Need help to find a tool, kinda urgent

[acdcfan259]

Hacksaw?

[R.C.]

Yeah hacksaws are great, almost everyone on the team cuts crooked.

tolerence +- 1/8, just cutting to size

[artdutra04]

If your maximum thickness is going to be 0.125", then it sounds like you are going to be working with sheet metal forming tools. As such, 6061 and 7075 are actually pretty bad when it comes to "cold" sheet metal fabrication. 5052 would be a better bet, especially if you want to put any bends or edge flanges on it.

If you just want to cut the edges, look for a sheet metal shear; you can find one in your price range that can shear pieces three to four feet wide. However, trying to shear a piece that thick across the entire length of a shear may be too much for a manual one. In that case, you will need to find a local machine shop that specializes in sheet metal turret/punch, laserjet, or waterjet fabrication.

[MrForbes]

Might also look into having someone saw it. Remember, safety FIRST!

http://www.tipsbytom.com/index.php/cutting-aluminum/

[Cory]

Originally Posted by squirrel

Might also look into having someone saw it. Remember, safety FIRST!

http://www.tipsbytom.com/index.php/cutting-aluminum/

I was going to suggest this, but table saws are a tool that we don't let our kids get anywhere near, due to how many accidents occur while using them. I'd be VERY reluctant to endorse using it for a purpose it was never intended. You could end up seriously injured extremely quickly.

[Tristan Lall]

7075 is great for machining, but doesn't work too well for sheet metal forming, because it's so strong and not especially ductile. (And you don't want to use anything with a torch or an arc on it: it's highly susceptible to stress cracking when welded or plasma-cut, and it will lose its heat treatment due to the heating.)

6061 can be formed if you give it a big enough radius, and isn't so strong that shearing it becomes impractical (but it's significantly more difficult than the grades of aluminum intended for sheet metal work). It's also weldable enough, if that is needed.

If you're set on sheet metal fabrication methods, and don't have rigourous strength concerns, then a 5052 would be easier to work with.

Also, if your pieces are small, it looks like you might be in the market for a table saw with a carbide blade. Cutting sheet metal on this is non-trivial, because of the need to support it properly, and the need to keep the workpiece nice and flat at all times. But for small stuff, it's very accurate, and very versatile. (This will easily get you within 0.125 in.) If you can deal with extruded flat bar stock, you can even use a radial arm saw to cut it in a similar way.

If you're looking at full-width pieces of sheet metal (like off of a coil or something), then a proper manual shear could work too. Alternatively, if the pieces are small, you could maybe use a small right-angle shear. They're great for light-duty sheet work involving small straight or right-angle cuts.

All of those methods will give good, straight edges, but will have burrs if sawn or a bit of deformation if shorn (so flatness suffers a little). If you're performing secondary machining on those edges with a mill, you'll be fine either way. Depending on the accuracy needed, those methods might also be able to eliminate the need for secondary machining: you can readily get tolerances down to the 16^th or 32^nd of an inch with proper preparation on a saw or a shear.

[R.C.]

Could you recommend any metal sheers that are within the price range of 200-900 that would do the job, thanks

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by Cory

I was going to suggest this, but table saws are a tool that we don't let our kids get anywhere near, due to how many accidents occur while using them. I'd be VERY reluctant to endorse using it for a purpose it was never intended. You could end up seriously injured extremely quickly.

I design table saws on a daily basis and I can tell you that while it may be possible to cut aluminum on them. IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED. Besides the fact that the blade spins much to fast you will also need a really expensive carbide tooth cutter (don't use grinding disks)

That being said I think the tool you really want is a band saw. While a shear is a nice tool to have in your shop if all you are worried about is roughing out your sheets, a metal bandsaw using a guide/fence will get you where you need to go. I would look for a used GROB or other industrial variable speed band saw. Most likely something with ~20" will be fine for most standard stock you will buy.

The major problem I see with this route is that power requirements vary. They will go from 440v three phase to 220v single phase. Just make sure you have the right electric service for the unit you would consider.


On a side note - depending on the number of these you want many metal supply houses will have the ability to cut 1/8 aluminum well within your tolerances. And if you ask nicely they may even do it for you. Do you really need the ability to do this all the time, ie. do you really need to buy a tool. If you do then you will get much more work out of a band saw then a shear.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

That being said I think the tool you really want is a band saw. While a shear is a nice tool to have in your shop if all you are worried about is roughing out your sheets, a metal bandsaw using a guide/fence will get you where you need to go. I would look for a used GROB or other industrial variable speed band saw. Most likely something with ~20" will be fine for most standard stock you will buy.

He's going to need a bandsaw with a 40" throat to do that. That's a $5,000+ machine.

We have a JET shear similar to this. I generally hate JET tools, but we don't use it very hard, and it's served us well. I've never tried to shear a full sheet of 0.125" aluminum, but I've sheared 1/8" 6061 6" long or so before and it handles it with no problem. If you get enough people to jump on it hard enough, you'd probably be ok

[dtengineering]

While I can't say that I have personally cut aluminum sheet on a table saw, that was going to be my first suggestion for this particular application. Given the following caveats, I see no fundamental reason why it would not work.

