Best way to cut alloy yet?

[JohnR]

After learning a few new skills and cutting and building a few more things outta alloy I learned a new way to me to cut alloy easy azz. Its probaly allready known by most experts on here but for those who dont know everything like me here we go.

I started out using regular cutting discs and that sucked and was slow and contaminates your steel and makes your weld not pretty.

Then moved on to using a skill saw. Its excellent for straight lines but is not even good in the slightest for corners.

Then i bort a cheap die grinder from toolshed. Works well for tidying stuff up but the bit gets all alloyed up.

Then learned about lubricating wax. Which makes grinding/cuttimg much easier

The i bort a nasty looking 115mm angle grinder wheel. And too scared to use that evil looking thing

Then i discovered a orbital hitachi 18v jigsaw (goes forth and back and up and down and has 3 settings) with appropriate blades and holy moly. Fast as and can go arround corners with ease, leaves no contamination and is alot quiter than the skilly.

How this come about for me is that i wanna cut a transom hole in my boat and do a good job. So this ticks all the boxes.

[steelo]

Well done JR. Thanks for posting. The jigsaw looks the business.

[LBD]

Does the meat axe blade/ widow maker that you have on your angle grinder fit your battery power circular saw?... does not need to be the same OD blade as intended for the saw....infact the smaller the diameter the better around curves.

Lubricating wax is one idea... but I much prefer to use meths in a spray bottle... fire risk maybe, but then I have been doing it for years with no problem and there is no residue to affect the welds.

[JohnR]

Na. Ive grown some balls and have been using that widowmaker blade on my angle grinder heeps lately. Gloves eye protection earmuffs and putting what your cutting in a vice is a huge must.

I tried cutting a bit of 5mm about 100x100mm on the workbench and it chucked it right across the workshop. Also when youve nearly seperated two bits  your better off snapping the last wee bit off to avoid the blade catching it and chucking it. You can see in the photo of my finger, that was from cutting a we corner off a piece in the vice and wasnt wearing gloves


 
Its excellent for cutting out shapes and bits. Leaves very clean edge. Youd never use a abrasive cut off wheel again.

You just gotta take your time and hold the grinder very firmly

[swifty]

So anyone ...... Does the fact that the jigsaw is a  "orbital" one make it 10 times better ? or not much difference?

[JohnR]

Defiantly makes sharper turns easier and possible. And cuts quicker in a straight line also. Id say 2x better