I was hoping that one of you experienced builders would help with my problem. What kind of blade do you use to cut v-slot rail so you get nice clean cuts? I have a 10" cutoff saw with a 5/8" arbor. I have used a metal blade to cut aluminum before and it makes a mess of it. I noticed in the Ox video that the cuts on the v-slot are clean and straight. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm holding up cutting my v-slot until I get an answer. Thanks for your help.
I just saw that there is the exact same thread in the Tutorial section of the Forums. After reading the info in that thread I just ordered an Oshlun SBNF-100100 10-Inch 100 Tooth TCG Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch Arbor for Aluminum and Non Ferrous Metals for $54 including shipping. I will post the cutting results as soon as I get the blade and can make a coup;e of cuts.
I went the poor mans route and took a hack saw to it and then filed it down to a nice flat surface, it turned out very well to be honest. If you do decide to take that route, leave yourself a millimeter or 2 of wiggle room.
That blade should do you proud @rpleyva I will add the link for cutting thread for others looking for the same answers http://www.openbuilds.com/threads/cutting-aluminum-extrusion.20/
I'm an old hand at making ugly cuts with a hacksaw. Never could make a straight cut with any kind of handsaw. So that was not an option in cutting my v-slot rails. Although I had considered it since I really wanted to get started and the hacksaw was right handy. Instead I went out and bought a miter saw and a composite metal cutting blade for the miter saw. Made a few cuts on some aluminum angle I was going to use for braces and immediately saw the error of my ways. That's when I decided to ask for advice on cutting the v-slot. Took what I read and turned into the order for the Oshlun saw blade. I might be getting vain in my old age but I wanted my mill to not only be functional but to look good also. Thanks for the input.
Nothing wrong with wanting to look good while milling, also a well thought clean design helps in the long run
I agree wholeheartedly, my cuts never come out straight and flat so that's why I learned a while ago to always have some good files on hand. Any imperfections are what I have learned to call ''character'' .... because it sounds better.
Received the Oshlun blade today and made a couple of cuts. The blade works great and leaves a nice smooth edge on the aluminum. The cut is 3mm wide. I'm now starting my build of a modified routy/ox mill.
I bought the Irwin 100 tooth for my 12" mitre saw from Lowes. Cuts smooth as "butta". To test it out before production cuts was cutting 1/8" slivers off the ends of 20X40 rail. No issues, very little heat, and no tooth marks at all. Some lessons learned...... -Don't assume all the rails are the same length. All mine varied by 1-2 mm so ended up cutting both ends. -Don't assume saw is square. I cut 2 sacraficial pieces together, then turned one around to check square (both vertically and horizontally). -I taped/clamped all the rails that needed to be the same length together; so I knew they would be the same in the end. -Vaccum after each cut, had a piece of "metal dust" caused my project to become 3mm shorter! LOL Best of luck!
