Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Topics include, Machine Tools & Tooling, Precision Measuring, Materials and their Properties, Electrical discussions related to machine tools, setups, fixtures and jigs and other general discussion related to amateur machining.

Moderators: GlennW, Harold_V

Mr Ron
Posts: 2126
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:36 pm
Location: Vancleave, Mississippi

Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Mr Ron »

I have been cutting aluminum on my wood working band saw and it was going great, but after 2 months, the urethane tires on the wheels broke apart. It seems the aluminum chips get embedded in the tire material and get pressed in by the pressure of the blade against the tire. My question is: how can I cut aluminum on a band saw without destroying the tires? Metal cutting band saws are big and expensive.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
LIALLEGHENY
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:36 am
Location: Bohemia, NY

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by LIALLEGHENY »

See if a softer material is available for the tires, rather than urethane, which tends to be "hard" and more prone to cracking or breaking once cut by the chips. My big Doall has rubber tires of some sort and I have had no problems with them.

Nyle
User avatar
Steggy
Posts: 1976
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: JB Pritzker’s Hellhole
Contact:

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Steggy »

In addition to the suggestion about a softer material for the blade wheels, perhaps you can rig up a means of diverting chips away from the lower wheel.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
ccfl
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:14 am

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by ccfl »

Air nozzle under the table to blow the crap off the blade.
"Never trust a man who puts a witty quote in his sig line." -Mark Twain
User avatar
Frank Ford
Posts: 594
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Contact:

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Frank Ford »

I've been cutting aluminum for decades on my 14" Delta vertical wood cutting saw without incident. Switched to urethane tires some ten years ago and while they do get chips stuck on 'em, I've yet to see any downside.
Cheers,

Frank Ford
Mr Ron
Posts: 2126
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:36 pm
Location: Vancleave, Mississippi

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Mr Ron »

Frank Ford wrote:I've been cutting aluminum for decades on my 14" Delta vertical wood cutting saw without incident. Switched to urethane tires some ten years ago and while they do get chips stuck on 'em, I've yet to see any downside.
My band saw is a 14" with a riser block. The urethane tires are 2 years old.What type of blade are you using? I cut mostly 1/4" and less using a 4TPI skip tooth blade (Starrett). Do you think the number of teeth could be the problem? I admit I don't keep the tires clean of sawdust or metal chips. I do have a 4x6 metal cutting band saw, but I use it to cut much thicker materials and it is not so good at cutting curves.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
User avatar
Frank Ford
Posts: 594
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Contact:

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Frank Ford »

Mine is also setup with riser block for wood resawing. Mostly I'm using skip or hook tooth, 4 to 6 teeth, 1/2" wide. I got close to 40 years out of the original tires, and switched to urethane ones after my other 14" metal cutting Delta (made in 1943) had its original tires start to slip and roll up a bit. I replaced both sets of tires at the same time with those stretch-on orange urethane ones. I always have a thick coating of embedded chips in the tires of both saws.
Cheers,

Frank Ford
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by GlennW »

Mr Ron wrote: I cut mostly 1/4" and less using a 4TPI skip tooth blade (Starrett).
Did you mean 14 TPI?

Cutting 1/4" and thinner aluminum with single tooth or less engagement could be interesting!

Perhaps you are over tensioning the blade to wear the tires.

Blade width would also make a difference, as Frank's use of 1/2" wide blades is much easier on tires then a 1/4" wide blade.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
Mr Ron
Posts: 2126
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:36 pm
Location: Vancleave, Mississippi

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Mr Ron »

Thanks for your response to my situation. BTW, I lived in San Rafael for close to 30 years before coming to Ms, pursuing my career in shipbuilding. There was a business somewhere around where you live that sold all kinds of used machine tools and machine shop equipment. It was somewhere around the SP RR tracks. I sure miss having a place like that.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
Mr Ron
Posts: 2126
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:36 pm
Location: Vancleave, Mississippi

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Mr Ron »

GlennW wrote: Cutting 1/4" and thinner aluminum with single tooth or less engagement could be interesting!

Perhaps you are over tensioning the blade to wear the tires.

Blade width would also make a difference, as Frank's use of 1/2" wide blades is much easier on tires then a 1/4" wide blade.
I was using a 1/2" wide skip tooth blade with 4TPI. I'm sure it is not over tensioned. The spring is not strong enough on most 14" band saws to even come close to the recommended tension. After replacing the tires, I will try a blade with more teeth; maybe 8-12TPI and see if that helps. I will also try to keep the tires clean.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
Russ Hanscom
Posts: 1955
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Farmington, NM

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by Russ Hanscom »

I had a 14" Delta knockoff and cut mainly steel and aluminum for close to 20 years before I upgraded saws; never had a problem with the tires - the originals were still on it when I sold it. I ran mainly 1/2" wide blades and 10-14 or 6-10 tooth count.

I rigged up a wiper system to clear chips but it required frequent adjustment as the wiper wore - so not very effective.
User avatar
wlw-19958
Posts: 1072
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:41 pm
Location: Lewes, DE

Re: Cutting aluminum on a band saw

Post by wlw-19958 »

Hi There,
Mr Ron wrote:I was using a 1/2" wide skip tooth blade with 4TPI. I'm sure it is not over tensioned. The spring is not strong enough on most 14" band saws to even come close to the recommended tension. After replacing the tires, I will try a blade with more teeth; maybe 8-12TPI and see if that helps. I will also try to keep the tires clean.
The "rule of thumb" with bandsaw blades is to choose a blade
that has at least 2 teeth in contact with the stock at all times.
Cutting 1/4" stock with a 4TPI blade has only one tooth in contact.

An 8TPI blade would be a better choice for 1/4" stock.

Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb
Post Reply