Using A Wood Router On Aluminum

Any normal working router with standard carbide bits can be used to cut aluminum.

Using a wood router on aluminum. The cutting blades may dull off after several uses on aluminum and therefore you need router bits that are hardy and durable. You require the right hearing and eye protection during this process. You can make anything with a router and a pile of wood. Firstly aluminum is a weak and sticky metal which tends to stick on to the cutting tool leaving gummy metal deposits on the cutting edges.

You want cutters specifically made for aluminum. We didn t go that far with our technique primer below but you can see how a woodshop workhorse like bosch s 1617evs router can contribute. Having a whole setup constructed from aluminum is highly beneficial. At its most basic a router is used to rout out or hollow out a hole or groove in a piece of wood metal or plastic producing finished edges cutaways curved contours and precise holes.

To begin with cutting aluminum using a cnc router has its complexities as compared to cutting plastic or wood with it. Materials such as wood plywood wood composites pvc plastic etc can be easily worked upon with this cnc router. Use cnc router bits for cutting aluminum carbide endmills cnc routers use a variety of specialized cutters that should not be used with aluminum. Downcut spirals compression cutters and the like have no place in aluminum work.

The smooth metal surface makes it dustproof and very easy to clean as sawdust and other wood waste does not cling to the surface.