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I have a nice piece of 1/8" thick 5052 aluminum plate I would like to use for my dash. I tried cutting it with my jigsaw and it ate the 24 tooth metal cutting blades pronto. Hard stuff. What would you suggest I use to cut this stuff? It has some curves I need to maintain and I also need to cut holes for gauges. Seems to drill OK with standard drill bits but holes saws, not so good. Any ideas on the right blades?

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http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3356

I have a 6061 T6 front upper fire wall section made 1/8" stock and used a 18 tooth per inch Bi-metal blade in my band saw and did not have any problems. Make use you are using a band NAME blade for the jigsaw. I've run into that problem using cheap China made hack saw blades, good for may be three short cuts, would not even make it thru one 3/8 grade 5 bolt.
Dave W

You probably just need to slow down and maybe use a better quality blade. My bandsaws cut it easily.
I prefer blades over plasma (makes a mess) and it's too thick for my Beverly shear or electric scissor shear.

It's more likely that it clogged up the blade instead of "eating it." There's some sort of wax (that I never remember to buy) that's supposed to prevent the blades from loading up with aluminum. And yes, cutting slower helps.

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kerosene helps drill bits and saw blades with high TPI counts shed aluminum swarf, PB blast and WD-40 are almost pure Kerosene so keep it lubed and go slow.

locofinn,

A couple years ago I bought a sears jigsaw at a garage sale. This old jigsaw is one of the aluminum all polished ones, no plastic anywhere so it's old. Anyway, I got a whole bunch of new old stock blades made in USA. These old name brand blades cut way batter than anything made in china. Also found out that the metal cutting blades go real slow and do clog up when using cheap blades. Get some good blades and this time go with a larger tooth type blade. I have a blade in mine that almost looks like a wood cutting blade and it does not clog up and cuts pretty fast too. The local welding shop here uses circular saws with carbide tip wood cutting blades. The first time I saw him using the skilsaw on aluminum I though this guy was crazy. The guy showed me the blade and it was a regular old circular saw. I tried it here at home and learned really fast that it is a must to wear a face shield. Those pieces of aluminum hurt quite a lot when comming of the carbide tipped blades. Like everyone else said here use good quality blades and go with a larger tooth blade and it should do the job. As for using wax as a lubricant, any kinda wax will work. I use candle wax all the time around the shop.


Mark....

That is pretty hard in 1/8 inch, I used it under my pedals. I just went slow, backing in and out of the cut and didn't use anything but bimetal blades, 18 to 24 tpi.
It took a little extra time but got the job done.

Al

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Super Seven 3.4

Beeswax is preferred. The hard kind can be purchased at many "industrial hardware" stores or you can purchase a wax toilet ring!! Using beeswax on an abrasive wheel makes cutting VERY easy. Beeswax on a sanding disc is SCARY with aluminum due to the rapid amount of metal removal.

John Rounds

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My other build log viewtopic.php?f=18&t=15162 The Skayt'R6

We use Castrol industrial stick wax at work with hook tooth blades. The rule of thumb is to have at least three teeth in the stock at all times.

I use DoAll Tool Saver. It's wax-like, comes in a large round stick and one tube lasts for years.

I use it to keep aluminum from clogging blades when cutting aluminum with a jig saw, band saw or table saw. It also can be used on abrasive disks and they last a lot longer.

Ron

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They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. By the time you finish the car it'll feel like you've done it on your knees.

I've used my bandsaw and WD40 with good success.

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Jack Collins

I use liquid dish soap to lubricate the blade and prevent clogging. Easy cleanup, just rinse it off with water.
Does not work on the Doall band saw but great for sawzall or sabre saw.
Howard

to cut te holes in the ally for guages, use a tool with a lathe tool in it.
i forget what they are called, they have a spigot that goes in the chuck of a pedistal drill and a cross bar that holds a lathe tool ,

the diameter can be adjusted to cut different sized holes, and go slow, i've got one somewhere, if i can find it, i'll take a picture and post it.

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I cut a 1/4" 5052 adapter plate with a jig saw and WD-40, worked a treat.

Maybe blades are better now than they were back in 2010, but my reciprocating jigsaw cuts thick aluminum just fine.