Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 25, 2002 05:39am | #1

   Someone beat you to it:

   http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=8010.1

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   badoyn | Sep 27, 2002 05:31am | #2

   Great. Thanks for the link.

   I'll put in and "old " blade and remove my WWII blade just in case. :)

   Michael

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 27, 2002 05:42am | #3

   I'll tell you a secret if you promise to keep mum!  My pretty (no, make that gorgeous) Incra 1000 miter gauge now has a tidy little nick in the front edge that perfectly matches what 2 teeth on my saw blade would do (right + left bevel, no raker).  So, at least I've proven aluminum can be cut on the TS, I'm just so glad  it was only that little tiny nick (like getting the first ding in a new car, if memory serves me from 1976).  Aaarrgh, as Linus would say.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   RSRose | Sep 27, 2002 06:29am | #4

   Jamie,

   Now you can relax and use it without fear that it won't be pristine!

   I remember the first time I put a large gouge in my beautiful work bench. First horror. Then relief. "Ahhh . . . it's on its way to looking like a well-worn master's tool"

   Now my bench has a lot of, um, character. Better like that.

   Rich

2. 
   dondownunder | Sep 27, 2002 06:30am | #5

   I've seen what cutting ali will do to a TCT blade designed for wood & there were about a quarter of the teeth, some right down to the bottom of the gullet, missing. They must have gone somewhere.......

   Use a blade designed for ali - most manufaturers make them & stay safe.

   Don

2. 
   DennisS | Sep 27, 2002 06:41am | #6

   Most carbide tipped woodworking tools can be used to cut aluminum. But beware; there is aluminum and there is aluminum. Different alloys just like there are different alloys of steel. Aluminum is a "non-ferrous" metal and they sell special blades for cutting such material. If you have an old or not-too-expensive carbide blade, it will cut the al. by all means. But what I've seen glass&glazing people use, the people that put in those big commercial aluminum windows, I see them use carbide blades with lots & lots of teeth. Read expensive. There are special considerations for cutting aluminum with respect to "chip" removal that aren't quite the same as with wood.

   Base line: for the one or three or five cuts you may have to make, no big deal. If you're going to do a lot of it, find a dedicated blade.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

3. 
   charlesm | Sep 27, 2002 04:09pm | #7

   Woodworking blades, bits and cutters are not recommended for working with metal. Nonferrous metals require a blade with special carbide that is softer than is used for wood so it can withstand the inpact. The hook angle is also a lot less aggressive. You must also use lubricant (such as WD40) on the teeth to reduce chip build up on the teeth and in the gullet and subsequent tooth/shoulder failure.

   Charles M

   Freud, Inc.

1. 
   badoyn | Sep 27, 2002 04:56pm | #8

   I just need to make one, maybe two cuts in some aluminum angle I got at Home Depot. Nothing fancy.

   I'll put my original carbide blade that came with my table saw back in and use that. Hopefully it will suffice.

   Michael

1. 
   charlesm | Sep 27, 2002 05:28pm | #9

   Why not just use a hacksaw?

   Charles M

   Freud, Inc.

1. 
   badoyn | Sep 27, 2002 05:36pm | #10

   If you've ever seen me cut a "straight" line with a hack saw you will know why I don't want to use it.

   I put the "hack" in hack saw.

   Michael

2. 
   DennisS | Sep 27, 2002 06:52pm | #11

   I'll put my original carbide blade that came with my table saw back in and use that.

   It will work OK for the one or two cuts you have to make. But eye protection is a definite *must* - the "sawdust" created is a lot more aggressive coming off non-ferrous metals than it is off a piece of wood. Heat build-up will probably produce quite a burr that you'll have to address. Like the other guy said, the tooth design for cutting al. is different from wood so using a wood blade you won't get the quality of cut you'd get using the proper blade. But with only a couple cuts, you can probably dress the end results to suit.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   badoyn | Sep 27, 2002 11:00pm | #12

   Good thought. Thanks for the input.

   Michael

3. 
   MikeN | Sep 27, 2002 11:18pm | #13

   When I have cut aluminum or brass on my RAS, I usuallytry to sandwich in some scrap wood.  I feel that this procedure may be easier on the blade. Fact or myth - I have no clue. Just what I do on those rare ocassions that I willcut these materials. 2 cents worth at best.

   Mike N 

1. 
   badoyn | Sep 27, 2002 11:22pm | #14

   That's something I never thought about. How would this be accomplished with aluminum angle?

