I am doing some 1 1/4" (NRS size) Aluminum pipe/frame modification....I need to do about a half dozen cuts....yesterday it took me about an hour to do a hacksaw cut.....Home Depot price for a 12" metal cutting miter saw blade (for my neigbors saw) is $60! ....any suggestions for cheaper way to cut that won't take me all week to do? thanks, Chet
Cutting Aluminum Pipe?
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Try a metal cut-off disc instead. A lot cheaper. I used one with a circular saw last year when I built my Mini-Max frame. It worked fine for what I needed.
Maybe something like this for the mitre saw?
Diablo 10 in.x 3/32 in. x 5/8 in. Metal Cut-Off Disc-DBD100093L01F at The Home Depot
Maybe something like this for the mitre saw?
Diablo 10 in.x 3/32 in. x 5/8 in. Metal Cut-Off Disc-DBD100093L01F at The Home Depot
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Do a bit more research to be sure, but I was planning to try using my chopsaw with a regular carbide tipped blade. I know it sounds weird, but carbide is soooo much harder than aluminum and the blade spins so fast that you can make cuts with it easily if you go slow. At least that is what the interwebs told me--I haven't tried it yet. As I said do a bit more research and video scouting to be sure.
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Go to Harbor freight, and buy an angle grinder, and get some metal cut off discs. You will spend less $30, and it is very very useful.
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I've had good results with my cheapie ($19?) Sawzall (aka Reciprocating saw) from Harbor Freight. Made 6 cutoffs in my 2" tubular frame in less than a minute per. Good idea to make a couple of practice cuts first though. I think the saw even came with a few blades as well.
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Just stick a cheap wood cutting metal blade in that nice miter saw. Even a seven.25" should do it, just shim the table up. Spend ten bucks on a marathon or diablo.
-Dave
(Seven two 0) 298-2242
-Dave
(Seven two 0) 298-2242
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if you don't want to use power tools or clean up dirty edges, a pipe cutter is faster and easier than a hacksaw, cheap, and super accurate.
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I just went throughout this with my frame and used a grinder with a cutoff wheel and used a good hacksaw which didn't take to long. Thought about my chop saw but chickened out then a buddy came over with pipe cutters like the ones Bigscottone showed. That for me was the easiest and cleanest method. If you are going to use a grinder I cleaned and squared up the edges with a belt sander.
Jim
Jim
+1 I've been using this for a couple of days now. No mess, no shavings, 2min per cut.![]()
if you don't want to use power tools or clean up dirty edges, a pipe cutter is faster and easier than a hacksaw, cheap, and super accurate.
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I have used the pipecutter quite a bit, but one thing I noticed is that it makes your inside diameter just a little bit smaller, which makes it difficult when you are inserting the NRS lopro fittings. I always spent a lot of extra time carving and sanding the inside out so that it would finally fit.
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I've cut many times using a chop saw and an older carbide blade with 80 teeth-cuts like a dream. Used a dremel with barrel sander to clean up.
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I have a specific aluminum cutting blade that I've used on both a table and chopsaw. It works great. The blade is just a high tooth count carbide tipped circular saw blade. If you go slow, a normal carbide tipped saw should work great. Cuts like butta through NRS pipe. Angle grinders and cutoff wheels don't work well, even the aluminum specific ones.
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the best way is a metal cutting bandsaw that has a large blade and moves slowly. Its safest however the cut will have visible blade marks. But I've used a 12" disc sander to clean up the ends nicely and that is also pretty safe.
then second best is a metal cutting saw with carbide blade that spins at a slower revolution than the standard chop saw. cut is smooth but not too many people own this type of saw.
a chop saw works well also for cutting with a cheap carbide blade. However be EXTREMELY CAREFUL TO CLAMP THE MATERIAL as its real easy for the blade to cause the material to kickout, which could drag a hand into the blade, and best case often will cause damage to the saw if the pipe gets trashed into the fence. (I've had it happen to me in an instant --- wham --- fortunately I still have my hand).
I'd go so far as to say if you have a chopsaw its imperative to make some sort of wooden fixture which will help you clamp the pipe. Clamp down to the table and also up against the fence. Again, something that helps you clamp to a round pipe is in order.
good luck and be safe.
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Elbow grease and a hacksaw
I use to make bullet resistant enclosures for gas stations and convenience stores that were made from aluminum store front material and the fastest, cleanest cuts are with a heavy duty 10'' triple-chip tooth carbide blade in a miter saw. It was probably about $80-100 for the blade at the time. 20 years ago. I still use it for cutting frame tubing and I can hold it in place with just my hand. The triple-chip tooth design is key to cutting aluminum. It's smooth and doesn't bind up like thinner carbide blades. Your typical blade from the big box stores are an alternate bevel design and they wear out really quick and buck like crazy when cutting aluminum. Just ask the guys that cut through the fence on my compound miter saw.:roll:
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does no one else use just a simple pipe-cutter like the one i posted? they are like 10$, completely safe, and will last forever...it's really not complicated, or doesn't have to be.
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