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I got a $50 gift card to Lowes for my birthday in September, and then cashed in credit card points for a $100 Lowes gift card....got a Miter saw for free. WOW! This cuts channel stock perfectly! Sure beats the snips or the band saw...

What kind of blade are you using?

Chris - it's a Hitachi 10" one and list at Lowes was $139. I think Harbor Freight has a manual one dirt cheap. I would never have paid this much for one!

Gotta love gift cards! :)

The difference between an angle cut on a nice miter saw vs one hacked out on a bandsaw and finished by hand is night and day. What is a few hundred dollars for a quality tool in comparison to the thousands you will be spending to complete your aircraft? It always blows my mind when people justify using the wrong tool for the job, especially on something like an airplane that you are going to carry yourself and presumably loved ones in someday.

Sonex1517 wrote:Chris - it's a Hitachi 10" one and list at Lowes was $139. I think Harbor Freight has a manual one dirt cheap. I would never have paid this much for one!

Gotta love gift cards! :)

The aluminum that i've been working with came already rough cut on a miter saw to length so i've not had to use mine yet. The teeth on my saw is for general cross cut framing construction and the tooth pattern looks like it would destroy aluminum.

I am hoping to get a saw blade that makes a nicer rough cut than what is on the aluminum I already have.
I am assuming that when looking for a blade that I need to get one that has more teeth. When cutting things with a hack saw blade if I remember correct you need at least 3 teeth on the work to prevent breaking off the teeth. To me it looks like a standard blade would dull fairly quick and be more likely to grab the work and make a rough cut. I was also thinking that it should probably be carbide tip and have a shallow or negative hook angle.

Anybody have a suggestion on a good blade?

A non-ferrous metal blade from home depot will make an excellent cut. 6061 is so soft though, that even a quality wood blade will come out looking like it was machined. You will be surprised.. the three tooth rule does not apply here. A new, sharp blade will leave an unbelievably good edge.

I use a miter saw with aluminium cutting blade as well, very smooth edges, very happy with it.
Be a little careful when using the saw though, always clamp pieces in place instead of holding them in place with you're bare hands, here's why:
http://www.sonex604.com/angle.html

I have had several close calls as well.. some bloody fingers and a few pieces of metal shot clear across my garage after they catch in the saw. It's very easy to get complacent and loose respect for the power tool.. something i have to fight all the time.

I am assuming that when looking for a blade that I need to get one that has more teeth.

Chris the more teeth you have the less chance of the blade grabbing the part and throwing it .A cut-off blade has no teeth at all and you can easily hold the part with your hand but it will leave a burr .
In my opinion carbide is the way to go with at least 80 teeth if you want a smoother finish and less chance of it grabbing.Down side to more teeth is it will cut slower ,so it's a trade off. More teeth=Smoother finish and a slower cut but safer. Less teeth = faster cut and a rougher finish and clamping is always necessary if you value your fingers.
If you haven't bought a mitre saw yet it is worth looking for ones that have the clamping device built right in .Home Depot brand Rigid has such a feature. Trying to jerry-rig a clamp on a mitre saw can be a challenge sometimes.The proper tools just make the job easier and safer.I'm lucky because of my cabinet business I already have all the power tools for the job :D
Mike

Grabbing and throwing was my worry with the standard blade. I've had so much stuff thrown in the past that I dont do much of anything without clamping it down. Never had the chuck key go flying yet though suprisingly.

Thanks for the input.