cutting alluminium

[grumpy grandad]

Hi all, looking for some advice please, what tool is best to cut aluminium alloy. I'm making a small trim piece for a classic car and using a hacksaw and disc cutter and is proving hard going.
I need to cut this block down it's length, any ideas please?

 

[brightspark]

jigsaw with metal cutting blade or aluminium cutting discs . the stainless ones will just burn and clog up the disk or u could just beever on with the hacksaw using a coarse blade

 

[grumpy grandad]

Thank you Brightspark , I never knew they existed but have purchased the correct discs from ebay
cheers

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

A tile cutting grinder diamond disc cuts ally beautifully.

 

[hairymel]

Q. What discs can i use to cut Aluminium?
A. You can use Stone discs to cut Aluminium

from marcrist.co.uk

some posts on here suggesting it as well, as the discs arent clogged by the aluminium

(use abrasive discs not diamond type cutting discs!!)

 

[pedrobedro]

Up to 2mm thick aluminium I use a drill mounted Turner nibbler, a bit messy but very versatile but the hacksaw is my favourite tool for bar. Put a bit of oil on the cut.

 

[julianthegypsy]

Hacksaw blade should be 18 tpi, normal blades are 22 tpi and are for steel. I just remembered that from my city and guilds, the ones where we chiselled the answers on a stone tablet!

 

[grumpy grandad]

I can just remember that far back when to teach us to use a hacksaw we had to repetitively cut 2 inch steel angle until we got the cut square, draw file the ends, then throw it in the bin, then start all over again over and over.
Soon got the hang of it

 

[Hotmetal]

You could try tallow or rub a candle on the disc as you use it. This would prevent clogging the disc.

 

[Pete.]

Hacksaw blade should be 18 tpi, normal blades are 22 tpi and are for steel. I just remembered that from my city and guilds, the ones where we chiselled the answers on a stone tablet!

Quite - the blade in the picture is miles too fine for aluminium.

 

[Wedg1e]

Draw filing? You'd be lucky to find anyone under the age of about 45 who even knows what it means!

 

[brightspark]

Draw filing? You'd be lucky to find anyone under the age of about 45 who even knows what it means!

or even know the reason for doing it

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Some of us are engineers AND under 45!!

 

[Wedg1e]

Hacksaw blade should be 18 tpi, normal blades are 22 tpi and are for steel. I just remembered that from my city and guilds, the ones where we chiselled the answers on a stone tablet!

Stone tablet? You were lucky, we had to form t'letters in t'clay tablet wi' wedge-shaped stick we did.

When I say clay, it were actually our own poo... we'd save up t'poo for a week then the morning we were due at college on day-release we'd press it into a tablet shape in us mother's best cake tin.
And when I say cake tin, it was the sump off an A-series. Well for six days of the week it was...

 

[gavuk]

Some of us are engineers AND under 45!!

I doubt there's many on here that are engineers,lots of fitters welder's technicians etc .... few "engineers"....45 or under

 

[octo0072000]

Some of us are engineers AND under 45!!

well you did say the word so i just had to post it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp8hvyjZWHs&html5=1

the dilbert one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlJsPa6UwcM&html5=1

 

[hotrodder]

I doubt there's many on here that are engineers,lots of fitters welder's technicians etc .... few "engineers"....45 or under

Yep, everyone's an 'engineer' these days. 'Real' engineers are chartered, everyone else works in engineering and/or got a poncy job title in the hope to make them/the customer feel better

Do fitters even exist anymore? Thought they all got 'promoted' to technicians/mechanics when the later became engineers

 

[gavuk]

I went from a shifty fitter,passed technician (which I can call myself) straight to Shift Engineer....it makes me cringe ,when someone calls me that...

 

[grandads_shed]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nuh9YrG7OE

Why "Engineers" have a Harder Time Dating & Attracting Women!

 

[gavuk]

here you go
Dilbert "the knack"