Parting off 130mm Aluminium bar

This topic has 22 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 7 April 2017 at 11:13 by Ian S C.

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6 April 2017 at 13:30 #292279
petro1head
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@petro1head
Whats the best way to part off a 130mm dia aluminium bar. Its 40mm long in case thats relevant

Edited By petro1head on 06/04/2017 13:31:09
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6 April 2017 at 13:30 #8649
petro1head
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@petro1head
6 April 2017 at 13:35 #292281
richardandtracy
Participant
@richardandtracy
On the very few occasions I have done something of that diameter, I have 'parted off' with a band-saw and then machined the cut face to the correct length.

Regards,

Richard
6 April 2017 at 15:00 #292286
Emgee
Participant
@emgee
Same as Richard for me at that diameter.

Emgee
6 April 2017 at 15:30 #292288
Roger Provins 2
Participant
@rogerprovins2
Definitely a bandsaw job if I was doing it.
6 April 2017 at 15:36 #292289
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Me? I'd ask a friend if I could use their big lathe!

Neil
6 April 2017 at 15:43 #292291
petro1head
Participant
@petro1head
Band saw it is then

You know me Neil, I don't have any friends
6 April 2017 at 16:13 #292293
Nick_G
Participant
@nick_g
Posted by Neil Wyatt on 06/04/2017 15:36:09:

Me? I'd ask a friend if I could use their big lathe!

Neil

.

Is that the guy with the 'Super-super-super-super Adept' ??

Nick
6 April 2017 at 16:44 #292294
Gordon W
Participant
@gordonw
I've just done a bit, half that dia. 70mm. Got the parting tool about 20mm in and chickened out, finished with hacksaw. Still not a bad result, not much cleaning up needed.
6 April 2017 at 16:59 #292295
Brian Oldford
Participant
@brianoldford70365
Posted by Gordon W on 06/04/2017 16:44:13:

I've just done a bit, half that dia. 70mm. Got the parting tool about 20mm in and chickened out, finished with hacksaw. Still not a bad result, not much cleaning up needed.

So you never got to know the colour of adrenalin then.
6 April 2017 at 17:13 #292297
SillyOldDuffer
Moderator
@sillyoldduffer
I had a similar problem except the aluminium was too big for my bandsaw. So I parted as deep as I could get (about 30mm) and then finished off with a hacksaw. I was wrecked afterwards. Whilst still purple and wheezing I remembered that my local metal emporium would have done the cut for a small fee…

Dave
6 April 2017 at 19:09 #292301
bricky
Participant
@bricky
40mm is relevent as it can't be held in the bandsaw vise.I cut some steel in the bandsaw it was 125mm*40mm long, To hold it I glued blocks of wood together that would fit my vise at 100mm and one block on top the same 100mm. these were glued together with gorilla glue after they had set overnight I glued the disc of steel to the wood with the same glue and clamped overnight.This worked and I cut several discs to make pulleys.

Frank
6 April 2017 at 19:17 #292303
Chris Evans 6
Participant
@chrisevans6
I also take advantage of giving the saw operators at my local stockholders a drink. I had some 45 and 50 mm EN16T to cut a couple of weeks ago. 8 pieces off each bar was worth a fiver to have cut.
6 April 2017 at 21:19 #292318
Niels Abildgaard
Participant
@nielsabildgaard33719
I made a two step parting system some years ago and it parted 125 mm seawater resistant for breakfast.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/showthread.php?t=10176
6 April 2017 at 21:20 #292319
Niels Abildgaard
Participant
@nielsabildgaard33719
**LINK**

I will learn some day
7 April 2017 at 00:47 #292352
John Stevenson 1
Participant
@johnstevenson1
Posted by bricky on 06/04/2017 19:09:00:

40mm is relevent as it can't be held in the bandsaw vise.I cut some steel in the bandsaw it was 125mm*40mm long, To hold it I glued blocks of wood together that would fit my vise at 100mm and one block on top the same 100mm. these were glued together with gorilla glue after they had set overnight I glued the disc of steel to the wood with the same glue and clamped overnight.This worked and I cut several discs to make pulleys.

Frank

.

.

10mm slices being cut off 100 sprockets prior to boring for bearings.
7 April 2017 at 07:17 #292355
bricky
Participant
@bricky
A good set up John,but I don't have an industrial bandsaw capable of holding my chucks only a hobby saw.

Frank
7 April 2017 at 07:24 #292356
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by John Stevenson on 07/04/2017 00:47:35:

You know I'll get complaints about a picture showing the key left in a chuck
7 April 2017 at 07:30 #292357
Jon Gibbs
Participant
@jongibbs59756
Posted by bricky on 07/04/2017 07:17:08:

A good set up John,but I don't have an industrial bandsaw capable of holding my chucks only a hobby saw.

Frank

Frank,

There are some ideas in this thread for those of us with small "capacity challenged" bandsaws which will help I think…**LINK**

HTH

Jon
7 April 2017 at 09:04 #292365
richardandtracy
Participant
@richardandtracy
Posted by bricky on 07/04/2017 07:17:08:

A good set up John,but I don't have an industrial bandsaw capable of holding my chucks only a hobby saw.

Frank

It's the general idea that could be useful. Do you have a drill vice & angle plate that would hold it instead? That sort of thing. Or maybe even set the clamps up on the other side of the saw blade where there is more room. There is nothing on a bandsaw that makes one side of the blade much better to use than the other except the flat saw base. And you can fix that if you wish by bolting or welding bits to the saw. In a one off case you could even knock-up a table at the right height from pallet timber and then burn it later if you are so embarrassed about using wood that you need to destroy the evidence .

Regards,

Richard.
7 April 2017 at 09:43 #292369
petro1head
Participant
@petro1head
Some interesting ideas, thanks
7 April 2017 at 11:09 #292396
Hopper
Participant
@hopper
It's aluminium. 15 minutes with the old-fashioned manual hacksaw fitted with a coarse blade (18tpi) will do the job.

Rather than slicing through in one cut, as you might on a loaf of bread etc, rotate the job in the vice at intervals so you are sawing on shorter sections of the material rather than the full 130mm towards the middle and work your way through in manageable increments.

Given the shortness of the piece, it might be best to hold it in the lathe with the spindle locked in position while hacksawing, rotating spindle at intervals as above. Secure a piece of board across the bed so any slip with the hacksaw blade does not scar the ways.

Edited By Hopper on 07/04/2017 11:12:28

Edited By Hopper on 07/04/2017 11:14:48
7 April 2017 at 11:13 #292398
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
To cut off 130 mm dia x 40 mm long get two bits of steel about 75 mm x 8/10 mm thick x at least 100 mm long(my bits are 200 mm long), open the vice jaws to take the bit of aluminium+ thr two bits of steel, one each side, at the end away from the blade put a 130 mm spacer, poke the bits of steel right next to the blade, and clamp up tight. It works for me. For very thin(length wise) you may need a bridge of thin metal across the gap under the work piece to make it easier to set up, otherwise you need at least three hands.

Ian S C
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