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  #11  
Old 01-15-2011, 07:51 AM
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Greg Arehart Greg Arehart is offline
 
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What Bruce (and others) said. Ryobi was/is a good deal. I did have to replace one of the guides eventually (little chunks going through it eventually broke it off).

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  #12  
Old 01-26-2011, 11:50 AM
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Ok SO I found a used Craftsman 10" band saw.... Whats the recomended TPI (teeth per inch) for cutting aluminum...
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  #13  
Old 01-26-2011, 12:58 PM
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Default It depends on thickness

Quote:
Originally Posted by Garrett3374 View Post
Ok SO I found a used Craftsman 10" band saw.... Whats the recomended TPI (teeth per inch) for cutting aluminum...

Generally, the thinner the material, the more teeth. A 24 tpi raker will work very well for most of your work up to .125 and is a good overall compromise. If you go much thicker you would want to drop down. If you have thick stock, over 1/2", a "tooth" blade is a better choice, just be careful as the speed of wood cutting band saws is pretty high.
Ideally, you want 2 or 3 teeth on the work at the same time.
I like the bi-metal blades.
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  #14  
Old 01-26-2011, 06:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Garrett3374 View Post
Ok SO I found a used Craftsman 10" band saw.... Whats the recomended TPI (teeth per inch) for cutting aluminum...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanH
... get good blades. I've tried a variety. The best are Lennox Diemaster 2 bimetal 14-18T variable, easily purchased online. The 14-18 tooth is a compromise, a little too fine for chunk aluminum (like 2" round stock or 3/4" plate) and just fine enough for thinwall 4130. The only thing you can't cut is hardened steel; drill rod, quenched 4130, etc. Drag out the abrasive chop saw for that stuff.
I got the blade DanH recommended for my 10" Craftsman and it's worked great through the wings. Much better than the blade that came with it.
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  #15  
Old 01-27-2011, 10:32 AM
664781 664781 is offline
 
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Smile Skill Saw

I have the $97 Skill saw and it works great. You have to properly adjust the blade when you get it because it comes way out of adjustment.

Got it for $70 because the previous person did not know how to adjust the blade!
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  #16  
Old 01-27-2011, 03:15 PM
rv9aviator rv9aviator is offline
 
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I have a tabletop Grizzly G8976 and it isn't up to the task. It has absolutely no power unless run wide open. When you slow it down some to cut aluminum you have to baby it through to keep from stalling it out.
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  #17  
Old 01-27-2011, 05:16 PM
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Default cutting aluminum

I purchased the Ryobi tabel top band saw. Works well. Make sure however all the rollers are adjusted properly with about a folded paper gap between the rollers and the blade, if these are out, you will be hating life tring to get a straight cut and keeping the blade from wandering.

Regarding cutting alum. angle. I used to build alumn fishing boats. The best saw for this is a 10" mitre box saw with a carbide finish blade 40-60 teeth. We also use to cut rather thick guage alum sheet stock with a plane ole 7 1/4"skill saw with carbide teeth. The "chop box" miter saw is really great for cuting angle of all sizes, especially the 2 1/2" used in the fire wall.
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  #18  
Old 01-31-2011, 11:36 AM
N999BT N999BT is offline
 
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Default Teeth

FWIW,

When I started building, someone recommended a wood tooth spacing (6 TPI). I found that spacing to be very good for aluminum. It cuts much faster than metal blades in anything below about 3/8" thickness. It's probably a bit course for thin sheet, but you should probably cut that with snips anyway.
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  #19  
Old 01-31-2011, 03:13 PM
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I ended up getting a 14tpi and a 24tpi

We'll see how these work..
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  #20  
Old 01-31-2011, 03:36 PM
datsclark datsclark is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DCat22 View Post
I ended up buying this Skil refirb. It works. I can't say much more than that for it. It is super cheaply made. The laser line is a joke. I had to tape the open-door sensor closed because it wasn't anywhere near lined up with being pushed when the door is closed.

After a bit of setting up, it cuts straight, which is all i need. Its probably hard to beat for 100 bucks, but don't expect too much. I'll be curious to see how long it lasts me.

I think i'll look for a little more quality in buying a bench drill press.
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