[TheForge] Re: Aluminum

[Mike Spencer]

Here's a method for cutting difficult pieces that I heard about 3rd-
or 4th-hand somewhere.  I've never met anyone who's done it or seen it
done.

    Rig a vertical bandsaw to run at wood-cutting speed (or faster?).
    Connect the blade, via an existing or added roller, to one side of
    an arc welder.

    Connect the workpiece to the other side of the welder.  Insulate
    the workpiece (electrically) from the table with a sheet of some
    non-conductor (Masonite?  plastic?).

    When you advance the workpiece into the blade, an arc is struck.
    Allegedly the air-draft around the blade carries the slag away
    while the speed of the blade prevents it from remaining in the arc
    area long enough to heat up. (It's possible that there was an
    added blade-cooling air jet or something that my source didn't
    mention.)

I was told that this was devised at the U-Haul trailer fab shop to cut
some part when it turned out that there was no way on hand to suitably
cut a piece of (hardened? tough alloy?) steel.

Never heard any more about it so it has the status of a yarn.

Anybody ever see this done? I have an old 24" bandsaw that works well
on flat-belt drive but I'm kind hesitant to try this just for a lark. 

If it works at all, it should work for aluminum as well as steel.  I
once set a magnesium transmissin case on fire with an oxy-acet torch
so I'd be even more hesitant to try it with magnesium.


- Mike