I need a couple of "spears" for door panel accents. I have heard of cutting aluminum with a table saw with a carbide blade. I have a router table with a 3 HP router. I'm thinking about buying 1/2" x 3/4" aluminum bar and routing a couple of coves down the length. Or maybe a ball mill down the middle? Then polish it. Will the router with carbide bits do it? Anybody done it? Does it take a certain alloy? Let me know if anybody has done it before I ruin my router and bit or worse trying something that won't work. Wouldn't be the first dumb thing I have tried.
I have used router bits in my Bridgeport to round over corners on aluminum. Your router table should work too, but I would keep the rpm down and take light cuts. The aluminum will het HOT!
First off, I have not done what you are thinking of doing, but......I have used an end mill with the carbide cutters ("bits") you are thinking of using. They are designed for considerably lower RPM than a router typically uses. My guess is that the cutter would be destroyed by that high speed, but that's only my guess. Something to look into though.
Pretty much a fast way to get heart. Lot of danger from stock getting kicked out. As for ask,yes it can be cut and you need dead shoft alum{ this is something that some learning about alum is wroth study} You can NOT hold it with hands,it gets hot and you let go!!! no matter how slow you go. Must go very slow,always clamped and remote feed*controlled. Maybe some better exprets to fill in,but lots of saftey steps needed playing this game ! God bless an stay safe.
CNC routers are used to cut all kinds of shapes from sheet aluminum. Things are clamped in place pretty solidly though....it's not a handheld operation!
I used to use my router to profile rough cut motor plates for custom marine installations. I took small cuts and used beeswax as a lubricant. It worked fine but I will say I was holding my breath the whole time. I never tried a ball mill type of cut but as long as the workpiece is held down securely and you have some kind of a guide, I don't see why it wouldn't work. I got the idea from an old timer in the aerospace fab shop I was working in at the time. I was never sure if it was real advise or if they were screwing with the new guy.
Well, I made aluminum parts on my table saw many years ago. In hindsight it was insane and I was fortunate to not be maimed. A trip to the machine shop may seem expensive, but it is nothing compared to reconstructive surgery. phil
When I worked in the aircraft industry we used them a lot for cutting stacks of thin sheet and larger sections such as extruded angle for wing spars. You'll need to finish with a file. Be careful of the direction of your cut or it will pull your fingers in! I saw this happen.
I found machining aluminum with wood working tools not that much different from wood except the chips thrown off are hot!!
I have used a router bit in both a drill press and a router table on aluminum. Mostly for round-over operations like the end caps for this replica fuel tank pump on my champ car project. What everybody says about being safe, with slow cuts and eye and hearing protection too. I also cut 1/8" plate on a table saw with a carbide blade, moving slowly (but much quicker than I could have done on a band saw).
Use alcohol for lube as it will keep things cool. Need an accomplist to apply for you. As has been said a secure, over kill, mounting is important!!
I have used a formica trimmer with a carbide bit in it for doing woodworking!! (Talk about eat'in up some wood!) I had the wood in a vise and held the "trimmer" in my hands. Scary as cr**!! I don't do it anymore because........the cutter will grab and your grip just ain't strong enough! (hard on your wrists and other "things" on your body!) A router is just a bigger formica trimmer!! (Talk about stuff that COULD go worng!! WOW.....) Try a grinder with the piece in a vise.....maybe a lil safer! 6sally6
Exactly what I have found too. My miter saw goes through aluminum just about like wood. I have cut 4" solid bar. Chips are hot. When picking a feed rate, be sure you are making good chips. If you aren't making chips, you are making heat. Aluminum is routed all of the time. Search "router aluminum" on YouTube. Plenty of examples. Mike
I used a regular Craftsman table router to do some thin aluminum parts. I was using a laminate cutter with a bearing on the end to follow a pattern I was duplicating in aluminum. In homebuilt aircraft it's fairly common to use a router to cut wing ribs. Be prepared for an aluminum chip snowstorm! I had chips all over my shop, but was expecting no less. Direction of travel and light cuts are important as others have mentioned. I don't know what the proper term would be but I feed material in the opposite direction of the router bit rotation. Letting the part get pulled in by the direction of rotation is more likely to jerk the part out of your hands. Be careful for sure, but I'm pleased to say I still have 10 fingers and sight in both eyes. Lynn
The way I have this envisioned is using a fence with the router bit just proud of the fence to make a very thin cut. Moving the fence in with each cut until full depth is achieved. I have rubber padded paddles to move the work piece across the stationary bit to keep my hands away. Just like making cabinet door raised panels, only making much lighter cuts. In other words, a hand advanced hold down and feed. Eye and ear protection of course. Although the ear protection is a little late. I ain't skeered!
