I'm making a project for class and I bought a 10 Inch long 5mm thick aluminum/metal, How do you cut it WITHOUT large machinery? is there any power tools adapters or tools that can do this job without a problem?Here is what I have to do:*Cut the metal into ~1x1 and 2X2inch squares*Somehow shave a circle about 2mm deep without going trough the 5mm aluminum (Shaded gray)*Drill a hole right through the 5mm (right in the center)*Drill screw holes on each cornerI provided a really basic pic of what I'm trying to dohttp://img204.imageshack.us/img204/487/77845398.pngRED=backgroundGRAY=drilled 2mm deep WITHOUT GOING THROUGHRED HOLES=screw holes with threadsPlz help need to finish this by friday!PS: Screw holes, and other sizes don't matter right now I'm just trying to figure out what tools/tool adapters I need thanks!
If you have access to a table saw, mount the blade in backwards and then cut the aluminum. But I would cut it down to the correct size last. The extra length gives you a handle to use for the other operations. Regular hand or power tools will work. Get VERY coarse blades. The fewer teeth per inch, the better. Aluminum really clogs up toothed blades/cutting tools. For the 2mm deep recess, a regular spade bit should work and will drill a hole in the center for you. But if this is for a metal shop course, you should have all of the proper tools to do the job correctly. The methods I gave is if you don't have access to the proper equipment.
The through holes are no problem. A standard drill with the appropriate drill bit and thread taps will do the job nicely. The 2mm deep cavity presents a problem. You need at minimum, a face cutting (facing) bit for aluminum and a drill press. This operation can go wrong very quickly, so I suggest you cut the 2mm cavity before you cut the piece into a square. The bit can be purchased at a machine tool supply company. If there's a Harbor Freight store in your area, they might have what you need. Set the drill press on a lower speed and use a gentle pressure feeding the bit into your work. The piece needs to be tightly clamped to the drill press platform before starting. Any movement of the piece or grabbing by the facing bit can ruin your work and/or cause personal injury. As for cutting the piece, if you can find a set of power squaring shears, that would be the best. Otherwise, opt for a metal saw blade for soft metals and a table saw. Of course you will need to deburr and smooth all your cuts. A mill file should do the job nicely. Have a file card handy for cleaning the file. Aluminum, copper, and other soft metals load up files quickly. The most important thing to remember when working with metals is that a gentle and steady hand works best. Let the tool do the work. If you collect all your resources within the next couple days, you could turn out one per hour. I don't know how many of these you need. Good luck.
Steel scissors and Portable hand drill.
A rotary tool may do the trick. You would have to have a steady hand and also be able to hold the aluminum securely in place.
