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Are 1/4" fittings different for welding gas cylinders than for air lines?

trevj

Ultra Member
Yeah, I hear you trevj. You are right about the proven easy way versus the experimental way. For example:

I tried cutting my 3/16" thick by 3" wide aluminum flat bar using a Bosch jigsaw with a Bosch blade designed for aluminum, and got 3 decent 3" cuts and then the portion of the blade in contact with the aluminum plugged up with aluminum that would not dislodge from it.

A couple of forum members had advised me to use my wood bandsaw with its woodcutting blade, but I had not wanted to create an area-wide aluminum dust coating, nor did I want to hurt the bandsaw blade because changing it is a pain. But, after the jigsaw effort failed, I went ahead and starting cutting on the bandsaw. Like the experienced forum members had said, it worked fine. No loading up of the bandsaw blade (presumably because it stayed cool with its long length compared to the jigsaw blade). And, it was FAST - I did 7 pieces as fast as I could pick them up and feed them through the bandsaw. I did have to vacuum the exterior AND interior of the bandsaw, plus the floor all around it, but it was still the best and fastest solution by far. Not even noisy compared to the jigsaw or what a circular saw would be like (scream city).

So yes, I am listening.

I am realizing that the cost of getting into plasma cutting is not just the cost of the plasma cutter and a consumables supply, but also a larger air compressor that costs way more than the plasma cutter.

But the 10" bandsaw can't do curved cuts on really large pieces, and can't do INSIDE curved cuts at all. The plasma cutter can.

Jim G
Said before, will say again. Try the circular saw on aluminum! The cut quality, is worth the effort! Noise, you can deal with. Wear ear protection, along with adequate eye protection, as always. Table saw or Skil type saw, the cut quality is almost as it would have been if machined. Same with a Router and a template. Super-nice surface finish.

The problem you are seeing regarding expensive air compressors, vs inexpensive Plasma cutters, is a recent thing, Plasma cutters used to have a VERY high price of admission, and, comparatively, an adequate Air Compressor, was cheap, and since many, if not all shops, usually had a lot of air tools around anyways, it was usually only a matter of ensuring that the air that reached the Plasma Cutter, was clean and dry.

Practice changing band saw blades, until it is second nature. Should be a one or at most, two minute job. Only slightly longer if you need to weld up a new blade from stock... Seriously. If it's a "pain", and takes you a lot longer than that, either you are looking at it too hard, trying to make a simple job complicated, or you have an unusually PITA saw! The metal cutting bandsaws that I ran at work, have welders on them, so I could break the blade, and thread it through the work, and weld it back together, so as to deal with inside curves and such. That was the intent. Making replacement blades was a happy side effect!
 

ShawnR

Ultra Member
Premium Member
I have cut up to 1/4" aluminum on my table saw with a carbide blade. First time I did it, I was amazed. Like butta...☺

Now, the 2024T3 that I am working with lately seems to be a lot different to deal with than 6061. I am learning that knowing what one is working with might mean more than what credit I have given it, in the past. Usually, it was steel of the mysterium group.....and it either worked, or it did not.

The learning never stops
 

phaxtris

(Ryan)
Premium Member
Premium Member

those things work pretty good as well, and are not nearly as loud as one would think, just did a job with one, cut about 60' of 1/4" steel plate with ONE blade (didn't kill the blade, just didn't have anything else to cut)...now these things have been around for a long while, but the blades have come a LONG way
 

trevj

Ultra Member

those things work pretty good as well, and are not nearly as loud as one would think, just did a job with one, cut about 60' of 1/4" steel plate with ONE blade (didn't kill the blade, just didn't have anything else to cut)...now these things have been around for a long while, but the blades have come a LONG way
Yeah. Have cut a LOT of heavy Al. plate with one, 1 inch and 2 1/4 inch thick 7075, as well as hacked up a lot of gussets and brackets out of 3/4 plate mild steel.

Lots of suppliers of Cermet toothed blades now. Key to using one, is to resist the urge to gronk the blade in to the stock. As tough as the teeth are, they are not meant to withstand that!
 