As pointed out the table saw can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. Not, perhaps, as dangerous as driving a car when you don't know what you are doing... but even experienced table saw users can be sometimes caught off-guard by the occasional kick back. Likewise, just as driving a car can be done reasonably safely with the appropriate level of skill and/or supervision, so can using a table saw.... it doesn't mean accidents will NEVER happen... but we should no more ban appropriately mature students from using the table saw than we should ban them from using a car. Skill and supervision are the keys here.

Jim's link provides a really neat idea on dealing with the high tooth speed... use a smaller diameter blade. With carbide teeth it should work just fine and I can't see any reason why it would be more dangerous than cutting a thick piece of acrylic, maple or teak, or even a large piece of plywood. The article cites an increased tendency for kickback, but normal table saw operations already require the user to make plans to mitigate kickback risks.

If you aren't experienced with a table saw, though... don't cut wood on it, let alone aluminum. All tools deserve respect, but the table saw demands it.

Jason

P.S. I'd expect it might be a bit loud....

[MrForbes]

On the safety issue...as said by others, you need to be very careful with a table saw, which is why I suggested finding someone who would do the cutting for you.

The older fellow who runs the shop our students work in missed most of the 2007 build season because he cut off part of his thumb on the table saw in his shop. But table saws are not the only dangerous equipment used for wood working, and accidents can happen in strange ways...another fellow I know lost a finger on a miter saw, cutting wood, somehow the safety shield broke and the broken shield severed his finger.

Also be careful with a shear if you use one...yet another friend broke his artificial foot using one when we were cutting some relatively thin sheet steel on his manual shear. Not painful, so much as expensive, but still it shows that you have to be very careful no matter what equipment you're using.

I don't have any scary plasma cutter stories, but I'm sure there are some.

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by squirrel

On the safety issue...as said by others, you need to be very careful with a table saw, which is why I suggested finding someone who would do the cutting for you.

The older fellow who runs the shop our students work in missed most of the 2007 build season because he cut off part of his thumb on the table saw in his shop. But table saws are not the only dangerous equipment used for wood working, and accidents can happen in strange ways...another fellow I know lost a finger on a miter saw, cutting wood, somehow the safety shield broke and the broken shield severed his finger.

Also be careful with a shear if you use one...yet another friend broke his artificial foot using one when we were cutting some relatively thin sheet steel on his manual shear. Not painful, so much as expensive, but still it shows that you have to be very careful no matter what equipment you're using.

I don't have any scary plasma cutter stories, but I'm sure there are some.

Once upon a time I saw a kid cut off part of his pinky using a miter saw...he was cutting an ~8" piece of aluminum extrusion, without clamping it down (yes holding it by hand). The saw caught it and whipped it around, it landed on his pinky. Saws need respect.

I've cut aluminum sheet on a table saw before. It is certainly not the best thing to do, but it did work, and I didn't lose any digits or limbs. It wasn't the best experience, and I do not recommend it. It was quite loud though.

[Dmentor]

I'm by no stretch of the imagine an expert on tools. I've been able to rough cut fairly thick aluminum with a good jigsaw and the appropriate HSS blades. You can even cut curved paths if you are careful. You will want to adjust your saw properly and generously use cutting fluid but I have found the tool to be very flexible... I didn't see this mentioned so it probably isn't the right tool for the job but might beat a hacksaw.

[Greg Needel]

Every once in a while topics hits me at home and I can't stand people giving advise to someone for experiences they don't have, ie cutting aluminum sheets on a table saw. For that reason I have made this list for you...


Top reasons why NOT to cut aluminum sheet on a table saw.

1) Kickback pawls don't work with metal as there is nothing to dig into as the material moves backwards.

2) The material thickness is very thin, and such you will be unable to use a modern design push stick. If you do you are likely to slip off the edge of the material.

3)The heat created during the cut, will sometimes melt the aluminum onto the the teeth of the blade rendering it useless after a short amount of time.

4)Possibility of fire. Since most table saws are not used mainly for metal there is normally a load of sawdust in the saw (sitting on the castings, in the bottom of the cabinet, etc). I have seen examples of people who cut metal on the saw causing fire with hot chips falling onto the dust.

5) Aluminum chips act very differently then saw dust, even with proper dust collection they will likely be flying in all directions. In high school a piece of aluminum went under my safety glasses and face mask and landed just short of my eye.

6)Aluminum and electricity - depending on the age of your saw there may be open connections in the unit. (At the motor, at the switch) do you really want to introduce metal to those open connections of 220v


7) Depending on who's saw it is I am not sure that they will want aluminum chips in their $500 piece of mahogany.

8) Problems with future use of the saw. The worm gears and trunions in a saw are open and it is very likely that the chips will jam up these components making it difficult to bevel and/or raise and lower the blade in the future.

I bet I could keep going with more and more, but ultimately it comes down to using the correct tool for the job. You will never find a table saw manual that approves the cutting of aluminum on the saw. This is due to liability and machine design. We don't design saws to cut aluminum and while we do testing to see what will happen that practice will never be endorsed. In my mind this is similar to cove cutting wood to make moldings; People do it all the time but it is really dangerous and many people have gotten hurt doing it. I am sure there are a bunch of people who cut aluminum on their table saws but why take the risk when there are literally tons of other ways to accomplish the same task.


As for the band saw, the throat required depends alot on what your starting pieces are(4x4, 4x8, etc) . Also you can get external support for the right side of the blade and get away with a smaller throat distance.

[Andy Baker]

All you need is a Hong Kong Phooey Chop.

... or that JET shear.

Andy B.