So I bought some 1/6"-thick aluminum angle today, and also some reinforced metal cutoff wheels for my Dremel, and just tried them out. It was... unpleasant. The tool can cut the aluminum, to be sure, but it's a serious hack job. It took several minutes just to cut off a single piece, and the resulting edge is jagged and ugly. Partly this is because it's impossible to hold the Dremel at the right angle (you'd need the handle of the tool to occupy the same space as the angle stock). Partly it's because the wheel occasionally binds up and throws itself aside.
I also tried a hacksaw; that was ridiculous. I don't think the hacksaw even scratched the aluminum, but I'm pretty sure the aluminum did a number on the hacksaw teeth. Granted, this wasn't a brand new hacksaw blade, but it's previously been used only to cut soft plastic -- it should be in fairly good shape.
I didn't try drilling, but if I can't cut the 4-foot stock to the lengths I need, there's not much point.
Has anybody actually worked aluminum stock with hand tools and/or Dremel? How did you manage it? Either these are the wrong tools for the job, or I'm not using them correctly.
I looked at the power miter saws at both Home Depot and Ace. They look like great machines, but they're huge and cost over $200. I'm hoping I can find a smaller one in the $100 range, that will still do a good job cutting aluminum. But I hope to find it locally (rather than on the net), because if it doesn't work out any better than the Dremel, I'll want to return it.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
- Joe