Quote:
Originally Posted by casstony
Is it ok to cut aluminium with an angle grinder or should I use a hack saw? I'm wondering if it will clog up the cutting disc.
I'm cutting up a Vixen-style dovetail into shorter segments and want to do a neat job, but I'm also curious about aluminium cutting in general.
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Hi,
Other posters have covered the most of main recommendations. There are a few issues at work:
- Clogging a cylindrical grinding wheel with aluminium or other non-ferrous material can cause the surface layers of the wheel to disintegrate and fly around. The danger is not so acute with an angle grinder disk which usually has embedded fabric reinforcement, but it still isn't recommended.
- Using a compound mitre saw with a blade which is normally intended for wood will certainly work, but you must take it very very carefully and not press the progress of the cut at all. This is because the teeth of such a blade have positive rake angles and can 'hook' and catch the metal, jerking it forcibly away. Something usually shatters, like the carbide tooth inserts on the blade. You can buy aluminium saw cutting blades from Bunnings etc and these have different cutting tooth angles. At the very least try to arrange 2 point mechanical clamping of the job with a G-clamp or similar.
- Aluminium dust is injurious to the lungs, and can also form an explosive mixture with the ferric oxide dust produced by grinding steel. Explosions in home workshops from such a mixture of grinding residues are rare, but not unknown.
- All in all a hacksaw is recommended as our colleagues have suggested.
Cheers