Cutting aluminum plate

I need to cut a 1/8" thick sheet of aluminum diamond plate. I think I've heard that a plywood blade on a table saw is best.

I have a piece in my gas grill that keeps rusting away--it's kinda like a little roof that hangs over the burners under the grill grate. I've made 2 replacements over the years from scrap steel but I'm now out of suitable steel and tired of making replacements. The piece is about 3" X 24" and I have some scrap diamond plate that is not much larger that I want to cut it out of. I'll have to bend it about 45 degrees along the 24" length after cutting it but thankfully the quality of the bend isn't important so I can figure something out there.

Thanks!
 
Any carbide blade will work. Might want to wear heavy gloves and definitely safety goggles! The hot chips will fly, but it will cut just fine, feed it slow though.
 
Carbide tipped blades work well for cutting aluminum and does not seem to harm them. Your feed rate should be slow. Safety glasses and ear plugs.
I have also replaced those "roofs" over the burners on my grill. I used stainless steel. My local shop broke it to size for me and I have a small bender to make the bend. They are several years old now with zero signs of wear. I used stainless because the round burners themselves are stainless. Good luck!
 
For the best cut you want a carbide blade with a negative hook about 5to 10 degrees I worked in a cabinet shop and we cut aluminum and lamnite all the time
 
The metal I used before wasn't plain steel but I'm not sure what to say it was--perhaps galvanized. It looked like that steel they use to make carport frames out of. I had a piece like 6 foot long, and about the perfect width bent to 90degrees. So I cut the length I needed and laid it on the concrete floor and unbent it with a hammer until it fit right. It was about the same thickness as the original. I don't think my burners are stainless--not sure--they were replaced once due to rust but they are good now. I don't want to buy a new grill and I kinda like that this one has a cast aluminum bottom and top shell. It sits out all year round which isn't good but that's life. Thanks.
 
Hi Chris,

If you've got an angle grinder and one of those wafer thin metal cutting blades for it, you ought to be able to freehand your cut(s) along pencil lines in about three minutes. It might not be as precise as making your cut on a table saw, but probably as precise as doing it with a circular saw. The setup and cleanup would be much faster.

Stan
 
i use a sabre saw and a metal cutting blade. mark your cut line, then use an oilcan and put a thin strip of oil right on the cut line. saw goes right thru no problem. slower blade speed works better.
 
I've used fine tooth blades for cutting aluminum before. It works fine. Just wear GOOD goggles.
That said... I don't know if aluminum is the thing to use for a grill. I'd be worried about the fumes that would come off of it when you heat it? Stainless steel would be my preference.

Rod
 
(quoted from post at 18:02:41 03/31/14) Don't you think it might melt?

I was wondering that myself. It's one thing if the shell of the grill is aluminum, but right above the burner I would think is NOT a place for aluminum plate.

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
I knew that about grinding wheels, but I didn't think of it in relation to cutting aluminum with a cutoff wheel. Would it fill up too quickly to get the cut done? Now I'm curious. I'll try it.

Stan
 
Step away from your gas grill... before you have a major catastrophe! You won't have to worry about how to cut the aluminum because it will melt that close to the flame. If you decide to use galvanized steel, undoubtedly the hospital will see an increase in patients with zinc chills. Buy a replacement piece or use stainless steel. There's a reason restaurant equipment is made from 316 stainless. Again it's so the emergency department isn't even more overwhelmed with patients. They'd have to come up with new disease. Instead of zinc chills... it could be called "Grill Chills".
 

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