Routing / cutting aluminum

[john ferri]

Has anyone used their jigsaw or router to cut aluminum. I'm contemplating modifying a lathe chuck accessory so it fits my lathe. This involves shaving about 3/4 of an inch off the circumference of the jaws--essentially a flat piece of aluminum 10mm thick.  Should I:

1. Jigsaw the curve with the appropriate blade and clean it up with the festool aluminum cutter.

2. Do the whole job with the router 3mm at a time (or less).

3. Contemplate buying a bigger lathe with a 12 inch swing.

4. Take back the bowl jaws.

JF

 

[greg mann]

Can you set it up to trim them with a circle cutting jig? I would take the material off about .010 to .015 deep per pass, going progressively deeper on each pass. The jigsaw is not a bad way either as it will remove the bulk of the material quickly and more safely.  You could prob ably cut right to a line and then sand smooth on a disc sander.

 

[john ferri]

The item fits on a self centering scroll chuck, so there are 4 "quadrants." The circle cutting would be a tricky setup, but possible.  I would have make a jig and machine one piece at a time.

Something like:

1. Mill some 10mm stock.
2. cutout a right angle
3. wedge and secure the aluminum with screws or tape.
4. setup the router and circle cutter to cut the curve
5. rout the workpiece

Thanks for the quick response.

JF

 

[daves1996]

I would take the item to a machine shop. That way, everything stays in balance for the lathe and not wobble around because the weight is off in some location.

Just my 2 cents.
Dave

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

I have seen a couple of people cut out the end of their miter gauge with a shaper cutter that was a little larger in diameter than they realized at first...

Really, I have the same lathe accessory that you have and I would say if it is possible look for a larger lathe.  You can get the Delta HD lathes on Ebay for about $300-600 and the heavier a lathe is the more stable it is and the less trouble you will have with vibration from large and off balance pieces.

If a bigger lathe is not in the plan right now then I would say just take it to a machine shop...but that will not likely be cheap either.

You could also make your own set of jaws out of wood, I would suggest some 3/8 or 1/2" baltic birch plywood and make them the size you want. It would be a little work but making holding fixtures is a part of many lathe turning projects.

Best,
Todd