I just picked up a nice stock of 2024 T4 aluminum bar (1/4" x 3/4",
1" x 1/4" and other sizes), which I'd like to use to build some items like a deck awning, etc.
To work with this stuff I'd appreciate any recommendations on metalworking books that would cover how to cut, grind, drill, polish this material (... not weld! :-) )
A number of books that I've bought lately tend to focus on blacksmithing carbon steel, or on tool-and-die work. If there's a good introductory book (or books) that would help me get a foundation in metalworking while having something to say about this kind of application, I'd appreciate it!
Only book I can reccomend off the top of my head is Metalworking in the Home Shop by E.F Lindsley, published by Sterling and graced with the Popular Science logo on the cover. Kinda dumbed down overview of general metalwork stuff for the guy that has never had to deal with it before. Maybe too dumbed down, but still a fair bit of good info. A used High scool shop metalwork text would serve well, also.
I like using a wood bandsaw blade running quite fast to cut Al. plate and barstock. No lube, it just makes it miserable cleaning out the saw afterwards. Works for me. The rest of the processes can be carried out with standard hardware store tools. If you must grind it, use one of the overlapping layers of sandpaper thingies discs on an angle grinder, or a sanding disc on same. Grinding Al. on a bench grinder is a bad idea, generally, as the Al. clogs up regular stones and can cause them to diintegrate at speed. That would be unhealthy. 3M (and others, I guess) makes a wheel for deburring that leaves a nice finish, but they are about $40 each for a 6 inch wheel in my area.
Polishing. How shiny? You can get pretty decent results from a buffing wheel and some red rouge. If you want it to stay shiny for a while, clearcoat it. A scotchbrite pad and a clearcoat will make a nice finish. If you want it to look good for a long while, pick a color you like and paint it, after you have applied a proper primer for aluminum. 2024 is corrosion prone.
T4 will cut, drill, and tap OK. To bend sharper radius bends, you can soften it by sooting it or drawing a line on it with a sharpie marker, and applying heat until the soot or mark burns off. It will then be dead soft and bend easily, but will drill and tap like warm chewing gum. It will eventually age harden to about a T3 temper on it's own.
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