about cutting aluminum with a chop saw.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

Looks like the blade had a few more teeth that where pretty close to going also. I would buy a cold saw or a nice horizontal band saw. The cold saw in or shop probably gets more use than any other machine there. Best money we ever spent and its a whole lot safer too.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

How long is that piece that was being cut and which way was it being cut? Was it cutting the full width of the tube?

I don't think that the blade failed causing the aluminum to bend and bind, I think that piece is just too small to cut with adequate clamping force. The margin of safety on a miter saw is 4", I don't see how anyone's hands could have been clear of that margin. When the aluminum moved or twisted it snagged the tooth and when the material hit the fence the tooth snapped off. I have lost a tooth on a blade before and didn't have a catastrophic failure like that. I'd be curious as to the full details of what happened and exactly how the scenario unfolded.

Glad everyone is okay, stay safe out there!

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

Look at the Evolution saws.
They run at lower RPM.
They are cheaper than a new cold saw.
The Evolution blades have teeth both directions.

I had a piece do something similar to this after breaking a clamp.
The cost of the saw was nothing compared to the risk of harm.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

I've always been slightly apprehensive about cutting aluminum on chop saws for the very reason pictured in this thread.

Horizontal chop saws are my first go to machine for cutting raw extrusion/rods, but after Build Blitz I'd also recommend this setup for those with space limitations: portable band saw (such as Dewalt DWM120) + aftermarket stand.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

Obtained this guy before build blitz, and cannot recommend the setup enough.
Replacement blades are available from Home Depot etc, it's setup for much tougher cutting than your typical small bandsaw (wood/foam, etc).
It can easily handle steel/aluminum.
I would recommend the footpedal to control it.

-Aren

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

I love horizontal bandsaws, the only problem with them though is because aluminum is so soft and ductile, the blade may want to cut at a bit on a vertical angle, which can be easily corrected with milling.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

Scary! I hate to think of where that tooth could have gone.

We have a wonderful horizontal bandsaw that my nice brother gave me, then I donated to our build space. It is so much safer than a circular saw - no possibility of making shrapnel.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

This is by far the best purchase we have ever made in power tools. The Dewault DW872 metal cutting saw.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/metalwor...aws-dw872.aspx



It can make cuts with no or minimal milling of cut ends.

It does have it's downsides though.

Loud (hearing protection loud), expensive blades (haven't replaced our's yet.), and bad clamp design (hard to get square).

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

Use the right tool for the right job. A chop saw may cut aluminum, a knife can also be used to eat ice cream. Just because a tool will do the job doesn't mean it is the correct one to use.

A reciprocating saw can be purchased for $30 at most any hardware stores. Combine it with a fine tooth blade and a vice and it will cut all the aluminum and steel you want-- safely.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

There are chop saws designed to cut wood, and chop saws designed to cut metal, sometimes called multi-cutter saws. Much of the difference is where the cutting guide is located with respect to the blade. Saws designed for wood allow the center of the blade to cut beyond the guide, allowing the blade to 'pick up' on the material being cut. Not a huge deal in wood and non-metals where cutting forces are relatively low, but in metal it can be quite dangerous. Saws designed for wood and other non-metals will generally have 1-2 clamps pointed down, saws designed to cut metals will generally have 1-2 clamps oriented horizontally.

Very similar saws can act quite differently. Know the difference!

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

A reciprocating saw is not going to cut straight at all, and is far more dangerous than a proper chop saw for metal.

We run a metal chop saw with a blade meant for aluminum and kids have made at least 1000 cuts this year quickly and safely.

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

We use the MK Morse Metal Devil 14" cutoff

http://www.mkmorse.com/products/index.aspx?product=74

Best tool donation we've ever gotten

Re: Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw
 

Although we have not cut anywhere near that number of parts on a chop saw, we do use them. We also have a LARGE horizontal band saw.
Both will do the job well IF they are used and set up properly.

Below is my ASSUMPTION based on the picture alone. I do not have enough factual information to give anything more than an assumption here.

My guess from looking at the picture is that the cut was from the top with a 45 degree vertical rotation to the blade. The part being cut was standing on it's narrow edge and not clamped securely. This set up is NOT ideal for a chop saw.

Lay the part with the larger side down. Use the horizontal rotation of the saw to set the angle. CLAMP THE PART SECURELY. Sorry for the all caps, but the importance of securing the part can not be understated.

It just struck me, the saw may not have been a Miter Saw! If not, it was the wrong tool for the job.