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cutting sheet aluminum

bobnoffs

Well Known Member
hi all,
i have a sheet of 5052 .063'' alum. 4' x 10' that i will soon begun to cut up. i have a lot of long [36''] cuts to make and i am looking for the best way. i have used a skil saw with carbide blade cutting thru the alum. and the sheet of 1/2'' waferboard it is laying on with good results. i clamped a straightedge to the work and the saw followed it for a straight cut.
anyone have any other ideas?
 
Hi,
Now that my RV is done, I am building a Fiesler Storch replica from the Pazmany plans.
I have a shear that works great, but for long cuts, I now use a Freude (sp)
blade for non Ferris metal on my table saw that works great.

To cut down the sheet I use electric shears that work fine.

Thanks,
Mark
 
I've used carbide blades in a table saw, and a skill saw. A router can also work.

If the cuts go edge to edge, scribing with a utility knife and snapping off the work piece can work well.
 
For 0.063", a good power shear would be best, but your saw method is fine. 5052 is pretty "gooey" compared to 2024 in the standard tempers. Expect to do a lot of edge finishing. (and by power shear, I mean a Niagra or similar, not handheld)
 
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i think i will buy a new carbide blade for the skil saw and use it with a straightedge. at least until the size is more manageable. 4x10 is more than i can handle with my table saw.
 
It would take a few swipes for something that thick, but I've had excellent success with a $5 Olfa knife and a straight edge for cuts up to .040. Silent, and makes a nice clean cut. The table saw sees the thick stuff, but tends to be too aggressive for thinner stock and is terribly noisy.
 
It would take a few swipes for something that thick, but I've had excellent success with a $5 Olfa knife and a straight edge for cuts up to .040. Silent, and makes a nice clean cut. The table saw sees the thick stuff, but tends to be too aggressive for thinner stock and is terribly noisy.

Interesting idea! What type of Olfa knife? Straight blade, snap-off cutter, or rotary blade?

Thanks
 
On many straight cuts, I have used a sharp utility knife, scribed the cut several times, then a few bends along the scribe line. The pieces will snap apart. Longer pieces will require some guiding along the scribe but will separate.

Roberta
 
If you already know what sizes you need you might take it to an HVAC shop, almost all of them have a shear. Luckily my dad does HVAC. I bet anyone of them would cut it up for you and quite possibly not even charge for it. If they do charge for it it would probably be dirt cheap.
 
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