Compared to working with wood ,aluminum is like the densest hardwood with no grain. Like others have said slow feeding and sturdy work holding are your friends. The chips will be more like tiny foil bits than sharp projectiles if you're doing it right. I use WD40 as lube , I'm sure that there are others that work too. Good quality carbide bits are a must , don't cheap out here. PPE ALWAYS! face shield , hearing protection , push sticks when you can Before I got my machine tools all I had was woodworking tools to make aluminum parts. I too have all my fingers and my eyesight .
I have cut up to 3/4" flat aluminum plate with both my table saw & my compound miter saw . make sure both the tool & the workpiece are secure . I cut a 3/8 by 3/8 groove in 7/8" round bar stock for my windshield frame , 9 passes per groove , cut the miters with my miter saw , a speed controller for any woodworking tool makes the job far easier when cutting metal . you always want to feed toward the cutting edge . If you're an experienced power tool operator , you should have no problems .
I used to work for a defense company, and we had a table saw set up to cut aluminum that worked well, although I was always leery of it. We also used a router with a .250" bit for cutting aluminum sheet metal with a template guide, with the sheet being clamped between the template and some plywood for support. I've done some router work on aluminum at home, using a template and light cuts with a .250" bit, but wouldn't try to use anything bigger or one to create a profile. It's much safer to set up a template and apply the router to the aluminum than attempt to cut the aluminum on a router table...things can go terribly wrong in an instant!
I routinely cut aluminum with both my table saw and chop saw. In both cases I use carbide blades, 40T on the table saw, 70T on the chop saw. I've cut thicknesses of up to 2" with no issues. The key is having a sharp blade and don't force it. If the cut 'smears', your blade is dull or your tool speed/feed rate is too fast. Using a router table? I'd attempt it, but I'd want additional 'guides' to both hold the item to be cut against the 'main' guide AND to hold it down. Otherwise, clamp the metal down and hand-hold the router, but I'd only try this as a last resort. You'll need to reduce tool speed somehow. ALWAYS FEED AGAINST THE BIT ROTATION!! Wear personal protection at all times, the chips are nasty. I saw a guy go face-first into a pile of chips, it wasn't pretty.... He didn't need stitches but looked like a poor grade of raw hamburger for quite a while. And FWIW, I've cut aluminum with a chainsaw, and more than once. It doesn't dull the saw teeth either. I 'hollowed out' an aluminum V12 block with a chainsaw and the only problem I had was my saw used the small-gauge chain which tended to break; I went through multiple chains. A bigger saw with bigger chain won't have that problem. You do need a very sharp chain, preferably new. I know, it sounds crazy but does work...
You should be. A little fear keeps you on your toes. I was using a drop saw with a fine tooth blade to dock some aluminium sections while screening in a deck (part of what I do for a living). I was going slow and thought I was being careful, but I was not using the clamp to hold down the material, just my left hand.................... I still have all of my fingers, but it was real, real close to being a very bad day. Hurt like hell, and took ages to heal up properly. Never again!!!!
Man I’m all about making your own stuff , but digits are not replaceable at this time . Just use the factor of safety of 10 .
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