How to grind or otherwise shorten aluminium t-sections

Fastjim · Sep 27, 2018

There must be a simple answer to this:

I have 50 aluminium t-sections (1/8" thickness, 1-1/2" wide, 1-1/2"high) which are around two to three tenths too long for purpose. Obviously I could hand file the end of each one, but that's a lot of filing. Its too small an amount to hacksaw off. What power tool can do the job for me?

I have an angle grinder, drills, delta sander, orbital sander, jigsaws, Dremel.

I read that grinding was unsuitable for this material, is that right?

I'd appreciate your help

kenton · Sep 27, 2018

Are we talking 2 to 3 tenths of a thousandth (.0003in.), 2 to 3 tenths of an inch (.03in.), 2 to 3 tenths of a millimeter (.03mm) or 2 to 3 tenths of a centimeter (.3mm)?

Fastjim · Sep 27, 2018

Sorry, I should have been clear. We are talking about between 0.2 and 0.3 inches I have to remove, to fit these t-sections into drawers as dividers.

boslab · Sep 27, 2018

Or da da dah, 3/10” (I like 1/10s rules, easy to split up by eye)
Chop saw will do it if the got a stop, I doubt that it’s 3 tenthousnds out! Bloody stuff expands more when you pick it up, extrusions are rarely plus minus . Not much, very difficult to measure accurately even in a well tooled shop, who has length measuring kit over 4’ (i once had to use the DRO on a 20’ lathe to measure some bar stock accurately, at least I hoped it was.
Mark
Did not see the last post it disappeared along with my plus and minus, now it’s back and I can’t get it to work, bloody eye pod is possessed

CalG · Sep 27, 2018

Radial arm saw, chop saw, or table saw with sled.

Mtndew · Sep 27, 2018

Fastjim said:
I have an angle grinder, drills, delta sander, orbital sander, jigsaws, Dremel.

I read that grinding was unsuitable for this material, is that right?

I'd appreciate your help

Correct, you wouldn't want to grind that. Always avoid grinding aluminum if you can.
As for the tools that you list, none of them will do the job, the only one that comes close is the jigsaw,but that would be my last choice and only if my life depended on it.
You want a table saw, chop saw, band saw or a radial arm saw. Something that can cut that stock off cleanly.
Ideally, a bridgeport or a cnc mill would be my first choice. I'm sure a local shop can quote you something relatively cheap as it doesn't appear to be anything difficult for a shop to do.

DDoug · Sep 27, 2018

With those machinery limitations, might want to ask over at:
hobby-machinist.com

Ries · Sep 27, 2018

Personally, when I have to stuff like this, I use a 6x48 belt / 12" disc sander, running about 50 grit Klingspor alumina zirconia abrasives. It eats this kind of thing for breakfast. 10 or 20 seconds per piece. I will scribe a line with a carbide scribe and sand to that, if it has to be really precise.
I usually will use the disc, but the belt will work just fine too.

guest · Sep 27, 2018

^^^ That's exactly what I had in mind. Or mill it.

On the sander, I will C-clamp a hunk of flat bar to the table to act as a stop, then clamp a piece of material to the workpiece that is cut to the length I need. Then I just sand until they meet. Helps on repetitive parts.

Problem with sawing that part is controlling the thin slice that comes off the end. Don't want it to jam up into the guides or wedge itself between the blade and the guard.

Lewie · Sep 28, 2018

I'm with the sander crowd. A belt sander either a 2" or a 6" belt sander is one of the most useful devices in a shop. Get one for this job and you'll be forever thankful. :-)
lewie

crazygoat · Sep 28, 2018

1/4"? Go buy a $10 hacksaw.

Larry Dickman · Sep 28, 2018

This guy makes working to "Tenths" look easy.

If you lack the equipment to do it right, just take them to a sawhouse and let them recut them.

lanb · Sep 28, 2018

Don't know your required precision on the cut. However I would find a friend or neighbor with a suitable saw. I would use my compound sliding miter wood saw with a carbide blade. With a stop this would go real fast and be pretty square on the ends. As previously stated a Miter saw, radial arm saw or table saw with sled will all cut this tubing like butter. May make a racket but you will get a nice finished end.

Upnorth4 · Sep 28, 2018

Plus one on the miter, radial arm or table saw. First two would be good because the stock can stay stationary, take the time to use clamps. A friend of mine cuts c clamps in half and welds them to miter and chop saws.... he has an AC tig setup :drool5:

Question about blade choice, I'm thinking that a fine tooth pitch (higher tooth per inch) would be best for aluminum....

I have a Rage3 Evolution cold saw, for home use its been great.

Of course by far the best would be a horizontal bandsaw, but these are not common in home shops. Im guessing if you had access to one you would not have posted.......

Upnorth4 · Sep 28, 2018

A powered hacksaw would be slower than most of the other suggestions, but check out this video.
cutting a perfectly flat .015" slice of a piece of round bar isn't easy, even on a good band saw.

I bought his plans.....

Powered Hacksaw From Myfordboy Plans - YouTube

EPAIII · Sep 30, 2018

Fifty of them. I would get to the local Lowes, Home Depot, HF, or Ace and get a belt/disk combination sander and some 50 grit belts and disks. Or is that what you meant by a "delta sander"?

Fastjim said:
There must be a simple answer to this:

I have 50 aluminium t-sections (1/8" thickness, 1-1/2" wide, 1-1/2"high) which are around two to three tenths too long for purpose. Obviously I could hand file the end of each one, but that's a lot of filing. Its too small an amount to hacksaw off. What power tool can do the job for me?

I have an angle grinder, drills, delta sander, orbital sander, jigsaws, Dremel.

I read that grinding was unsuitable for this material, is that right?

I'd appreciate your help

PlasmaOnTheBrain · Sep 30, 2018

All I can add is that if you were to grind it, look into getting a cutting wax of some stature. It keeps the disk/belt from loading up and will make the process so much faster. If your careful it doesn't even make that much of a mess...
15 oz Stick STICK-KUT Lubricating Wax
| Fastenal
First Google search that came up with what I was thinking about. Even a candle will produce acceptable results. Use scented candles if you want to make the workshop smell better...

jmaddock · Oct 4, 2018

Use a carbide tooth metal cutting blade on a table saw with a stop and clamp on the miter gage. you can shave hairs off.

Tony Quiring · Oct 4, 2018

The shape makes for tricky holding.

Simple to make a sled out of dimensional lumber and have one member long enough to make a stop to hold for length.

Any type of stationary saw will do as long as the sled works in the saw.

Cutoff saw or radial arm saw with controlled cut style blade will do these in short order.

If ends need to be made square then set stop for just a bit long and do all then set to final length and do opposite end

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

michiganbuck · Oct 5, 2018

Guess with only that equipment you could fudge up a chop saw with 2x4 wood pieces with using the angle grinder along with a fine tooth saw blade that fits the angle grinder arbor. It would be a hand swing device clamped to a table with a guide rail to keep parts straight. Use a nylon hand-cut washer (milk bottlematerial perhaps)between movements to aid friction free.

How to grind or otherwise shorten aluminium t-sections

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