# Can you use a Miter Saw to cut aluminum?



## Wingstress

Is there any difference between a typical compound miter saw and a chop saw? I have a 10" Rigid miter saw I bought a few years ago at home depot. I would like to cut some aluminum bars using this saw. I figured I could find a 10" metal cutting blade and slap it on and start cutting.

I've seen metal cutting chop saws that look just like my saw, but I didn't know if hey don't run at different speed.
Will it burn the aluminum?

Thanks for the help!


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## BeachedBones

You can cut aluminum and even steel using a miter saw, as long as the blades you use are appropriate. Also keep in mind that It will cause more wear than normal woodworking use. If you plan on cutting a lot of metal I'd get a proper saw for it. If you just need to cut a couple pieces for a project you'll be ok. (don't forget goggles, metal shavings in your eyes aren't fun) For steel those metal cutting disks work fine, for aluminum you want something with teeth, or else it'll just clog up the disk. I normally use old just-about-junk carbide blades to cut aluminum. Clamp the material well, and go slow or the saw might grab/bend/twist the aluminum. Both saws should run less than 5000 rpm and work about the same.

If you're making a lot of cuts together or cutting thick metal, do it in steps letting the metal cool between each step.


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## tinnman65

I must agree with BeachedBones he pretty much nailed it, we use all kinds of saws at work to cut aluminum including just a plain old circular saw, but I might add the right blade is a must and a good metal cutting blade isn't cheap. If you don't have much to cut you can always use a thin abrasive wheel in a small grinder. We just call them cutoff wheels at work I don't know what name there sold under but they work great.


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## TopamaxSurvivor

Cutting Al will plug up the teeth of your blade. Clean fequently. Edit, I've never had the Al burn, but it galls easily.


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## chriswright

Cutting aluminum shouldn't be a problem. As long as the bade has carbide teeth it will cut it fine. I've used regular wood cutting blades to saw sheet aluminum on a table saw. You can buy special blades made specifically for cutting non-ferrous metals. I've never had a problem with with burning aluminum on a saw.


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## patron

when i worked in the boatyards ,
one day these guys showed up and unloaded lots of aluminum sheets 1/4 " ,
and then brought in sears woodworking tools ,
tablesaw , bandsaw , joiner ,6" belt/disk sander and various hand machines ( skillsaw etc ),
all low level craftsman tools .

and proceeded to build a 40' fishing trawler !
no special blades , just carbide , and regular band saw blades .

ungodly noise , but just cut slow and secure the work .

the joiner was what blew my mind .

they did the whole thing with woodworking tools !

then welded it together .
took about 1 month .

now i cut aluminum when ever i need it for projects without worrying ,
just go slow .


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## Wingstress

Hey thanks guys. I usually would have used my angle grinder, but I actually need these things to be square so I figured my miter saw would be best. The idea of taking a normal saw blade into aluminum is a little nerve racking, I would have never tried it on my own.


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## KevinVan

Make sure you take the dust bag off….Ask me why the plastic dust connector is melted on my saw..DoH!!
I burn't the bag and melted the plastic when I cut some rebar. I turned my back and my saw caught on Fire!
I was using one of those fiber blades.
Your probably are Ok with aluminum.


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## frostwood

Just be sure to wear your safety glasses.


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## jerryz

I build antennas for another hobby of mine (Amateur Radio) and I get the aluminum tubing in 6' length and cut it to size with my Dewalt Miter Saw.
Perfect cuts, just be easy, wear gogle or safety glasses and don't rush the job you will be rewarded with really nice looking cuts. Have fun and be safe.


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## redbajabug

I just starded working for an aluminum fab place, the guys said I was easer to train than a iron worker because i know how to use the wood tools already. We use a sliding compound, table saw, band saw and skill saws to cut all aluminum without special blades, just lots of oil and go slowly


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## mynoblebear

You might want to have a way to clamp the piece in addition to holding it because if it rotates just slightly in the middle of your cut things go bad fast and carbide starts flying. I have cut all non furious metals with a chop saw however the correct carbide blade is a must.


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## lilredweldingrod

I used to repair aluminum gas tankers. I used a band saw with bi-metal blade 10tpi. If you spray the blade with a spray bottle and dish soap and water 10/90 mix. the teeth will not fill up with aluminum. Personally I would not use my CMS or TS. Bandsaw blades are much cheaper to replace.


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## rustedknuckles

Blaine, 
I did not know that, what is it that causes the explosion? Perhaps you are inadvertantly making thermite?


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## dlmckirdy

Grinding aluminum on a carborundum wheel will cause an explosion because the aluminum actually melts due to the heat of the friction and then clogs the pores on the stone. The hot gasses have nowhere to go, so they find the path of least resistance and violently escape (explosion). Grinding wood on a carborundum wheel can cause the same thing, though it burns away at a lower temperature, so it isn't as dangerous - DON'T TRY YHIS AT HOME!

