So my team recently purchased a miter saw and we are looking to cut aluminum with it. I found the blade below from home depot. Not sure if it is the correct one and do any of you know any other options? Thanks!
Miter Saw: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-15-Amp-12-in-Corded-Dual-Bevel-Sliding-Miter-Saw-with-70-Miter-Capacity-R4221/206726927?MERCH=REC--PIPHorizontal1_rr--205495709--206726927--N
We’ve tried that Diablo blade, but we far prefer Tenryu Alumi-Cut blades (example) in our 12" Dewalt saw.
I don’t see the need for the sliding feature… it provides another axis where rigidity is lost in the machine.
Edited to add: We go through 1-2 blades per season, and the failure mode is always a carbide busting off because the workpiece moved and snagged the blade during the cut, or after the cut but before the blade came to a complete stop.
We already bought the saw. Slide is good for speed cutting wood!
If you don’t mind, why those blades over Diablo?
Despite the lesser tooth count, we consistently produce much cleaner, flatter, squarer cuts with these Tenryu blades than with the Diablo.
We’ve used the comparable 7" diablo blades the past three years. Each blade lasts us about a year, same issue as Nate - losing the carbide tip off a tooth when it snags. We have a separate saw for wood, because we usually have the field element builders and the chassis builders working at the same time. Make sure to use the vise built into your saw, and perhaps a vise-grip clamp on the other side! Aluminum loves to jump; don’t let it. You can damage not only the piece, but your saw and your watch and your buddies and your self.
I use the Freud Diablo 80 tooth on a non-sliding Dewalt saw, and it works very well. The key is to not cut small things, and keep the feed slow and steady, and do not lift back up with the blade spinning. We don’t really do any solid bar stock on it, but plenty of box tube. And after about a year of proper use, it still looks and feels new. Carbide is as sharp as day one. But if someone crashes it or flings a part, you will lose teeth and the blade will be trash.
We have had good luck with this 10" blade from Amazon: http://a.co/d/4Zxg7mh . It is quite a bit cheaper than the Diablo and others mentioned here. The same blade is available in 12" size as well.
We replace it 1 to 2 times per year, which is easy to do given its low price. Get clean cuts out of it consistently. Like everyone else says, use your vise/clamps on the work piece for safety!
We have just acquired a horizontal band saw, so I expect we will be mostly retiring this tool from common use, but have been very happy with these blades.
Definitely this. Once you complete the cut, release the trigger and hold the saw down until the blade stops completely, then lift it back up. This should be listed in the manual for the saw. Clamp your workpiece tightly on both sides.
:ahh:
I know people cut metal with these all the time, but it makes me real nervous for one specific reason: the fence and blade are setup so that the blade will exert an upward force on the work piece, especially if the slide function is used. This force is not great for making clean cuts because it tends to lift the part off of the deck, and it is not great for safety because it tends to launch things if something goes wrong (thus the recommendation to clamp both sides of one’s work piece).
A saw specifically designed to cut metals will locate the fence and work piece to always be exerting cutting forces into the deck or fence of the saw. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, the DeWalt DW872is my all-time favorite metal-cutting saw and I would strongly recommend it to any FRC team. I have no issue with cutting thin material: I have cut 0.028in walled titanium tubing and 0.080in aluminum sheet metal; nor do I have issues with cutting large blocks: I have cut 4in aluminum bar and 3/8x6in steel plate.
I urge you to reconsider your saw purchase!
I actually prefer to keep the right side free. I find it lessens the chance of putting the blade into a bind and catching the part.
We own one of these as well, what blade do you use with yours? I think mine just needs a replacement but I haven’t looked into what works best with it yet.
For FRC/Aluminum I have thisblade.
For all the Ti/Steel/misc aluminum and plastic cutting I am still using the 70t general purpose DeWalt blade that came with the saw.
Edit: we’ve only ever bought the one extra aluminum blade, I have not tried other blades to see if one is better or worse.
We have this saw and it is certainly a major upgrade from a typical miter saw but have still had a few incidents of snagged parts that come flying out of the clamp. I recently purchased this saw for myself and I like the work holding system much better for just a few more $.
What do people think of a benchtop horizontal band saw for this application? I’m looking at getting something like this https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660083_200660083
Couple detail questions:
What did you do (or not do) to cinch up the fence? Mine benefited from some minor adjustments and using the allen bolts to lock in place for some cuts, rather than the cam lock.
When parts came loose were you using the stock hold-down clamp and the fence clamp? Or just the fence clamp? What size/shape stock were you cutting?
What do you think is the fundamental difference/improvement(s) in the MK Morse saw over the DeWalt’s workholding?
Do a search, and you’ll find that the recommended carbide blade has a TCG grind to the teeth for smoothness and longevity. 80 to 100 tooth work best. Get the correct diameter and arbor hole size for your saw. Someone else posted a link to a 14” blade. Proper clamping to the saw fence is essential.
We used a Ridgid miter saw for many year. We used a replacement blade designed for non-ferrous materials. After a couple of years and parts being flung, we decided to look for a cold saw replacement. The traditional miter saw for wood just spins too fast. We debated for some time between the DeWalt version listed earlier in this thread and the version Makita sells. We ended up settling on the Makita because of the 12" blade was a little more common diamter.
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-LC1230-12-Inch-Metal-Cutting/dp/B00004YOLV
The clamping system is solid…much better than the systems for wood cutting saws. We also bought replacement blades that were specifically for cutting aluminum. The brand and part number escapes me at the moment.
Listen to the posts in here, they are good advice.
Clamp part
Take it easy
Avoid cutting where it will try and pull your part up
Get a stick of blade wax
Do everything you can to make your safety features easy to use, so they get used
All our incidents were related to cutting too fast and/or poor work holding choices. Some stock was rectangular tubing, some round. The DeWalt Saw fence and clamp are stamped sheet metal, the MK are cast blocks, it’s simply more rigid.