Cutting alu profile with a hacksaw

[markie44]

...is REALLY hard work.

I just had to air my pain somewhere others might understand...

I guess on the plus side there is not much risk of loosing fingers.

 

[Wmacky]

I've been there, especially in my youth, but if you have a couple dollars laying around I highly recommend at very least a Harbor freight 10" power miter saw with a cheap aluminum blade. Heck I'm using the cheap wood blade it came with and get good results.

 

[stigs2cousin]

I hear you

i´d rather drive 180km and do it in the mashine shop of a friend than saw it by hand.

 

[chillil123]

Like butter with a chop saw.

 

[Phil Mann]

I'm at the point that i think investing in a mitre would be a good idea. I've cut a bunch by hand and the finish is never as good as the factory finish.

I'm just about to fit a new bathroom suite so i'm sure i can justify it as a needed tool so my wife doesnt moan at me.

 

[BillyBobSenna]

If you are a home owner, owning a miter saw is a must. If not a home owner, Home Depot rents them for $25 per 4 hours or $35 for the day.

 

[stigs2cousin]

Finish depends on the quality of saw and cutting disc.

The industrial band saw at my friens shop does a way better cutting finish than the "home depot " miter saw.
We used that one only for the angle cuts which the bandsaw couldn´t do.


So if you don´t need it to often rent a higher quality tool instead of buying a cheap one.
And get a high quality blade!!


Just a heads up so you aren´t to disappointed when your cuts don´t look like the ones the fabricator makes.

MFG Carsten

 

[BillyBobSenna]

Finish depends on the quality of saw and cutting disc.

The industrial band saw at my friens shop does a way better cutting finish than the "home depot " miter saw.
We used that one only for the angle cuts which the bandsaw couldn´t do.


So if you don´t need it to often rent a higher quality tool instead of buying a cheap one.
And get a high quality blade!!


Just a heads up so you aren´t to disappointed when your cuts don´t look like the ones the fabricator makes.

MFG Carsten

Home Depot is very good with providing the needed blades for your jobs.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I got a metal cutting blade for my table saw and it does a great job! My bandsaw does well too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012YMVBE

Aluminum cleans up pretty easily with 400 grit sand paper if you just sand straight.

 

[LeeHetherington]

Another INCRA fan...

 

[RCHeliguy]

Another INCRA fan...

Definitely.

 

[Atak_Kat]

I've only had to cut some 40/40 pieces a few times. So not yet any of the wider or larger pieces.

I actually found the cutting not so bad. It cut faster than I thought it would.

But where I struggled is to get a nice square cut. Even though I used a small mitre box, the end result was quite poor. So I spend much more time with a file trying to square things off and give the end a nicer finish. That filing job took WAY more time and was far more annoying than the cutting.

 

[AccAkut]

Biggest issue cutting by hand is getting the cuts a nice 90°, but that ofc depends on how you want to connect pieces.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Hand cutting will tend to make a mess unless you are very slow and careful, have your metal clamped solidly, have a sharp blade and a good guide.

Once you have a mess however, aluminum will sand away pretty well with a good course belt. I've used my table top belt sander on numerous occasions and aluminum is soft and responds well to hand sanding.

You can hand sand an edge to 90 degrees if you have good flat area. Use a course grit wet sanding adhesive backed sandpaper on a flat surface. Use a ruler to mark your reference 90 degree line on the aluminum. Then carefully sand to that line.

You can use a 200 grit to to take off edges and burs(carefully) Make sure to use gloves or a padded sandpaper holder with a handle.

Hand sanding with 400 grit using very straight parallel stokes will give you a brushed look like this.

A random orbital sander will leave a satin finish with a 320-400 grit paper like below. This was done with 320 grit.

For polishing, a drill with a polishing disk can work with the right cutting compound. Most polishes will sling black everywhere, so do this in a garage or outside.