JimGnitecki

Active Member
Circular saws have always struck me as a bit dangerous compared to miter saws. Can I assume that the same blade types that work in a circular saw to cut aluminum or steel will also work in a miter saw?

If so, what blade type do I specifically look for for:
(a) steel?
(b) aluminum?
(c) stainless steel?

Jim G
 

phaxtris

(Ryan)
Premium Member
Premium Member
The cermet tipped blades seem to be the trick, i see them in 8, 10, 12 and 14" sizes, so a blade for any size saw

im really no expert in the selection of the blades as for tooth count and material type when it comes to cutting metal, i dont use that type of saw very often, sounds like @trevj has a pretty good handle on it, im sure he can comment
 

trevj

Ultra Member
Circular saws have always struck me as a bit dangerous compared to miter saws. Can I assume that the same blade types that work in a circular saw to cut aluminum or steel will also work in a miter saw?

If so, what blade type do I specifically look for for:
(a) steel?
(b) aluminum?
(c) stainless steel?

Jim G
Read the label on the blade. It will be marked as being for use cutting metal. The 5 1/4 (5 1/2?) one for my Milwaukee 18v saw was under $40. They didn't use to really sort them by specific materials. Just "metal". I see now that there are Ferrous and non-ferrous blades available.

I have seen others use, and have used, whatever was on my saw, when I needed a quick cut off, but the geometry of a wood cutting circular saw blade usually includes a lot of rake on the teeth, so they can dig in, if you do not use a bit of care. Having the work piece clamped down is advised! :) I should follow my advice more often, really....
Most wood cutting miter saws do not have very good clamping facilities.

The cheapest way to try it, would be a Skilsaw type saw with a metal cutting blade (though I have used, as I said, whatever was on the saw at the time), clamp down the bar, on a bench edge, with a sacrificial block of wood under it to allow you to set the depth a little deeper than the thickness of the material, something like a couple feet of 2x4 or 2x6. the piece being cut off, either needs to be very solidly clamped, or simply left free, so when it separates, it cannot pivot under a clamp, and pinch on to the blade.

I would suggest using a speed square as a saw guide. Or clamp a straight edge on the stock, to use as a guide, if you are not comfortable using one hand on the saw, while the other holds the guide.

The first guy I saw using a Skilsaw to cut aluminum, was a welder I knew on Vancouver Island. He built Herring skiffs to fill in the slack time around his shop, and did all his cutting with whatever blades were the cheapest, usually the stack right next to the till in the hardware store, priced in the $3-$4each range, for 7 1/4 inch blades.
 

JimGnitecki

Active Member
Read the label on the blade. It will be marked as being for use cutting metal. The 5 1/4 (5 1/2?) one for my Milwaukee 18v saw was under $40. They didn't use to really sort them by specific materials. Just "metal". I see now that there are Ferrous and non-ferrous blades available.

I have seen others use, and have used, whatever was on my saw, when I needed a quick cut off, but the geometry of a wood cutting circular saw blade usually includes a lot of rake on the teeth, so they can dig in, if you do not use a bit of care. Having the work piece clamped down is advised! :) I should follow my advice more often, really....
Most wood cutting miter saws do not have very good clamping facilities.

The cheapest way to try it, would be a Skilsaw type saw with a metal cutting blade (though I have used, as I said, whatever was on the saw at the time), clamp down the bar, on a bench edge, with a sacrificial block of wood under it to allow you to set the depth a little deeper than the thickness of the material, something like a couple feet of 2x4 or 2x6. the piece being cut off, either needs to be very solidly clamped, or simply left free, so when it separates, it cannot pivot under a clamp, and pinch on to the blade.

I would suggest using a speed square as a saw guide. Or clamp a straight edge on the stock, to use as a guide, if you are not comfortable using one hand on the saw, while the other holds the guide.

The first guy I saw using a Skilsaw to cut aluminum, was a welder I knew on Vancouver Island. He built Herring skiffs to fill in the slack time around his shop, and did all his cutting with whatever blades were the cheapest, usually the stack right next to the till in the hardware store, priced in the $3-$4each range, for 7 1/4 inch blades.
Thank-you, trevj!

Jim G
 
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