# Cutting diamond plate aluminum with a circular saw



## mmf (Dec 19, 2010)

Bought some 1/8" diamond plate for my floor and decks and am considering cutting with a powersaw but it seems dangerous. Anyone been doing this and would you use carbide tipped blades or regular fine tooth steel?


----------



## Pruitt1222 (Dec 19, 2010)

I have cut thin and thick aluminum with a circular saw when I still worked in a fab shop. We used a fine tooth carbide saw blade for cutting the thicker stuff and amazingly for the thinner stuff we used a regular carbide tooth wood blade flipped so it ran backwards. As for thinner stuff the wood blade flipped backwards works beyond belief, I dont have much time under my belt cutting the thicker stuff with a circular saw though but it was doable. If I recall right the thickest I have ever cut with a revesed wood blade is 20 gauge, wasn't fast but it did the job better then a blade made to cut it.


----------



## bassboy1 (Dec 20, 2010)

I have never liked the idea of turning the blade backwards, for the reason that I'm worried it might knock a carbide tooth off. However, I cut .063 - .125 aluminum sheet with a circular saw (blade turned the right way) at least weekly. Works like a charm. Clamp down a guide, and you are good to go. Just wear hearing protection and eye protection, and work with common sense.

A simple guide like this is worth it's weight in gold for me. Clamp it to the piece you are keeping, and line the edge up with the cut line. That way, if you do pull away from the fence, it won't be into the keeper piece, and you never have to account for the kerf, as it will always be on the discard piece. The same results can be achieved by clamping a straight edge down, and just running the saw up against it, but on aluminum, one shaving between the saw plate and the sheet you are cutting will cause the saw to really stick, and leave a nice deep scratch in a brand new sheet of aluminum I just paid 275 bucks for. Also, this takes some of the brain work out, leaving less room for an OH $(#) moment.


----------



## Ranchero50 (Dec 20, 2010)

I use a $7 regular saw blade in my Skill wormgear saw.

And a can of WD40 is your friend for cutting as is a can of non chlorine brake cleaner and a good stainless wire brush before welding.

For thicker sheets I use a 12" 14-18 tooth sawzall blade layed flat so several teeth are in the cut at a time. It works great, cuts fast and makes less noise vs. the circular saw.

Jamie


----------



## mmf (Dec 20, 2010)

bassboy1 said:


> I have never liked the idea of turning the blade backwards, for the reason that I'm worried it might knock a carbide tooth off. However, I cut .063 - .125 aluminum sheet with a circular saw (blade turned the right way) at least weekly. Works like a charm. Clamp down a guide, and you are good to go. Just wear hearing protection and eye protection, and work with common sense.
> 
> A simple guide like this is worth it's weight in gold for me. Clamp it to the piece you are keeping, and line the edge up with the cut line. That way, if you do pull away from the fence, it won't be into the keeper piece, and you never have to account for the kerf, as it will always be on the discard piece. The same results can be achieved by clamping a straight edge down, and just running the saw up against it, but on aluminum, one shaving between the saw plate and the sheet you are cutting will cause the saw to really stick, and leave a nice deep scratch in a brand new sheet of aluminum I just paid 275 bucks for. Also, this takes some of the brain work out, leaving less room for an OH $(#) moment.



Hey Bassboy1, you have my confidence up and maybe I will give it a try, I like the idea of clamping down a guide too, way better than trying to follow a drawn line and taking a chance of chips entering your eyes! By the way, do you use any lube and do you use carbide tipped blade? Thanks to everyone too for the replies!


----------



## bassboy1 (Dec 20, 2010)

Nope on the lube. A cleanly cut edge is about the nicest thing to weld, lube would require me to clean further, which is no fun. Plus, aluminum chips stick to it like crazy. On a side note, I will NEVER use brake cleaner before welding. The phosgene, combining with Argon (think shielding gas in a MIG or TIG), coupled with heat (welding) will kill you, in as little as 4 PPM. See link at the bottom, and be sure to read the link within the link.

Yes on the carbide blade. I've been using the blade shown in the saw for awhile, and it does fine, although a higher tooth count blade works much better (believe that one is a 35 tooth blade - I'll be running an 80 tooth Diablo after this weekend). 
I've been using an 80 tooth Avanti on the 12" chop saw, for extrusions, and really like it. I got a pair of those blades for a smoking price, too. 

https://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=32501


----------



## mmf (Dec 21, 2010)

Bassboy1, thanks for the warning! who would have thought! That guy had a terrible experience. I will NOT be welding this stuff anywhere, but good to know and I will have a heads up alert for the ingredients this stuff has in other cleaners too!


----------



## TNtroller (Dec 21, 2010)

there is a pretty good how to on making one of the saw guides at www.familyhandyman.com if interested


----------



## Hanr3 (Dec 27, 2010)

We use a carbide plywood blade to cut aluminum up to 3.5" thick, deepest eh saw will cut. 
Granted it takes longer the thicker the material is. Aluminum is really soft in comparision to some hardwoods like Oak.


----------

