Kapexstandard blade, to cut aluminium?

[Acrobat]

Hi, a quick question regarding the standard Kapex blade...can I use it to cut aluminium angle? It's only about 2-3mm thick and if possible I'd like to use the Kapex rather than my old hacksaw. I always never get a straight cut by hand. I appreciate I should get a metal cutting blade but all is one of the softer metals and am hoping I can get away with it at least for 10-20 cuts. Save some $, but not if it'll ruin the blade.
thanks

 

[Peter_C]

The difference in blades is the hook on them, and the tooth profile. A non ferrous blade for cutting aluminum will have a negative hook which will help keep it from grabbing and possibly kicking back. Just buy the right blade...then have at it! Slow the blade speed down too.

 

[erock]

I wouldn't do it.

I cut some Kreg track with a 80 tooth Oshlun blade, thinking because it's aluminum, soft metal, I would be Okay. 

My Oshlun blade needs sharpened.  And I only made 4 cuts.    [embarassed]    [sad]

Also, a long time ago.  I installed laminate flooring and learned that Festool sells a laminate blade for a reason.  [eek]
I made a couple cuts with a standard TS55 blade AND Kapex blade.  At the end of the project both blades ended up in the trash can. [crying]

Each blade has it's purpose. 

Eric

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

As peter_c said, the difference in the blades is the hook angle, along with the tooth geometry. The differences help prevent kickback aas well as prolong the life of the teeth. There may also be differences in the grade of the carbide used. A number of blades for metal actually use cermet instead of carbide though I didn't check the specs on the Kapex blades.

If you had a spare worn blade you didn't mind destroying, you could probably test the cutting ability, but you would want to clamp the workpiece, and keep your other hand away from the saw in case of kickback. You would also want to wear a facemask in case the the teeth separate from the blade. I also doubt this would be good for the motor.

 

[RKA]

Oshlun sells a 68 tooth non ferrous blade for the Kapex on Amazon for $50.  If you want to keep your wood cutting blade in good order, the $50 is a bargain.

 

[rvieceli]

http://www.amazon.com/Oshlun-SBFT-2...ie=UTF8&qid=1461109445&sr=8-1&keywords=oshlun+non+ferrous+blade+kapex

 

[Acrobat]

Thanks guys for the recommendations of the blade. I'll look at getting the one from Amazon in that link.