11 replies to this topic

[kyleheon]

I realize this is a wood working forum but thought maybe someone could give me some pointers on where to look to have some basic mill work done on metal. Specifically some metal cutting and drilling work. What sort of places offer this type of assistance? For instance, I want to buy some 3/4" x 3/4" aluminum stock and need a groove cut into it (to start).

Thanks in advance!

[Beechwood Chip]

I'd start by googling for "machine shop" followed by your zip code. I'm guessing many machine shops don't have a web site, so I'd also look in the Yellow Pages under "machine shop".

[Kevmc]

i have found a numer of individuals willing to do small scale mill work on craigs list. Depending on where you are this might be an option. I looked under the skilled labor section in craigs list

[Dave B]

I work for a steel fabricator and erector. If your looking for aluminum forming work you can do that in your wood shop. I've used my router table, tablesaw, sanders etc to cut and form aluminum. The following pictures is a bracket for my motorcycle that was made with basically wood tools. Aluminum is soft and works easy. Most shops are not going to mess with small work unless you have worked with them in the past or dangling a big job in front of them.

Lowes or HD carries some smaller sizes of steel and alum, but it is expensive. If you want to try and find it cheaper (or free) stop in a fabrication shop that makes stairs and rails. They have a better chance of having aluminum than a structural shop. Some people will let you root thru the scap bin for what you need. There are also steel warehouses that sell mainly to fabricators but will sell to individuals at a higher price. Most deal only in stock lengths, some will cut for you but don't expect them to cut acurately.

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[Rapid Roger]

I have cut some 1" x 2" rectangular aluminum tubing on my miter saw. I used an old blade for cutting and it did make one heck of a mess and a lot of noise. I cut at 45 degree angles and made 48 brackets for some fold up tables.
I have heard that people have cut aluminum on a table saw by turning the blade around and running it backwards with good luck but, I've never tried that.
If you just need a notch and not cut completely through, I would go to the "old tried and true, hand powered, HACK SAW!

Rog

[kyleheon]

Hack saw probably wont work well. 18" long groove about a quarter inch deep (on two pieces). I wonder if a rotary tool might work. I suppose I could also use a drill press it'll just take a long time and then clean up with a file.

[rmac]

How soon do you need this?

[Dave B]

Tablesaws and routers work fine. As Rodger said above it makes a mess but works. The pictures posted above was one sheet of aluminum. I cut the pieces to size with the tablesaw, the half rounds formed with a router. The interior holes I drilled the corners and took most to the material out with a jig saw, then used the router table to clean up the edges. A ROS will clean up the sharp edges and give a nice finish to the aluminum.

[dwacker]

The thing about using woodworking tools for metal is they turn to fast so you need to slow them down. They are also vented so they dont overheat, a little sawdust doesnt hurt but conductive metal shavings can destoy your equipment real quick. Learned this the hard way when I smoked a router.

Don

[kyleheon]

rmac, on 22 February 2012 - 08:37 PM, said:

How soon do you need this?

Still evaluating my options at the moment so I don't even have the supplies.

Dave B, on 23 February 2012 - 05:00 AM, said:

Tablesaws and routers work fine. As Rodger said above it makes a mess but works. The pictures posted above was one sheet of aluminum. I cut the pieces to size with the tablesaw, the half rounds formed with a router. The interior holes I drilled the corners and took most to the material out with a jig saw, then used the router table to clean up the edges. A ROS will clean up the sharp edges and give a nice finish to the aluminum.

Forgive my ignorance, what is an ROS? Also, I'm not certain I will be going with aluminum for this, it's an option that I'm weighing (also considering cold rolled steel). I don't know much about metal, it's strengths/weaknesses across all the options.


Why type of saw blade are you using on your TS for this? Anything special I need to get for router work or do standard router bits (carbide?) work?

[Dave B]

kyleheon, on 23 February 2012 - 03:15 PM, said:

Forgive my ignorance, what is an ROS? Also, I'm not certain I will be going with aluminum for this, it's an option that I'm weighing (also considering cold rolled steel). I don't know much about metal, it's strengths/weaknesses across all the options.

Why type of saw blade are you using on your TS for this? Anything special I need to get for router work or do standard router bits (carbide?) work?

ROS = I use an old Ridgid random orbital sander, 220 grt
Use standard carbide TS blade and router bits just like you do with wood. If you use a jig saw, spray some WD-40 on the blade otherwise the blade will get hot and fill in with aluminum.

[Rapid Roger]

I'm not going to be nosey and ask what you are needing this for.
I'm not going to be nosey and ask how much strength you need. But, if you are not even sure what material you are going to use.....,
I will recommend that you explain your needs to a machine shop person in person so you can answer a few questions from him. Yes, it will cost some money but, you will probably get what you need without destroying any wood working tools.
I worked in a sheet metal/machine shop for 15 years in a previous life.

Rog