Cutting steel w/ a circular saw.... Re: Cutting Aluminum Stock
Existential Angst
news:zp0yn.61468$iu2....@newsfe15.iad...
>
> "Existential Angst" <UNfi...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
> news:4bc7d2c3$0$31280$607e...@cv.net...
>> <cl...@snyder.on.ca> wrote in message
>
>>> Get a blade DESIGNED for cutting steel - it is a different carbide
>>> than that used for wood/aluminum. My regular carbide blade DID make
>>> short work of the mechanism of my old WorkMate when I lost track of
>>> where the blade was going, but anything heavier would likelyu have
>>> damaged the blade.
>>
>> *NO* 7 1/2 or 10" blade is good for steel, at 3600 rpm -- the sfpm are
>> just too high.
>>
>> You can mebbe get away with thin steel or sheet metal, but then you are
>> likely not really cutting but simply tearing the metal.
>> --
>> EA
>
> Check this site out....Paul
>
> http://www.mkmorse.com/products/index.aspx?product=75
>
>
(Cross-posted to rcm for other opinions)
Yeah, Morse is (or was) the real deal, but they do emphasize "thin" metals,
+ rebar. Their short video only shows versabar being cut.
The also have the line, "blades reach full potential when used on special
meal cutting circular saws".
Hmmmm.... I loved "full potential"!!! That *must* mean reduced rpm, no?
"cold" circular saws??
I suspect this is an expensive way to cut steel.
In their box How Fast?, they give some examples, for example, at 12" cut in
1/4" steel in under 12 sec, and some other stuff, incl blade life wrt
material.
The numbers (and their units) seemed sort of OK, but also sort of cooked,
consistency-wise, and of course not clear under what conditions. Funny they
omitted blade life with aluminum!
Gave numbers for 3/8" SS: 12" cut in 51.2 seconds. Not bad, but right
away, ahm wunnerin about dat .2 seconds..... please....
In SS, they claimed a blade life of 13 cuts. If they used their 7"
csm748ssc blade at about $85 (incl shipping), yer talkin $6+ per cut. And
THAT was proly in their "metal cutting circular saw", not yer Skilsaw at
home.
I just did a bunch of 8" cuts in 1/4 alum on a 10" RAS, and they certainly
took longer than 12 secs -- mebbe 15 secs, so either that Morse blade is a
real asskicker, or their numbers are, well, very optimistic.
I don't doubt these blades are legit, but I think they are legit at a very
high cost per cut, and proly not practical for you'n'me.
I suspect these blades are for persnickety field applications, where plate
footings etc. have to be just right, and oxyacetylene would be too crude
(couln't use O/A on SS, either), and no band saw was available.
Overall, very inneresting.
--
EA
>
Stuart Wheaton
The saws I have seen for use with the metal cutting blades were notable
for the complete shroud that surrounded the blade, this kept the chips
from flying everywhere. I never looked at the RPM rating on it, should
be able to find it online. Cutting the stainless would be a real trick,
too slow, it will harden, too fast, you jam up the teeth.
Cutting Aluminum on the RAS, or power miter box is made a lot easier if
you have a non-ferrous metals blade on the saw, and lube it up with
teflon spray lube. If you take gentle cuts and don't clog the blade,
they last a very long time. We will make thousands of cuts in
1"x1"x1/8" wall Aluminum box tube with the same blade.
The fun one is cutting 1/4" Al plate into neat curvy shapes. Make a
3/4" plywood or particle board template, mark the plate, then using lots
of cutting fluid, saw just outside the lines with a sabre saw. place
the plate cut out back on the template, and secure it, then carefully
rout the edge to the template with a piloted, spiral flute router bit
designed for aluminum, again using lots of cutting fluid.
In this case we used water soluble oil, the same as our drill press and
cold saw run.
DerbyDad03
> Existential Angst wrote:
> > "catguy" <news01S-P-A-M-B-L-O-...@packratpaul.com> wrote in message
> >news:zp0yn.61468$iu2....@newsfe15.iad...
> >> "Existential Angst" <UNfit...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
re: "then carefully rout the edge to the template with a piloted,
spiral flute router bit...again using lots of cutting fluid "
I'm assuming you are using something other than a router table,
correct?
Otherwise, how do you keep the lube out of the device?
Stuart Wheaton
Correct, using a big variable speed router not mounted on a table. With
the router above the work, it actually stays pretty dry. The guy doing
the work will want either long sleeves or a welding coat. Face shield
is a good idea too.
This particular project was sets of 8 and 4 identical shapes cut from
1/4" aluminum plate. The plates were 4x10 and it took almost 4 sheets
to get all the parts. Given the size and relative floppiness (they were
curvy, long and thin) keeping the work on saw horses and moving the
router over them was the best way.
dadiOH
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:05:43 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
> <teama...@eznet.net> wrote:
>
>>> The fun one is cutting 1/4" Al plate into neat curvy shapes.
>
> saw, is circles!
Actually, you can. Just requires the right blade.
--
dadiOH
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k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz
>On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:05:43 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
><teama...@eznet.net> wrote:
>
>>> The fun one is cutting 1/4" Al plate into neat curvy shapes.
>
>Ain't it funny that the only thing you can't cut with a "circular"
>saw, is circles!
Wrong, you certainly can cut circles with a circular saw. When you cut
circles with a circular saw you get semicircles.
Larry Jaques
<noe...@nothere.com> scrawled the following:
>On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:05:43 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
><teama...@eznet.net> wrote:
>
>>> The fun one is cutting 1/4" Al plate into neat curvy shapes.
>
>Ain't it funny that the only thing you can't cut with a "circular"
>saw, is circles!
Maybe you can't, but I know (and have used) several ways.
There is even a triangular shaped blade which can do it.
http://www.arcusblade.com/ here's a new one, too.
---
A book burrows into your life in a very profound way
because the experience of reading is not passive.
--Erica Jong
DerbyDad03
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:05:43 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
>
> saw, is circles!
Well, you could if your circular saw was mounted upside down to act
like a table saw.
I've used the following method to cut circles on my table saw many
times...