Decent blade for cutting aluminum frame stock?

[Colin Graham]

Any suggestions for good non-ferrous blade for clean cuts in aluminum extrusions? I was looking at the Tenryu Industrial Series (http://justsawblades.com/ten/alum.html) with the special grind for thin stock, but it would be nice to hear some options/ other ideas before plunking down that sort of money for a 12" miter saw blade. Thanks.

[Andrew Tymon]

Colin, I found this though I don't know if it's decent http://www.toolstoday.com/p-5332-aluminum-non-ferrous-cutting-ti-cut-saw-blades.aspx

I thought about the Freud Diablo blades, but they are the same price as the one you linked to.

[Colin Graham]

Thanks Andrew. I don't mind spending a lot on a blade if the cuts they make are high quality. How are the Freud non ferrous blades?

[Richard Wasserman]

When I had my shop I used Forrest saw blades almost exclusively. I found them to be superior to other brands. I used one of their blades on aluminum, but can't remember which one it was. I also recommend their blade dampeners. You could ask them to suggest a blade, they are very helpful.

http://www.forrestblades.com/online_catalog.htm

[Alan Curtis]

Take a look at Forrest saw blades, http://www.forrestblades.com/. I use them for high end woodworking and they are excellent. They make a miter saw blade for aluminum.
The various woodworking magazines usually rate them as the best.

[John Jarosz]

A 12 inch blade will flex while it's cutting. Don't know about your miter saw but while a 10 will flex as well, it will flex less. If you have the room I'd also consider a saw blade stiffener (http://is.gd/l8VOO8) - scroll down. You don't want any jagged edges on the corners. I never use my table saw without one.

[Colin Graham]

Thanks for the Forrest suggestion, I'd forgotten about them.

John, that's a good point about the blade flexing. I might end up getting a 10" blade for my table saw and make some sort of clamping miter sled instead of using a chop saw.

Thanks for the replies.

[Drew Wiley]

Most alum frame extrusion are quite thin. To do a good job you need a specialized
blade made for this purpose. In a 10" this would amount to about an 80T triple-grind
tooth pattern with a 0-degree rake angle. Ordinary nonferrous blades made by Freud
or Forrest or Tenyru might be marginally OK for infrequent use, but are not the real
deal for thin extrusions. But even more important is to clamp both sides of the aluminum very securely and use the right kind of cutting fluid. Any vibration during the cutting process will not only result in a poor cut, but be potentially hazardous.
Framing suppliers often carry appropriate mitre saw blades. These are expensive
compared to ordinary carpentry blades. I personally use an industrial ATX blade made by Nordic which cost more than the mitre saw, but it has lasted for decades with only one resharpening. The wrong kind of tooth pattern and the thin aluminum
can catch and potentially bend. Safety first. Another problem is that many sliding
compound mitre saws aren't rigid enough for this kind of work. You should have some way of locking them into an elementary chop only mode.

[Colin Graham]

All very good points Drew. The Tenryu blade I referenced in my initial post was specifically designed to cut thin wall extrusions such as picture frame stock, so it still looks worth checking out unless someone has tried it with marginal results.

[vinny]

Since you're likely not cutting stock more than an inch wide, why not get the smallest blade made for the purpose? Like 7 1/4". Less flex and should be much cheaper.

[Drew Wiley]

Colin - I'd agree. If you want to try out a relatively inexpensive blade, the Tenyru would be my pick. The difference between this and a true industrial blade will mainly be the quality of the carbide and blade longevity.