   Michael

1. 
   MikeN | Sep 27, 2002 11:31pm | #15

   With aluminum angle, I put the angle so that one face is against the fence and the other is on the RAS table.  I then put a piece of scrap wood against the inside edge  between the aluminum and the RAS fence.  Not sure this helps, but I think it at least tends to keep the aluminum angle stabilized during the cut.  Good luck.

   Mike N

2. 
   HeidiDad | Oct 02, 2002 01:50am | #23

   You're on the right track with the wood.What's going on is that the wood lessens the inpact on your blade every time a tooth contacts the Al.  More than anything else, impact will destroy a carbide cutting edge.  Also the wood will help maintain the 'three teeth in contact with work piece' rule and slows down the feed rate through the Al. part of the cut.  The harder the wood, the better it works. 

1. 
   MikeN | Oct 03, 2002 11:01pm | #25

   Just seemed to make sense to me.  Also, the wood can support ell chanel so that it doesn't bend with the thrust forces from the blade.  Again, it works for me.

   Thanks

   Mike Narges

2. 
   rslatm | Sep 28, 2002 08:18pm | #16

   You sure about that carbide hardness Charles? My blades are standard woodworking blades with a negative hook and rated for RAS and cutting non-ferrous metals. I checked with my local sharpening shop and they said it's the standard grade carbide. Check with your engineers at Freud. I've cut a lot of nonferrous including zinc, copper, brass and aluminum. Interestingly enough I found an old book at my local library with some aluminum projects and the author shows using a handplane and a six inch power jointer on aluminum, just for thin edges of course. Not to imply you can treat it exactly like wood.

   Rick

1. 
   charlesm | Sep 28, 2002 10:43pm | #17

   I'm absolutely sure that Freud uses harder grades of carbide for wood and wood products than we use for nonferrous metals. We make our own carbide and have the luxury of custom blending for specific applications. Most blade manufacturers are limited to a few off-the-shelf grades so your sharpener may be correct about your blade.

   As to your findings on using a hand plane and jointer, these tools typically have high speed steel cutters so different rules apply. Steel is not brittle like carbide and isn't as susceptible subject to breakage.

   Charles M

   Freud, Inc.

1. 
   rslatm | Sep 29, 2002 12:42am | #18

   I'm well aware of the difference between carbide and HSS steel. That part about jointing aluminum was more for the other readers. I should have posted that seperately. Most of the manufacturers of negative hook blades sell them as RAS blades as well as non-ferrous use. I haven't checked a Freud catalog lately to see what you guys peddle them as. I've been using a Delta and Wisconsin blade for cutting non-ferrous over the years with no problem. If you have something better that's great but until I can't sharpen my existing blades anymore I probably won't be in the market for a new one. All you companies say your stuff is better than the other guys stuff but that's normal business practice. So the only question I have for you is do you sell your negative hook blade as a dual purpose blade (RAS-non-ferrous) or do you have a special blade for non-ferrous? I'd have downloaded your catalog and looked myself but I'm on dial-up and it's too slow.

   Rick

1. 
   charlesm | Sep 30, 2002 03:22pm | #22

   We do not offer a dual purpose nonferrous/wood blade. We do, however, offer dual purpose nonferrous/plastic cutting blades. None of our wood cutting blades are recommended for metals but you can cut wood with our nonferrous blades. The carbide on the nonferrous blade is not as hard and will not provide the life of a wood blade which has harder carbide.

   Charles M

   Freud, Inc.

4. 
   JeffKurtz | Sep 29, 2002 01:10am | #19

   Yesterday I put a new aluminum storm door on the house.  After reading all these messages I was prepared to cut the extruded frame pieces on my miter saw.  Had one sitting on the bench, looked at it, shook my head and got out my hack saw.  Just couldn't bring myself to defile my woodworking equipment with metal!

   Jeff

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 29, 2002 04:58am | #20

   Just couldn't bring myself to defile my woodworking equipment with metal!

   I can relate, Jeff. I've cut al. before with a carbide blade but these have been the also-ran consumer market variety. Now that I'm 'reaching' for the perfect cut and have upgraded my saw blades, I'm loathe to cut anything but wood with them. Even makes me twinge when I have to run something through that's of the extra hard variety.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

2. 
   rslatm | Sep 29, 2002 06:51pm | #21

   Jeff...funny I feel just the opposite. Being able to cut metal such as brass on my tablesaw allows me to add to my palette of techniques. A little siver brazing and sanding with a 6" x 48" beltsander and a whole new world opens up.

   Rick

5. 
   Dokeyone | Oct 02, 2002 07:18pm | #24

   You can cut aluminum with a carbide blade. you can make really nice cuts on a radial or table saw, just make sure you wear safety glasses