Thread: Is this dangerous?

If it is a tungsten carbide tipped blade then turning it around will just rip the teeth off.

Just a cheap high tooth count wood blade will do the job but an aluminum blade will do a better job.

The rake of the saw teeth varies between a wood blade and an aluminium blade not to mention the number of teeth. Wood blades are too hard safely to feed without them trying to dig in. If you mount the wood blade backwards it's just going to knock teeth off.

How many teeth does the timber blade have? If it has 60 or more, I'd just take it easy cutting it with a bit of kero or candle wax on the blade.

I wouldn't reverse the blade, you're asking it to do something that it isn't designed to do.

The reverseing the blade trick was used in the olden days when blades did not have Tungsten Carbide Tips. You could reverse the blade, cut your metal and then when you put the blade back round the right way it would still be sharp.

I tried reversing the blade in a circ to cut some tin, at the advise of someone (?) and can confirm you'll lose teeth doing that (duck!).

Cheers
Michael

Thanks all for the quick replies.

Subconciously I think I knew it wasn't a good idea hence my question.
This is a spare cheap SCMS that has been sitting unused for over 12 months that I want to use solely for Al.
I think I'll wait for the EOFY sales and get a dedicated Al blade.

Is there a blade to fit a 10" SCMS that wil cut Al & other metals?

Cheers,
Paul

Try this mob if they don't have it it is most likely not made TAMA Tools

Hi Paul, I read an article on the web some where about using wood saw blades to cut al and you should see what happened, the saw practicaly desintegrated when the blade dug in, so not recommended, I saw Irwin brand al blades at Qld Trade tools, (I think they change their name now) for around $50.00 a year or so ago, I'm not sure if they have a 10" one though,check them out,
cheers, Richard.

Originally Posted by China

Try this mob if they don't have it it is most likely not made TAMA Tools

Thanks for the link China. I'll see if I can source one locally first but this gives me a good starting point with price.

Cheers,
Paul

Originally Posted by Dano48

Hi Paul, I read an article on the web some where about using wood saw blades to cut al and you should see what happened, the saw practicaly desintegrated when the blade dug in, so not recommended, I saw Irwin brand al blades at Qld Trade tools, (I think they change their name now) for around $50.00 a year or so ago, I'm not sure if they have a 10" one though,check them out,
cheers, Richard.

I'm glad I asked the question before actually doing it, I got as far as reversing the blade but thought I should ask before cutting.

Is it Trade Tools Direct that you're thinking of?

I think that's them

Bunnings keep both Aluminium blades as well as Mild steel cutting blades in their tool section to use in a drop saw. The aluminium blade has a negative rake on the teeth and every second tooth has a chamfer on each side. The steel cutting blade has a different shaped tooth on it and is only used for light steel sections. Both blades come in 10 inch dia and have bushes to fit different size arbors and have at least 80 teeth on them and both are over $100.00 each. I still have Makita's first Mitre drop saw (that is all cast iron and heavy as) they made and it's over 40 years old that I used to cut aluminim sections on site when I was fitting shop fronts in Sydney.

As far as cutting aluminium with a wood blade I have done it plenty of times without any problems just by cutting carefully and taking it slowly but the blade needs to be sharp and needs to have plenty of teeth just as DJ's Timber says.but not necessarily with lubricant. The only time I have used lubricant is when I was using a non tungsten aluminium blade.

I have even cut aluminium plate on the table saw as well as on the band saw.

I would not attempt to cut steel with a wood blade or an aluminum blade

25 years ago i remember helping an old chippy put a corrugated iron roof on. He reversed the non TCT blade on his saw and cut the iron that way. Made a hell of a noise, but seemed to work ok. I wouldnt do it myself though. one of those old tricks that may work, but is dangerous.
Not quite as dangerous as the railway gangers I saw a few years ago cutting sleepers to length with a Demo Saw - Fitted with a TCT circular saw blade!!

My local ally supplier only has a small timber drop saw in the shop. A bit of ally lube every so often on the ally blade and no probs he recons.

Just cant bring myself to using a toothed blade to cut the stuff at those speeds. Thats ok tho, theres a metal bandsaw in the shop thats happy to cut most things I throw at it.