So, this is NPC, but always good to get some advice.

I just bought a headache rack used for a truck.
Its aluminium.

I need to cut off some brackets and welds.
Not everything can be done with a sawzall, its too tight in the inside corners.

I have everything....well maybe not everything, but lots of stuff to cut with.

I have tried in the past to use cutoff wheels on a die grinder, on a 4 inch grinder and both seem to just wear away at thick stuff like this...
At the weld its 3/8 in thick.

What is the best way to cut something like this with a hand tool...cause its huge and I cant mount it to a table on a mill....though I do have one ....

Prefer solutions that I can get without ordering special stuff.
I do have a welding supply shop up the road if there is a special kind of cuttoff wheel I need to get.

I have used just the dewalt cutoff wheels I can get at HD for everything else.
Aluminium has me stumped...



Rich

Regular abrasive-type cutoff wheels on high-speed tools will melt the aluminum and gum up the wheel, which will lead to premature failure. A sawzall with coarse-tooth blade would be ideal, but if it won't physically fit, then maybe a hacksaw...?
We've used a circular saw with the proper carbide-tipped blade to cut aluminum quickly, but that might be even harder to get into position.

When you try to use an abrasive cutoff wheel on aluminum, the heat of the cut fuses the aluminum particles to the abrasiver blade. . and it stops cutting. .
You can 'clean' the fiber wheel by using it on a piece of steel whihc will remove the contaminated outter edge. . . . . I always have better luck with something that is a slower cutting process. ie hacksay or a saber saw. .

well, let me go see what I can get done with the sawzall and maybe belt sand the rest of it away...

rich

Use WD40 as lube to stop, or at least slow down, the "gumming".

big course die grinder bit, not stone, dip in tranny fluid to cool and lube ,

They do make grinding and cut-off wheels for aluminum, check with your local welding supply company. A wheel made for steel can load up and heat up enough to come apart so be careful. I cut all my aluminum (flat & some tubing) with a jig saw. I built boats for many years and we would also use a skill saw with a metal blade to cut multiple layers of aluminum, all tubing and round stock was cut on a chop saw with carbide tipped blade.

How about an air body saw? You can make some pretty tight radiuses with the smaller blades. They also fit where a full size sawsall wont.


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/NTE...utm_content=air body saw&mkwid=st0ja22Jo&pcrid=48434368871&mtype=e&storeId=6970&langId=-1&type=search& amp;gclid=CjwKEAiA4rujBRDD7IG_wOPytXkSJACTMkgagX66VcTbxMJ_U1c3sRHQkCwYrY7LvCKSsX
HjFoNs9hoCppXw_wcB

Depends on the radius, but I just cut a pretty complex transmission cover out of 3/8" aluminum plate with a regular old jig saw and fine-tooth metal blade. Takes a while, and you may need to back up a few times when the radius is an inch or less, but it works.

Got any mercury?

It will dissolve Al. like the acid from the alien eating through the Nostromo's decking.

I once had a 5lb bottle of it in college.

Normally thick sections are cut on a band saw. Tooth selection and pitch depends on the speed of the blade and the thickness of the section. There is a guide online.

There is a cutting wax I think is available at HF. Worse case you can use WD40....if you are going to weld on it later....probably not the best...but it will work.

Should be able to use the right pitch blade on a Sawzall...just watch the blade speed and use a cutting fluid/wax to keep the teeth clear of shavings and gumming up.

Circular saw works...I recently cut a few 12"x12"x1" thick plates of 6061 using one. Made a huge mess, that is a lot chips!

Table saws work as well...

Whaaaaaaaaaaattttt???? Hi Mike ! Great to see you man! You picking up a 914?

OK sorry, cutting aluminum......cutting....alum....inum.... ...I got nuttin'....(see I'm still just as helpful)

I used a 4 toothed carbide tipped router blade to cut the transaxle bell housing for the Alien. It looks like a throwing star. An old cabinet maker like you should have something around the shop. Try it on a die grinder just watch yur ass!

Rich,

If you use a table saw to cut munimula a triple chip blade works best. Same with a chop saw, although there are many more options there.

I enlarged the center hole in my Fuchs with a router table and a carbide bit. Just like woodworking only a slight bit more exciting.

If you've really got a tight spot, try a Rotozip tool. Go slow and hold on, it'll get the job done. Might go through a coupla few bits but they're not expensive.

HTH

Hi Rich,

I have two suggestions for hand tools. One a saber saw. They have air driven ones, but my very favorite is my bosch saber saw with a coarse blade. The other tool I find extremely useful is a die grinder with solid carbide cutters. The most often used has a ball end merged into a cylinder for cutting sideways. They make them in one eighth shank too that fit in a dremmel. Of course if you have a bandsaw and the part fits a woodcutting blade will work. Feed slow and it will keep a sharp edge longer. Good luck!

Warren

I see you are an environmentalist to the last Stu. I once had a Hal kilo of metallic sodium on hand. Gave it up to safety when I moved the lab to a new building. With some regret, some regret.
Warren

http://cuttingtoolschicago.com/catalogs/ga...otary_files.pdf
I find the aluminum cut chatter. I like the double cut and lube.

You can use regular abrasive cut off wheels as long as you lube them. I use stick wax but any wax will do in a pinch. Just lube it every so often during the cut & you will be fine.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#lubricant-stick-wax/=uq0p1u

Any kind of saw will work also if you lube the blade. Be careful with circular saws as the chips really do fly all over so protection is necessary.

Sometimes you cut what you can & then grind the rest with whatever fits in the spot you need to clean up. Lube is your friend when grinding aluminum.

How well do those double cut opposite rotating cutters work?

I'm spoiled...I usually use this to cut aluminum...