Help on cutting an aluminum guide rail

[butzla]

Ok,  I know how to do it accidentally.  I was experimenting with a 45 degree plunge cut w/ my TS75 on some birch ply and the saw jumped off the rail and so I ruined a perfectly good 55" rail.  (I now now I should have used to saw stop set behind the saw)

But now what I want to do is cut off the damaged part so I have a nice little 32" rail and want to know the best approach.  I have access to a wet cutting band saw but am worried that the edges will not be smooth.  I don't really want to purchase the aluminum cutting blade for my TS75 either.  I will say the boo-boo cuts on the guide rail were smoother than factory edge.  This is the stock blade that comes with TS75.  I'm worried that using that blade will only damge it further.   

 

[dirtydeeds]

i cut mine with a 300mm hacksaw

 

[Ned]

The biggest concern is getting the cut straight and at right angles.  Truth is, that only really matters if you intend to join rails, otherwise it's a cosmetic issue.

I can't say whether you'd damage your blade making one intentional cut.  I use a Freud non-ferrous blade on a mitersaw with WD40 as lubricant.  Kerosene (paraffin to the Brits) is also good (and cheaper).  You don't need to flood the work for one cut.

You can clean up an aluminum edge with abrasives, or a file made for aluminum.

I've always thought a short rail would be useful.  Let us know about both the making and the using of it.

Ned

 

[butzla]

Thanks Ned.....I'll ask the guy I know with the metal cutting bandsaw.  See what he thinks.  It's the kind that operates like a miter saw and it has water lube.  Stay tuned.

 

[alg]

Use your TS75. I used my TS55, guide rail on a MFT1080, using the standard blade and it worked beautifully. Aluminum is very soft and will not damage the blade. I confirmed with Bill, from FestoolSupply. Flip the rail over. Make sure you plug in a CT33 at maximum setting.

I doubt you will get as precise, square cut using a hacksaw. Now, if you have a sliding miter saw, that would be the tool of choice.

 

[butzla]

I do have a Makita sliding miter saw with stock blade that could use a sharpening very soon anyway.  Do you think I should use a lubricant?

 

[danrush]

I have cut a couple of rails to customize and I just used my mitre saw with a standard wood blade.  No damage to the blade that I could see. (although, a blade on it's way to sharpening would be my choice)  Cut slowly. After cutting, I hit the edge very lightly with sandpaper to remove any minor burrs.

Dan

 

[Jerry Work]

One needs serious eye protection while cutting aluminum with or without lubricants.  Those little chips fly all over the place when cut with any kind of circular saw.  A safer alternative is to use a band saw with a carbide blade.  It will much through the aluminum with ease and pull most of the chips downward into the cabinet of the saw and into the dust collection port.  You can even do the cut with a standard carbon blade that you intend to throw away.  Either way, use full surround eye protection.

Jerry

 

[Michael Kellough]

I do have a Makita sliding miter saw with stock blade that could use a sharpening very soon anyway.  Do you think I should use a lubricant?

This will work well if you use a lubricant. Put a sacrificial board on the miter table first and sandwich more sacrificial wood on top (whatever is practical) and clamp it all down good. The wood is to keep the aluminum from bending up and to stabilize the blade.
Aluminum chips melt and stick to the teeth causing the teeth to bind in the kerf and lifting the aluminum making the cut course. That problem is dramatically reduced with adequate cooling/lubrication. Ideally you would have a helper to spray WD-40 on the blade as you concentrate on the sawing at a steady slow feed rate.

Full eye protection is required, full face protection and long sleeves and gloves are recommended.

 

[butzla]

OK,  I just made the cut and all went well.  I used my compound slider with a blade that's in soon-to-be-shaprpened condition.  I put a scrap piece of 1/4" ply down on miter saw then the guide face down, then another piece of ply on top.  It cut like butter,  only knew it was cutting metal from the tell-tale metal shards on top.  Jerry,  thanks for the tip on wearing safety glasses....I usually just skip the glasses and shut my eyes when I cut.*  Thanks to all for your advise.  If any of you are in similar situation,  don't hesitate to follow these steps.  Easy peezy, lemon squeezy!
*Kidding, but actually know a guy who does this.  Hides on top of blade and shuts his eyes on the miter saw.

 

[Loren Hedahl]

Jerry is certainly correct about eye protection.  If you get a steel shard in your eye it isn't nearly the problem because it can be removed by an optometrist with a magnet.  But wood or aluminum are much more of a problem.

Concerning cutting aluminum, I cut 50 ft of anodized aluminum toe railing to custom fit the deck angle of a sailboat I built about 30 years ago.  I had to stop and clean the melted aluminum off the blade teeth a time or two, but I didn't notice any damage or significant wear to the blade at all.

 

[semenza]

Hi,

  I was cutting some metal roofing with the Trion once. It took a minute to figure out why the cut was getting ragged after the first ten feet. The blade had built up with melted metal on one side, so Ididn't see it right away.

Seth

 

[pteubel]

If you want to cut metal on a regular basis, check out Metal Devil saw blades. They go thru steel REAL smooth. Goes right on your regular wood circular saw (except Fes, of course). I converted a Delta chop saw to a dedicated metal saw with this blade. Cuts through 1/4 steel plate easily with little if any sparks. The cut is not only barely warm to the touch IMMEDIATELY but it's almost machined-smooth. They make various blades for ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

 

[Anthony]

Sorry to hear about your poor rail sToolman.

I was doing a TS75 demo the other day and the saw jumped off the rail because teh workpiece was not secured good enough. End result, 1400 guide rail with ventilation.  :'(

I would trim your guide rail to length with a SCMS or the TS75 and standard blade. One cut is not going to make much of a difference to the sharpness fo the blade. But if you have an aluminium blade so much the better.

Speaking of cutting aluminium, another customer demo I did last week involved cutting aluminium with the TS55. Not just ordinary aluminium, but extremely hard as its designed for milling into components for 'special' application. As tough as mild-steel the owner of the aluminium suggests. See image  - we used the aluminium blade for this.

 

[Michael Kellough]

OK,  I just made the cut and all went well. 

So, did you cut dry or with lubrication?

 

[butzla]

Dry.....I was worried about contaminating rubber strips and zero clearance with oil.  Worked like a charm.  Very soft aluminum.