Hello,
Since the Pass forum uses massive heatsinks and folks don’t mind miscellaneous questions, here’s mine.
I was recently given a few massive heatsinks and looking for recommendations on how to cut them (it’s DIY isn’t it 😀) since a few are too tall. They are similar to the Heatsink USA stuff but slightly more robust.
Heatsink USA :
Mine are also about 10” wide but the rest is different;
Heatsink USA plate is 0.375” (9.5mm) thick , mine are 15mm thick. Heavy like hell 😀
Heatsink USA total thickness with fins is 2.875” (73mm), mine are 83mm.
Based on hands on experience, how would you cut such an aluminum piece so it’s usable, imperfections isn’t an issue, ugly side would be at the bottom, no problem.
Picture below;
Thanks for your help 👍
P.s. I also received some more that are insanely massive but I will keep it for a future thread.
Since the Pass forum uses massive heatsinks and folks don’t mind miscellaneous questions, here’s mine.
I was recently given a few massive heatsinks and looking for recommendations on how to cut them (it’s DIY isn’t it 😀) since a few are too tall. They are similar to the Heatsink USA stuff but slightly more robust.
Heatsink USA :
Mine are also about 10” wide but the rest is different;
Heatsink USA plate is 0.375” (9.5mm) thick , mine are 15mm thick. Heavy like hell 😀
Heatsink USA total thickness with fins is 2.875” (73mm), mine are 83mm.
Based on hands on experience, how would you cut such an aluminum piece so it’s usable, imperfections isn’t an issue, ugly side would be at the bottom, no problem.
Picture below;
Thanks for your help 👍
P.s. I also received some more that are insanely massive but I will keep it for a future thread.
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If you have a bandsaw, it would make short work of it.
If you don't, then it would probably be relatively easy to cut it with a hacksaw.
If you don't, then it would probably be relatively easy to cut it with a hacksaw.
Yes, use a bandsaw blade intended for metal cutting, like carbon steel or bimetal types.
You mean something like this;
Father’s Day is this weekend so that would be a great recommendation for my wife, she usually buys me drivers…
We also have one at work but I thought it was strictly for wood.
Father’s Day is this weekend so that would be a great recommendation for my wife, she usually buys me drivers…
We also have one at work but I thought it was strictly for wood.
Bandsaw will require refinish with a belt sander or better a mill if you want to have decent and STRAIGHT finish, a hacksaw will destroy the heatsink and whoever does the sawing. The suggestion is ridiculous.
How do you want to cut it exactly? Along the fins or across the fins? I have done such cuts using a miter saw with Al blade and it came out nearly as nice as if milled BUT it's a dangerous 😱 operation and requires some equipment and setup. If you want to cut across you will need to insert wood shims in between the fins so they don't vibrate while cutting. The miter saw is the type needs to be able to run horizontally so you can take passes. Take it to a metal shop I would say.
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I have a chop saw fitted with a 10" non-ferrous blade, so that's an option. As a plus, the chop saw gives a relatively smooth cut.
It might be worth trying to find if the Burgess three wheel bandsaw is still available; it has a massive capacity for a hobby saw. I think it's also two speed, one for wood, one for metal.
There used to be a sheet saw, like a hand wood saw that takes hacksaw blades, they take some skill to use though.
There used to be a sheet saw, like a hand wood saw that takes hacksaw blades, they take some skill to use though.
The band saw will drift unless it is a high quality unit.
I did this type of aluminum cutting all day long on a table saw with a carbide blade.
In an ideal world, I’d set up a magnet coolant mister under the saw to spray a water soluble coolant/lubricant on the blade.
For one or two heatsinks you just need to take your time feeding the material slowly and keep your hands far enough away from the cut to prevent heat build up from affecting your grip…luckily, it’s a heatsink and will dissipate a lot of the heat.
Wear a snug long sleeve shirt and protective glasses to shield yourself from hot chips.
If your uncomfortable with machinery…find a metal yard and pay them to do it.
I did this type of aluminum cutting all day long on a table saw with a carbide blade.
In an ideal world, I’d set up a magnet coolant mister under the saw to spray a water soluble coolant/lubricant on the blade.
For one or two heatsinks you just need to take your time feeding the material slowly and keep your hands far enough away from the cut to prevent heat build up from affecting your grip…luckily, it’s a heatsink and will dissipate a lot of the heat.
Wear a snug long sleeve shirt and protective glasses to shield yourself from hot chips.
If your uncomfortable with machinery…find a metal yard and pay them to do it.
The OP has clearly stated that surface imperfections do not matter.
Are we talking about the same kind of hacksaw? I have cut heatsinks in the past with this:
Yes, it took some elbow grease, and the cut edge required sanding afterwards, but I wouldn't call the end result terrible. Just make sure that you have a relatively coarse multi-material blade, otherwise it gets clogged all the time.
I have used a chop saw with a TCT blade to cut a large heatsink in half. Since my saw does not slide, I had to do two cuts, one from each side, carefully aligning them. The little step that remained was sanded down with random orbital sander.
Table saws and rail saws will also work. The blade is faster than it should be for metal cutting but it is not a problem with aluminium as long as the blade is up to the job. I even routed into aluminium without an issue, but these were small short trims.
The finish won’t be perfect and reinstating a factory perfect look will be difficult to be achieve with diy tools, and then it needs reanodising.
Table saws and rail saws will also work. The blade is faster than it should be for metal cutting but it is not a problem with aluminium as long as the blade is up to the job. I even routed into aluminium without an issue, but these were small short trims.
The finish won’t be perfect and reinstating a factory perfect look will be difficult to be achieve with diy tools, and then it needs reanodising.
My chop saw slides... I also have a bigger saw with a 12" blade that also slides. I have the option of fitting the larger saw with a metal cutting blade
( a Harbor Freight Special...).
( a Harbor Freight Special...).
10" or 12" chop saw for me....
I have a project I'm not looking forward to that involves putting together a mount for a 2U rack mount case. I think that one will involve some 1/8" plywood so that the rack mount case can slide more or less smoothly. What we had in our master studio before left the rack mount case just hanging by the ears, so you had to sprout an extra pair of limbs to extract it. I plan to at least have the 2U case supported so I can detach it and slide it out gracefully. The project is a triple RIAA preamp to support 3 turntables. I cloned a facsimile of a Henry TT control module so that at least the 2 Technics 1200s we have can start and stop properly. The 3rd turntable in the mix (a Stanton) is more problematic in that respect, though it has nifty features like +/- 50% speed control and reverse operation. Unfortunately, it's not amenable to control using the Henry module, so it will stop in the middle of things if you press the "off" button on the console. We treat that particular TT with kid gloves, knowing its quirkiness.
I have a project I'm not looking forward to that involves putting together a mount for a 2U rack mount case. I think that one will involve some 1/8" plywood so that the rack mount case can slide more or less smoothly. What we had in our master studio before left the rack mount case just hanging by the ears, so you had to sprout an extra pair of limbs to extract it. I plan to at least have the 2U case supported so I can detach it and slide it out gracefully. The project is a triple RIAA preamp to support 3 turntables. I cloned a facsimile of a Henry TT control module so that at least the 2 Technics 1200s we have can start and stop properly. The 3rd turntable in the mix (a Stanton) is more problematic in that respect, though it has nifty features like +/- 50% speed control and reverse operation. Unfortunately, it's not amenable to control using the Henry module, so it will stop in the middle of things if you press the "off" button on the console. We treat that particular TT with kid gloves, knowing its quirkiness.
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Maybe not dangerous if you have experience and tools which I am sure you do, but for the beginner? I can see a lot of danger.