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How do I cut this aluminum spacer.

P

pburchett

Member
I need to cut the base of this 6 inch diameter aluminum coil spring spacer from the now 1 inch thickness to 1/2 inch. There are two of these spacers to cut down. The portion I need to cut is the base, not the thin vertical portion which is a centering ring to keep the spacer in its intended position.

At home I have a hacksaw, an angle grinder and a wood router and table. I have a 4 flute hss end mill that will fit the router but I do not know if a wood router has enough guts to cut the aluminum.

At our schools ag shop (I work at the school so I can use the equipment anytime) we have a metal cutting bandsaw, but the vice is too far away from the blade and I am unsure how to secure the spacer for a square cut. Also they have a drill press and a vise that has to be secured with wide mouth welding clamps. The drill will accept the end mill and looks like the best solution so far.

No local machine shops and the closest is 2-3 months out with back ordered work. The spacers are currently in use in and I can only do without my truck the 2-3 days it will take to dissemble, cut the spacers and reassemble the coil spring assembly.

Any suggestions will be welcomed...
mvphoto7830.png
 
If its aluminum and big enough to hold on to, you could carefully do it on a table saw with a carbide tipped saw blade.
Eye protection required. Maybe ear protection too.
 
are you sure that someone in town a farmer napa does not have a lathe I would start asking local farmers you might be surprised what is around other then that all that comes to mind is find a pipe that would fit snug inside your spacer to hold it so you can use the band saw
 
Chuck it in a lathe and face it off the back. If you can't use an indicator use the face of the tailstock spindle to keep it parallel. Don't have to indicate the OD if you're just facing it. Three-jaw chuck will work.
 
Wrap a piece of tape around it as a guide then start around it with your hack saw. Cut in about a quarter inch then rotate it in the vise and cut the next quarter inch. Repeat until
you are all the way around then start around again. You will be done before you know it. I got to believe that will be accurate enough for your application.
 
That is going to be really difficult, and dangerous, trying to cut it with what you have to work with.

I agree with grizz02, do some research, put the word out. Someone is bound to have a lathe you can schedule a time to get it done.

My other suggestion would be to buy some already the right size.
 
Why not tell us where you are located, then maybe someone can help you with finding a lathe or mill to do this with a machine the safe way.
 
(quoted from post at 20:19:10 12/19/17) Why not tell us where you are located, then maybe someone can help you with finding a lathe or mill to do this with a machine the safe way.
Click to expand...

Does you school have an Auto Shop with a brake lathe?
Or a local auto/truck repair shop maybe has one that can be utilized for the job?
 
I don't know how big of diameter it is. I would try and fit a pipe through it and secure it to the pipe so it doesn't spin. Then cut it using a metal cutting band saw. The pipe would go in the vice. Check that the band saw is cutting nice and square first. To secure it to the pipe weld on some tabs using steel bar stock. Since it is aluminum a belt sander table could be used to help clean up the cut.
 
Only options are, by hand with a hack saw as was suggested, lathe or Mill. Any other mickey mouse jig-up will get you hurt.
 
As others have said, a lathe or milling machine is by far the best and safest way to go. I would not recommend using a drill press.

A good router can cut aluminum. I'm assuming this is a relatively soft alloy, e.g. 6061, and it hasn't been heat-treated. I also assume you have a 1/2" arbor on the router and the end mill is also 1/2" diameter. Here's how I would do it, if all I had was a router and an end mill:

1. Fabricate a fixture from plywood that will securely hold your spacer. The sides of the fixture should be higher than the spacer, so your router base can rest on the sides. Because of the size of the router baseplate is about the same as the spacer, you'll probably need to replace the baseplate with a piece of plywood big enough to span the fixture.

2. With the mill in the router and the router on the fixture, adjust the router depth so the mill just touches the spacer. Then slightly lower the router and make a pass across the spacer. You'll know immediately if it's going to work.
 
I have to recommend against using a router. It "might" work well. Then again, it's a woodworking tool. The routers I've worked with ALL have vents that could allow metal slivers up inside where you don't want metal to be. Wood isn't quite so bad, but not sure I'd trust it with metal. That said, I have also only used about 6 different routers in my life.

I also wouldn't cotton to using a hack saw. I've never had a lot of luck making straight and true cuts with a hacksaw. Operator error, I'm sure!!

Let me ask this question -- how quickly do you need this done?? So far, the best suggestion I've heard is to accept the offer of another member who has a lathe who would be willing to turn it down for you.

As you've mentioned that your school has a bandsaw, but that the clamp is too far, I'm sure you know how to use calipers, right?? Measure the ID of your part, then find or make a "Holding Shaft" that can be securely mounted to the bandsaw. Force the piece onto that shaft (wooden dowel, maybe?), then as added means of securing it, you could also tightly wrap electrical tape or duct tape to help ensure the piece doesn't start spinning on the shaft. Actually, some aluminum HVAC tape would work well for that also.

