Aluminum cutting- wet or dry?

markba633csi

Mark Silva
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
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Do you all use cutting fluid when you cut thick chunks of aluminum on your 4x6? I imagine the blade life is longer wet? Messier to clean up though
Mark
 
I have used cutting oil, which really needs blade wipers to keep the chips out of the guide bearings and the wheels. I also have used some left over cross country ski wax, those _wood_ x/c skis with cable bindings have not seen use in decades, nor the bamboo poles and the leather boots. The ski wax is soft and works well, and I have at least half a dozen tubes of different ones with varying hardness for different snow conditions, will probably last me a life time on my saw. Klister waxes might turn out to be a mess, about like very thick honey at room temperature
 
+1 On the wax stick, I use it on the band, table and chop saws.
 
This is what I use, should last forever, easy to clean up too.

IMG_0043.JPG
 
I bought a 4 inch carbide saw blade at Menard's and it works great as a slitting saw or for 3/4 inch or less material on aluminum.
I have been sawing with it dry. Blade thickness is about .050 I think. Price about $9. I have been
using 100 rpm or so and it seems to do fine with a slow feed rate. I havn't tried it on mild steel yet and probably won't.
 
Toz: On that Walter product is that Alucut or Coolcut?
Mark
ps I hear some people like to use bar soap
 
Amen on the Wax stick. I use it on the band saw, hole saws, and pretty much anything with saw teeth., including hack saws.
I like DoAll, Castrol and Walter Tech. wax sticks.
 
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