so I have limited tools do I need to rent or buy a bandsaw to fab up my aluminum charge pipes and 16ga 3" mild steel exhaust?

or will a chop saw be sufficent?

any tips on cutting ect. would be appreciated

thanks!

 

damn i'm feeling dumb wrong forum

 

chop saw will work but leave very rough edges, just be sure to clean up and bevel the edges for welding. I've found that a sawzal with The Torch blade by millwalkie (sorry for misspelling) works about like the bandsaw will, just have to have a good clamping system to hold the pipe or a strong friend LOL

 

I imagine I'll get flamed for this, but what the hell, it might help. Anyway, I found out the other day that a regular old circular saw for wood does a pretty good job on aluminum (cut off the runners of an intake manifold like a hot knife through butter), and doesn't leave all of that melted, deformed material that the chop saw does--assuming I'm understanding what a "chop saw" is. If you have a nice compound miter circular saw, you could make sweet cuts super easily.

 

Correct Tjabo a circular saw with the righ blae will work just fine. Really aluminum is soft and just about any fast move blade will slice through it

 

Thanks for not beating me up! ! ! !

LOL. . .

 

no problem, its ghetto but it will work, im all about making due with what you have at hand. i made my own steel charge pipes back in the bay 3" with a chop saw and a dremel to clean up edges and bevel LOL

 

I made all my own charge pipes and 3" exhaust out of stainless steel pipe. Just clamped it in the bench vice and used a sawzall with a metal blade. Then took a porting bit on a drill and deburred the inside of the pipe. I didn't experience any trouble with this.

 

I used a mitre saw with an abrasive blade to cut steel piping and it worked fine. Although i had to remove some of the plastic protective pieces off of the saw because the sparks started melting them.

If you don't have a dremel a metal file works fine for de-burring.