Does your school have a belt/disc sander? You could take a piece of scrap wood, drill a thru-hole the OD of the centering ring and a stopped hole that would snugly hold the OD of the piece you're cutting (the base). You could then mark reference lines on your scrap piece, then use coarse sandpaper to hog off most of the material and then finish up with finer grits. Would REALLY be awesome of your school wood shop had a drum sander!!

LOTS and LOTS of various ideas out there. These are just a few. Regardless of what you decide, BE CAREFUL. Take care of your fingers (and eyes!), as you can't grow any more. *lol*
 
If you don't have access to machining tools I would suggest cutting it in a table saw. I have cut a lot of aluminum in a table saw with carbide blade and someone spraying a little WD40 on the blade.
 
With what you have available, don't touch it. A table saw is a horrible, and honestly frightening idea at best. At worst, it's a deadly projectile. If you were only cutting a corner of or something, maybe. But not trying to face off a half inch!

Help us help you. Where are you located?

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
It looks like you are in school with an interest in learning. I wish you were close to me; I would give you about a 30 minute lesson on lathe operation and turn you loose on my old antique lathe with a 16 inch swing. I Live in southeast Missouri and am a retired industrial arts teacher and ran a welding shop. Please do not attempt with woodworking tools
 


Go to Morris 4x4 Center and order up a set of these: Skyjacker Front Coil Spring Isolator Lift Pads 1"

Part no: SJ-SIP275
$56.99
 
A lathe or a Bridgeport mill should work to cut down those parts. Talk to one of your school's shop teachers about where to find/hire one in your area. Your shool's metal shop may have both.

Are the spacers part of a lift kit? Would you loose much if you took the spacers out to return the truck to stock height? Also, check what new lower spacers will cost, buying new might be less than the cost to have a machinist setup and cut down the old ones.
 

Since the latest fad in lifted pickups seems to be the "butt hurtin", tail draggin setup, why not leave as is?

Unless the 1/2" is needed to reconnect some suspension part?
 
That is a job for a lathe and probably only a lathe [ or shaper] . A hacksaw might work but you would need a groove for the blade to follow. No woodworking tools if you like your fingers.
 
As a old carpenter myself, your idea has merit. Set the blade depth at 1/2 inch and using the cross cut fence, make a series of cuts 1/8 in apart. Then, turn the disk 90 degrees and do the same. You can then, since it's aluminum, use a chisel to clean out the small pieces left, using a belt sander to finish it. It IS a spacer, after all. And yes, I still have all my fingers after 55 years of this.
 
Buy a 1/2" plate made from 6061 T6 Aluminum. have it plasma torched into a disc. Weld in a centering ring. Sell the
old ones. Jim
 
Was thinking about this I don't know what this goes on to be a doubt 1/2 in in a spring spacer is going to make much difference I have lowered a lot of cars in my day how about cutting just a little off the spring on the other end or make spacers out of 1/2 steel plate and weld a piece of pipe the correct size back on it just my 2 cents there has been a lot of good help on here good luck
 

Why go through any of this when they are available off the shelf? They aren't that much money.
 
(quoted from post at 14:05:25 12/20/17)
Why go through any of this when they are available off the shelf? They aren't that much money.
Click to expand...

In addition, unless you are running a straight piped diesel they aren't supposed to be made of metal, they make them from some sort of plastic to reduce the transmission of road noise into the frame and cab.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I like them all, including the safety concern. I would like keep most of my fingers, especially the nose picking one, so I am going to go with the hack saw method but use a hose clamp as a guide. I will then finish the saw marks up with a file, the schools belt sander (if it works) or tha auto shops brake lathe (hadn't thought of the brake lathe) if they have adapters to hold it.
The knowledge/experience on here is without measure. Thanks again.
 
I've cut lots of aluminium on a table saw. Or chuck it in a vice and cut it with a circular saw. It's a spacer not rocket science!
 
I've cut light steel with a 7 1/4" circular saw. Yes, a table saw will cut aluminum without problem. The problem is the shape of the piece he's cutting, and maybe also the size. Even cutting a piece of wood that size on a table saw can be dangerous if you do not know how to do it properly. With either, the piece can very likely become a projectile flying through the air before you have any chance to react. That's why most here have recommended against the table saw in this instance.Same holds true of a router, and even a bandsaw. If the piece cannot be held/clamped positively, then it's not safe to try. On the other hand, there are LOTS of creative ways to positively hold the piece; including double-stick tape (some of this newer carpet tape is amazing!), glue, and fasteners.
 
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