2" shaft mounting Pt.54 : Sawing aluminium Pt.2.

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I bought a dirt cheap, 100T Pro Builder, specialist aluminium cutting blade for my new mitre saw to cut out the heavy sections for my PA support fork. 10mm x 200mm [13/16" x 8"] is hefty stuff to attack by any other means. The 12" ProBuilder blade was less than 1/5 of the local retail price of a 96" tooth 305mm [12"] by Dewalt. Even if it doesn't last very long I can buy another four for what a single DewWalt blade would cost. The 30mm bore blade matches the DWS780 with a set of "washers" provided to match other, smaller shaft sizes.


Cutting 20mm x 21cm 20° miters in aluminium are hardly the ideal subject to find my way around my new mitre saw but it went well enough. I remembered to allow the blade to work at its own pace and to come to a standstill before lifting the saw. It wasn't even noisy enough for my wife to hear it from indoors. Nor did I feel the need for ear defenders.

This staged image was not exactly how I cut the aluminium because the scrap metal had some cosmetic marks in the middle which I wanted to avoid. The fork blades came from each end of the length. With the rougher middle section saved for the narrower, fork base plate. I hesitate to think what the 17kg [30lb] lump would have cost from a metal stockist with international delivery extra.  I paid more for a few pieces of 5mm alloy from a local engineering business.

The results of my first trial cuts with my new saw. Two sturdy fork blades in 20mm x 200mm [13/16" x 8"] aluminium. The fresh cuts sit nicely flat on the remaining plate without further finishing work required. So accurately predictable is the saw cut that I gave up using a magic marker and used an awl to scribe a much finer line for me to work to.

I used a mixture of kerosene [paraffin] and bicycle oil as a cutting lubricant. Probably not ideal but I had none of the recommended beeswax paste for sawing aluminium. While not exactly mirror polished all over the cuts were flat and perfectly acceptable. The DWS780 offers variable speeds with 1900 rpm being slow enough for non-ferrous metal cutting. My old, supermarket bought circular saw runs at 4500rpm.

The supplied 60T DeWalt 'Extreme' wood saw blade will be useful for cutting the timbers for my planned observing platform.

Warning to those considering purchase of DeWalt's saw/tool benches. The DeWalt saw benches material support arrangements are, quite simply, absolute crap. There is no other fair way to describe them.

The rest/stop design uses nested, steel channel section which don't even remotely fit each other. No human level of plastic knob tightening can possibly make the arrangement firm enough to use them seriously.

When the "arms" are extended they flop up and down uselessly. Denying the material any worthwhile support. A miter saw relies heavily on the material being cut lies absolutely flat! How else can you cut an accurate miter? Trying to use these "bench stops" with any hope of accuracy, for repeated length cuts, would be an act of sheer lunacy or deliberate foolhardiness! They are worthless in that role.

DeWalt "design engineers" [and I use the term extremely loosely] have obviously never [ever] used the DeWalt saw bench in their entire [accumulated] lives. Those responsible for these mechanical atrocities should hang their heads in utter shame. And, would resign en-mass if they had any conscience at all. They are, without the slightest doubt, working well above their pay grade. Such complete and utter incompetence surely deserves an investigation into fitness for purpose under British consumer law?

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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