best method for cutting 3/4" aluminum tubing?

hi,

I am using 3/4" OD aluminum tubing as balusters for deck rails. I need to cut almost 400 of them to length. I was hoping for suggestions on the most efficient and painless way to do this. I have woodworking tools such as band saw, table saw, miter saws, jig saw, etc...

any advice appreciated...

thanks,

david greenville, sc

Reply to
david
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
John D. Farr

ditto....... I'll add that a shot of WD40 on the blade every few cuts helps. A carbide blade made for non ferrous metal is what I normally use.

Kingfish

Reply to
Kingfish

Reply to
RoyJ

Go to Home Depot and purchase a couple of their carbide impregnated fiber metal cutting blades for you table saw. I use them for curring aluminum tubing in my radial arm saw and they work like a champ. (Unfortanately, they do produce an odor that smells like a wet dog!)

I've also used them to cut steel rods and angle iron, but in cutting steel they produce a lot of very hot sparks, so be sure to clean out all traces of wood sawdust before using one on a woodworking machine, and keep a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water close at hand.

Harry C.

Reply to
Harry Conover

Pretend they are 3/4" wooden dowels. You would use a powered mitre box saw, right? use that, using your normal blade, and you'll be fine. You may want to buy a new blade after you are done, but probably not, just don't force the cuts.

Brian

Reply to
Brian

I cut lots of 1/2 brass tubing using my cheap bandsaw with a metal cutting blade. LB

Reply to
Leonard & Peggy Brown

Greetings David, Since you have so many of them to cut I would buy a carbide blade for the miter saw and cut them that way. I have cut aluminum angle and channel with a skilsaw and with the miter saw. It's noisy, and chips go everywhere. But you will get a nice clean cut with small, easily removed burrs. And it's real fast. You can spray the blade with cutting oil every so often, or use a small brush to put a small amount of oil right at the cut, or buy a tube of cutting wax and apply it either to the aluminum or the stationary blade to make the cutting even easier. The reason I like the miter saw is that it stops pretty fast when the trigger is released so it is safer for me. Good luck! ERS

Reply to
Eric R Snow

Several years ago I was cutting 1/2"copper tube using the regular wheel type cutter but made up an expanding rubber plug to fit the i.d. of the tube. This was just a piece of tubing between washers on a bolt with a nut. I then gripped the threaded end of the bolt in my 3/8 VSR drill. Running the drill forward, there was enough interaction between the copper tube, rubber, washer and nut to expand the plug and spin the tube in the cutter, reamer, and emery paper. Then, a quick reverse and the piece was released ready to insert and spin the next piece. It sure speeds up the use of a tubing cutter if the tubing is turning at a few hundred RPM, and a tubing cutter gives a nice square cut. With long stock, this would be a two person job, but shouldn't take long to cut 400 pieces. I would go with a blind hole in a block of hardwood as a bearing for the free end then measure back from the bottom of the hole and make a reference mark to locate the cut. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.