My first real job was in an aluminum/iron works. The aluminum work was done inside with woodworking tools (Unisaw, Rockwell radial arm saw, Skilsaw, Rockwell drill press). We did use a metal working lathe and flywheel punch, and, of course welding. All the iron working was done outside with shears, fibre cutoff wheels, flame cutting, etc. My first lesson was to NEVER use a fibre saw blade or stone grinding wheel on aluminum (there are specialty wheels for aluminum, but they are very expensive). Alway use carbide cutters, shears, and power sanders on aluminum. Also, never use a toothed circular (Skilsaw, table saw, miter saw, radial arm saw) saw blade on steel/iron. You can take an old (non carbide) plywood blade mounted backwards to cut sheet steel. The teeth are not actually doing the cutting, but are providing cooling.

The difference between a miter saw and a cutoff saw is that the cutoff saw is all steel/iron construction because of the heat and sparks generated when cutting steel/iron. It is nowhere near as accurate as the miter saw. The cutoff wheel is a fibre reinforced carborundum material - do not use this on your aluminum framed miter saw!


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## ibewjon

Sears sold a non ferrous metal blade for a circular saw. It came with a wax base stick to lube the blade. It was not a carbide blade. Wear hearing protection, it is loud. At work, we had the Milwaukee metal cutting battery saws. Special carbide blades, but good for aluminum and steel.


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## splintergroup

I have an older Delta 10" chop (miter) saw that I bought reconditioned for < $100. It's an ok saw, just construction grade. It came with a non-carbide fine tooth blade (like an old-school plywood blade)
I make some long tube (5 foot) wind chimes from 2.5" aluminum pipe and was in the same boat as you (wanted square edges).

Since I have a better compound miter saw for woodworking, out came the delta. It cut and still cuts, beautifully.

Personally I'd avoid carbide teeth, these can break off easily doing this kind of cutting and if they hit you, they can hurt!

A "real" blade designed for cutting metal (negative tooth rake) woudl be best, but this fine tooth steel blade, true bottom of the barrel in quality, did fine.


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## metolius

I use my miter saw for cutting alum bar stock often.

When I do, I remove my nice blade, replacing it with the factory-oem one.


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## kelvancra

I used to work at Keyport, Washington. The aluminum shop had a Unisaw dedicated to cutting up aluminum stock.

I've used my table saw, several times, to cut aluminum to length or to turn 3/8" flat stock into aluminum guides for jigs. Then I use the miter to cut the jig rails to length.

I keep some canning wax around and find wiping the cut mark, generously, with it really makes a difference, You can see the wax melt just in front of the cut and can hear an actual difference in the cut.

I got the idea from my twin cutter (uses two blades running in opposite directions). It insists you wax the blade, when cutting aluminum, or the aluminum will load in the small gap between the two blades, bog them and burn out the motor. I tried some wax for flat cuts and was impress with the notable difference in the noise and smoothness of the cut.

Even with the wax, the bullets off the blade are warm and otherwise nasty. Wear a full face shield, featherboards and hold downs.

As to cutting metal, I note the RPM's are much slower on my carbide metal cutting chop saw.


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## kelvancra

To be clear, my metal cutting, chop saw uses these carbide blades. They are specially designed for cutting metal. They run on my Evolution saw purchased for that sole purpose.

Note they have a "Maximum speed 1,600" statement. My Freud wood blade has a maximum of 7,000.


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## bigblockyeti

> To be clear, my metal cutting, chop saw uses these carbide blades. They are specially designed for cutting metal. They run on my Evolution saw purchased for that sole purpose.
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> Note they have a "Maximum speed 1,600" statement. My Freud wood blade has a maximum of 7,000.
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> - Kelly


I occasionally use one of the 15" Evolution non-ferrous blades on my 15" Hitachi saw. The blade is rated way below what the Hitachi spins but it's working just fine. FWIW, sometimes I'll drive 3-4mph over the speed limit too.


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## controlfreak

I see contractor cutting aluminum and steel studs all the time. In addition to eye protection get those ears covered too. Metal makes much more noise than wood when cut.


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## firefighterontheside

I used to cut aluminum closet door tracks all the time when I did construction. The fewer teeth your blade has the slower you need to cut, at least once I cut too fast and the blade stopped in the cut.


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## Dark_Lightning

> I see contractor cutting aluminum and steel studs all the time. In addition to eye protection get those ears covered too. Metal makes much more noise than wood when cut.
> 
> - controlfreak


Sheet metal studs are thin, so not too much of a problem.

I used my compound miter saw to cut 1-1/4" square steel tube for the structure that I used for my SawStop JSS, in order to divorce it from the cart and put it on a cabinet I'd built. I used a metal-cutting "blade"- one of those composite wheels. The plastic part at the table will never be the same, but the saw worked just fine. Wouldn't do it again, though.


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