TPI/ feed rates for cutting aluminum on a bandsaw ?

I cut Aluminum with at 3000 SF/M with a 1" bi metal blade on a Delta 14"

2 hp band saw, which is a set up for ripping wood.

How I get away with it, is I push hard for 2 seconds, wait 10 seconds, push hard for 2 seconds, etc.

That way the Aluminum never gets too hot.

You didn't ask, but Machinery Handbook, 25th edition (page 1061) gives 500 sfm for cutting aluminum using coolant. If cutting dry, reduce by about 30 percent.

Then on page 1057, there is a tooth selection wheel chart. Their example of a 4 inch pipe with a 3 inch inside diameter indicates a 4/6 variable pitch blade for the job. It seems your 0.25 wall thickness tubing would need a somewhat finer pitch.

Hope this helps! Ace

Not enough info Bruno, the subject line tells nothing of the saw you are intending to buy.

Horizontal, vertical, hydraulics, power feed, size?

My personal pick for that stuff is a 4 or so pitch blade at about

3000-5000 feet per minute on a big vertical metal saw that looks like what a basic wood bandsaw wants to be when it grows up. Works for me on thick and thin stock, but you want to feed into the blade gently with the stuff that's thinner than the gap between the teeth. It wont strip off the teeth, but it'll get real noisy and a bit messy of a cut if you push it in too fast. (that's my work saw) I have a wood bandsaw that was given to me for home use, It will be used at the same sppeds as it would be used for wood, once it is set up. The rolls of Starrett blade stock I have at work are labeled as being for wood and non ferrous metals.

I doubt a Harbour freight $99 horizontal unit will be up to that. The rule of thumb is supposedly you want to keep two or three teeth on the stock at any time, and this seems good advice for a saw not equipped with a reliable hydraulic feed limiter and coolant.

What kind of saw you lookin' at?

Cheers Trevor Jones

The rule is 3 teeth in the cut, so for 1/4" wall you'd need at least 12 tpi, can probably get away with 10.

For 1½" plate, however, you'd want 2 tpi, a real difference.

Normal speed for a bandsaw blade on aluminum is 800 sfpm. Feed rate is whatever your saw can handle, depends on the saw.

GWE

Yabut the tube has two 1/4" walls being cut at the same time so...6 tpi!!!

Nah.... three teeth across any given cross-section! Otherwise, you get grab'n'chatter.

In real life, coarser (sharp) teeth and light cutting pressure works really nicely for 6061.

I cut through a total cross-section of a few hundred square inches of 6061 a month making moulds for fireworks components. Dry cutting at 800fpm with a fresh 10tpi blade works for everything down to about 1/8" walls, so long as I watch the down-pressure on the thinner material. As long as at least two teeth are fully supported in each cut area, chatter and surface finish aren't too bad.

LLoyd

Yabut the walls have space between them, which allows the swarf to clear and presents 2 edges to the blade (i.e., the blade enters stock twice). So 12 tpi is right. Bob