Cutting Raupanel

Jeff Perry_3

Anyone heard of using a standard circular saw blade and turning it around backwards to cut Raupanel? I have used abrasive blades but want to use something else for a job I have coming up. Finding a carbide combination wood/aluminum blade is difficult without ordering something special.

Thanks

Jeff

icesailor

Cutting Raupanel:

Jeff, I don't know what Raupanel is or what it is made of but I wouldn't advise putting a blade in backwards because you will get something worse than kickback.

If you use a multitooth carbide tipped blade, it should cut OK of it isn't steel. It would cut this too but the sparks will fly.

If you are trying to cut panels, there are many special types of blades for different applications. A number of years ago, I saw a deal in Woodworkers Warehouse of these cheap ($20.00) Chinese Mikita knock-off rotary hand grinder. They came with a couple of grinding wheels and a carbide tile blade. The blade was worth more than the tool. I bought (from need) a couple of thin metal cutting blades to try to cut a hole in a piece of cast iron soil pipe sewer that was plugged. I have cut more holes with that one blade and am still using it years later. The spare I bought is still a spare.

Don't EVER put a blade in backwards. Some terrible things could possibly happen. Possible. But, You never know.

Gordy

Carbide blade

24 tooth per inch will suffice, and should be available. You will need a deburring tool.



Gordy

Jack

I've used...

chop saws, sawz-alls, bandsaws and sabre (jig) saws to cut aluminum plate. My plasma cutter  doesn't have the oomph to do heavier stuff. A dedicated multi metal blade in the chop saw is best, but costly. With any of the hand held saws a fence is a good thing. It will help greatly in getting a straight clean cut. When nothing else is available, I'll turn the hack saw blade so the teeth are pointing back towards me and wear it out. The previous comment about deburring is of course spot on!

icesailor

Cutting Raupanel:

Jeff,

I just looked up what Raupanel is.

Plywood panels with aluminum transfer plates? If so, I personally would feel quite comfortable cutting it with a good hand circular saw ("Skil Saw"). I would use the finest, most teeth carbide blade I could get and it can be an El Cheapo. I don't know the width of the panels but there are ways to make a "jig" that will make it easier to cut. If it is not all that wide, like 12" to 16", you can buy a "saw protractor" that has a long blade. The blade is adjustable and has marks on it to set angles. It is just an adjustable framing speed square. You can also get very long plastic speed squares. Like maybe with a 24" blade. You just set the square on the mark and cut away, using the protractor as a guide. Like the wood butchers do.

If the pieces are very wide, I use a third world table saw/cut off saw, that consists of a piece of 1/4" or 3/8" plywood with a fence consisting of a piece of wood, screwed on to the plywood, leaving enough to the right so that after you have screwed the fence on, you saw it off with the saw you will always be using. This fence or I have heard them referred to as "Shooter Boards", is used to run the saw against. It will give you a perfect cut every time. If you need to take a scoch off because it is too long or you need to adjust for an angle, it cuts easily with no pain. I've used these boards for years. The boards are never more than 14" wide and as long as you want to make them. I have a 54" one  and a 96" one. You can also buy a Festool set up for a lot of $$$. My El Cheapo works just as well and can be made out of scrap lumber. For my serious ones, I use a piece of aluminum stock for the fence.

Try that. It will work. And when you support the work with boards under, you will never get a break off at the end. And you don't need a chalk box to make a line nor do you need to follow a line.

Jeff Perry_3

Cuting raupanel

I went to some woodworkers sites and looked at forums and several mention flipping blades to cut vinyl siding to prevent it from chipping. They also mention doing the same thing for aluminum but didn't say what kind or how heavy.

Raupanel is all extruded aluminum. No wood involved. To the last poster, you must be thinking of the Wirsbo or Stadler products. They are plywood with a gooove. In the past I have been using a 12" abrasive wheel but it is slow and has a tendancy to get out of round and wobble as it wears. That's not even mentioning the noise cutting this stuff !! A non-ferrous 12" blade costs $65 or more and I wasn't sure how it worked. It's what Rehau offers but have never priced theirs.

We heard through the grapevine that flipping a wood blade works well. I tried it today and it didn't cut very well. Now I only had 1 wood blade and it's about 40 tooth or so. For this job I guess I'll go back to the abrasive wheel.

Jeff

icesailor

Blades:

Was the blade a carbide blade?

The panels couldn't be very thick because aluminum is pricy by weight.

I still think that a 7 1/4" circular saw with a decent 40 tooth blade will give you cuts all day long. The vinyl siding is so thin that it will chip out. I use a carbide blade in my saw and have cut aluminum downspouts with out any problems. I've cut copper tube on angles with my slide saw. I've cut corian and other things with nary a problem. A cut off saw blade will probably plug up with aluminum stock.

Also, I have a Bosch saber type saw. They sell a carbide saw blade that I use on Stainless steel. I also use it on coated threaded rod. It is so hard that it will dull a regular top quality Bosch blade. The problem with aluminum is that it easily clogs the space between teeth. Try the circular blade before you go nuts with something that may not work. I use my saw for cutting wood and then cutting whatever. With no blade dulling or damage.

It works for me.

Mark Eatherton

DeWalt Multi Cutter...

Imagine a saw that can cut ferrous, non ferrous metals, plastic and or wood without having to change a blade? If you are in the business of having to cut the above mentioned things, like cast iron pipe (REALLY), UniStrut, copper tube or steel pipe (up to 4") aluminum and everything else we wield saws for, then I would suggest you drop the $400 to $500 bucks necessary to get this tool. you will not regret it.



If this is a one time situation, then I agree with Ice Sailor. Just get a good quality cheap many toothed carbide blade, and go slow. And by all means, wear a good quality full face shield and appropriate hearing protection.



I use a 12" carbide tipped saw blade for cutting copper tubing and aluminum whenever I am doing mechanical room production work. It is lighter and faster, but boy does it spit the chips.



Here is a link to the Multi Cutter http://www.dewalt.com/tools/metalworking-multi-cutter-saws-dw872.aspx



ME

Bill Clinton_6

Oil the Blade?

Back in the seventies when I was making solar panels from aluminum extrusions, I used a radial arm saw with carbide teeth and learned I had to touch the spining blade occasionally with "saw wax" which kept the aluminum from sticking to the teeth and stopping the cutting process. I've heard WD-40 works.

Bill Clinton

Michael_6

saw blades

Most manufactureres make non ferrous blades for chop saws.

They cut through like butter leaving almost no bur. If you cut through smoothly instead of chopping the blade will last a very long time.

We have different makes in different saws but here is a link to one

http://www.amanatool.com/sawblades-nonferrous.html