I often cut thick ally this way , I just use the coarsest metal cutting blade I can find , and plenty of lubricant to stop the blade from clogging .
And a bit of patience .
whats the best way? its 20mm thick alu plate. curring discs in a grinder are a noooooooo
hacksaw is do-able, but would take forever and would probably kill me lol seriuosly, its do-able, but would prefer to get it done quickly
metal blade in a jig saw? metal seems too thick for that somehow?
what do people do?
i've never really worked with aluminium before, so never really thought about it...
I cut my adapter plate from 20mm ally with a jigsaw - but it is an `industrial grade` jigsaw , not your run of the mill DIY model
I often cut thick ally this way , I just use the coarsest metal cutting blade I can find , and plenty of lubricant to stop the blade from clogging
.
And a bit of patience .
Waterjet 
its the future
ETDWM
www.waterjetscotland.co.uk
cheers
Andy
Forgot to mention that i can cut anything up to 150mm thick
so 20mm is no probs
Depends how difficult your shape is...
I would use a hacksaw to cut out as much material as possible and then simply file the rest of the way up to your line....
I might try my jigsaw, but dont think it would quite cope with that much ali....
quote:
Originally posted by andyw7de
Waterjet
its the future
ETDWM
www.waterjetscotland.co.uk
cheers
Andy
the peice itself is only pretty small... 150mm x 100mm. its a blanking plate for the end of my cylinder head. see, i haven't actually got a jigsaw, never had a need for one yet, probably never will after, so would buy a really really cheap one as a 'disposable' tool i'll get a photo up of what i'm trying to copy in a sec
quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
quote:
Originally posted by andyw7de
Waterjet
its the future
ETDWM
www.waterjetscotland.co.uk
cheers
Andy
I do have another plate to cut soon - but I think the postage to and from Scotland would make it un-economic
still about £10 in petrol though
[unfortunately andy, i'm thinking the same, even though i'm only just down the road still about £10 in petrol though
thanks anyways! i'll bear you in mind if i got anything else i even need doing
i haven't got my peice of aluminium yet just ordered it tonight...
here's what i'm trying to do though. nothing too difficult
Description
ps and i HAVE resized this, but when i upload it it keeps uploading huge...
[Edited on 19/8/08 by blakep82]
quote:
Originally posted by andyw7de
Forgot to mention that i can cut anything up to 150mm thick
so 20mm is no probs
20mm thick for for a blanking plate? Seems awfully thick why so thick?
Water/laser cutting will make a much blingier (is that a word?) job if it's visible.
quote:
Originally posted by iank
20mm thick for for a blanking plate? Seems awfully thick why so thick?
yeah, 20mm is quite thick, but its on the side of the cylinder head so don't want it warping with heat, and also needs to be drilled and tapped
for a water temp sensor.
the original bit i took off, the mating face to the engine was 18mm thick, the nearest thickness i found without going smaller was 19mm. if that makes
sense
Cheapo jigsaw is about a tenner. Metal blade about £5.
you could do it using a hacksaw but it'd be a PITA and take forever.
I'd go laser or water jet or use a jigsaw. Go slowly and make sure you clean up the ali dust afterwards (otherwise if you've got iron
fillings that have oxidised and aliminium powder you can get a thermite type reaction next time you do some angry grinding!!!)...
What exactly are you trying to blank that needs 20mm Thick????? A pic might enable us to suggest a differrent method/material.
laser cut , or water cut, not cheap but is the best option
saludos!!
quote:
Originally posted by omega 24 v6
What exactly are you trying to blank that needs 20mm Thick????? A pic might enable us to suggest a differrent method/material.
When I made my inlet manifold (12mm ally plate) I used a woodworking coping saw and plenty of cutting lube , only took about an hour . If I were doing it again I would probably get it done by waterjet.
here's the bit i'm removing and blanking
Description
you can see its 19mm thick at the narrowest part. i thought best to stick with that. i'm sure i could get it machined down if i REALLY had to,
but at least it won't warp
and where its going
Description
the hole in the middle is where the water temp sensor goes.
got a jigsaw from B&Q for less than a tenner! 
i never thought it possible.
let the cutting begin lol
well, tomorrow maybe