Table saw blade question

[Jean]

I went to Sears/ Lowes/ Home Depot and Ace Hardware to find a blade that would cut aluminum, no luck.

Anybody purchased one from the above stores that works ?

Thanks.

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

A carbide tipped wood cutting blade will do alum. Get one with 80 teeth.

[BrianGT]

Here is a listing of Freud non-ferrous 10" blades:

LU89 - 72 teeth, thick kerf:
I have this one and it works great for cutting all kinds of aluminum stock. I have cut up to 1" thick plate with this blade and 2" square stock.
LU90 - 100 teeth, thick kerf:
I haven't used this blade, but it is supposed to be optimized for thin stock, getting smoother cut, but not recommended for thick stock (1/4" or less)
TK706 - 80 teeth, thin kerf:
Freud's newest non-ferrous blade, thinner blade (main advantage = less mass requiring less power to run and less metal scrap created). I haven't heard much about this blade. The amazon review says that it works great, even on 1/4" stock. This is the cheapest of the blades. Here is the info from the Freud site:
http://www.freudtools.com/whats_new/rls11.html

I have used my LU89 blade for over a year now, and it works great.

(I know I just discussed this with you on AIM, but posting this for others)

I would really recommend a non-ferrous blade, as you will get much better cuts. I tried my 60 tooth carbide blade, and it wasn't nearly as good. I used the LU89 blade to cut several chassis. This is my favorite:
http://www.briangt.com/gallery/leachamp-5channel

--
Brian

[Jason_N]

So I've got one of the Freud non-ferrous blades. My only complaint is that aluminum builds up on the teeth while cutting. Is there any way to keep this from happeining?

Thanks,
Jason

[BrianGT]

Originally posted by Jason_N
So I've got one of the Freud non-ferrous blades. My only complaint is that aluminum builds up on the teeth while cutting. Is there any way to keep this from happeining?

Thanks,
Jason

You could try spraying the blade with WD40 every few cuts. Freud recommends this. I don't have any problems with buildup on my blade.

--
Brian

[Peter Daniel]

Originally posted by Jason_N
So I've got one of the Freud non-ferrous blades. My only complaint is that aluminum builds up on the teeth while cutting. Is there any way to keep this from happeining?

The alloy you are using is probably too soft and not suitable for machining. Use different aluminum.

You might also try putting some wax on a blade.

[mwmkravchenko]

A blade designed to cut non-ferous metals has a much fifferent rake angle than one designed for wood. Less of a hook is the easiest way to describe it. It's made that way to limit the rate at which it self feeds in the piece being machined. cutting aluminum is risky because of the one time you may not have it held firmly it will be thrown. Use a hold down or a finger board to control downward pressure. Allways cross cut with a mitre guide and never cut a piece where it could bind against the table saw fence. Wax that has been rubbed onto the blade will help keep it clean. Obviously do this when the blade is not running on the saw!!

MArk

[shusha]

I wonder why Peter didn't mentioned duralumin, if I spelled it correctly?

[Jean]

I found Freud TK 706 blade at a local machine shop(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...arden&n=507846) and cuts through aluminum like butter