Steel Guitar Builder

Hi guys
I used to mount a jigsaw upsidedown under a table and cut scroll shapes in 3/4 plywood
etc. It works quite well as the blade is cutting on the way down and you have good
control of the work pc. I was wondering if anyone has tried this to cut aluminum!
Thanks
Wayne

Best way to cut aluminum is with a band saw with a good blade however what you might do is just get a good blade and try what your talking about , gotta remember also aluminum will heat up real quickly so watch that heat on your fingers , you ll probly be ok cutting thin aluminum but i kinda dought it ll work very well on thicker stuff, maybe a jig saw with variable speed might be helpful also , try cutting at different speeds , make sure you wear safety glass s also . Russ

azureskys wrote:Best way to cut aluminum is with a band saw with a good blade however what you might do is just get a good blade and try what your talking about , gotta remember also aluminum will heat up real quickly so watch that heat on your fingers , you ll probly be ok cutting thin aluminum but i kinda dought it ll work very well on thicker stuff, maybe a jig saw with variable speed might be helpful also , try cutting at different speeds , make sure you wear safety glass s also . Russ

Russ
I think your probably right about heat when cutting thick aluminum, however I may give it
a try. Ill let you know how it works out!
Thanks
Wayne

Russ... that works to a degree. I sometimes have to use a jigsaw if I want to do an inside cut in a piece of aluminum. It's a nasty way to cut aluminum though....and I know 'cause I cut all the pieces for a D10 in 1962 with just a cheap scrollsaw. Use a woodcutting blade with not too many teeth but also not a blade with huge teeth. Use oil (regular 10-30 oil) squirting it on with a dropper made from a printer cartridge refill syringe. Heat is a problem too when cutting anything 1/4" or thicker. Make SURE you wear goggles. A bandsaw is so much better though, and you can get one for less than $75.00 if you shop around. Mine cost only $65.00 from Canadian Tire and I've cut all the parts for 20 steels with it. You just need a small bandsaw, actually the smaller the better and use a 3/8" blade with 6 teeth per inch (TPI).
Mac

Mac, I agree with you here. A jigsaw is a thankless piece of equipment when it comes to cutting aluminum.
Wayne, I would highly recommend that you spend your money and go to Canadian Tire and invest in a reasonably priced band saw.
In addition to the blade that Mac mentioned, I would recommend you get a 3/16" 14 tpi blade. It is great for tight curves as long as you don't force it.
Even with the big mill here, I find my old Busy Bee band saw invaluable - imagine all the rough cuts I can make in a key head or an end plate before clamping it in the mill and saving literally hours of milling time.

Yeah.... a narrow blade is good too to have. Bent, does it bother you that with the mill you're making a keyhead....and you sure waste a lot of expensive aluminum being reduced to chips? What would you start with as far as the piece of metal if you're going to mill a keyhead ?
Mac

Mac, Indeed, yes, it bothers me. To make a keyhead, I start out with a 5X8X 3/4" slab of aluminum, so you can visualize the waste. That's why I got to thinking I should do something about the waste and attempt to start a home foundry in the spring...a very viable alternative to throwing chips, shavings and un-usable pieces in the garbage.

Imagine the waste when making an end plate out of a 2X4!
I have accumulated a shopping bag full of clean shavings so far(it weighs about as much ans an end plate!) and a nice pile of pieces on the floor.
We'll talk more on this in the spring!

Yes....we'll have to talk more about this back yard foundry thing in the spring. I'm hoping to try something. There's lots of info on the Net about how to go about it. It still baffles me that you can actually melt aluminum with propane heat but I guess you can. I've also got a big pile of scrap pieces I've accumulated over the years.
Cheers,
Mac

Yes, it looks like all you need is one propane burner out of a 20 lb tank. I believe the way you make the furnace is what insulates the aluminum and that's why it is able to build up enough heat. Gotta get some of that heat compatible cement and build one. that guy on youtube, Myfordboy, makes it look so easy.