Cutting Brass

[Timberwolf]

My neighbor wants to cut a 1/8th brass plague.  I have a dull 3 tpi blade on the bandsaw.  Any issues other than a really dull blade after the cut?

TIA

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No problem cutting brass that thin but I wouldn't use a blade less than 6PPI. I use a wood cutting blade to cut the brass I use for the planes I make. The brass will get hot so keep it moving once you start cutting. A sandwich is not essential but will probably be easier to handle..Be careful of the hot chips. And be sure to wear good eye protection.

[mike4244]

My neighbor wants to cut a 1/8th brass plague.  I have a dull 3 tpi blade on the bandsaw.  Any issues other than a really dull blade after the cut?

TIA

I often cut brass on band saws. I have a hand held band saw that is mounted vertically in a Swag stand. This has a 14 TPI blade. 
I cut sheet brass on a wood working saw that has a lot more teeth .  I would not use a 3 TPI blade as it is too coarse and may catch the brass.
I also cut brass on a milling machine. If you have a drill press with a milling table you can cut brass with 1/16" or less depth of cut and an endmill.
DP are not made for milling but a one off piece and light cuts will work. Without a milling table cutting brass will not work.
mike

[cputnam]

Again, thank you all very much. I'll look at a metal blade for my Festool circular saw. There is also the jigsaw. If we do it on the BS, I';; go with John's lamination suggestion.

[iclark]

If you do not use the lamination approach, it is important to understand what TW posted: the chips can be very hot and they can travel further than wood chips.

A particle of oak in your eye is irritating. A hooked piece of brass in your eye is very serious.

Also, especially if you cut bare metal on a stationary machine, it is a good idea to clean all of the sawdust out of the machine's base. It is rare for brass chips to get hot enough to ignite sawdust, but why take the risk?

[Wild Turkey]

 If I were cutting 1/8" I might make a new zero clearance insert. It seems like cutting non-ferrous metals, brass and aluminium most commonly are a non event.

ZCI might not be a good idea.  Chips could get caught in groove and cause friction with blade.

Happened to me with plexiglass.  Blade got red hot from friction.

Low clearance, but not zero.

[FireWood]

Again, thank you all very much.  I'll look at a metal blade for my Festool circular saw.  There is also the jigsaw.  If we do it on the BS, I';; go with John's lamination suggestion.

Jigsaw gets my vote...  metal blades for the jigsaw are pretty cheap, and 1/8" brass will cut very easily with a decent blade.

[iclark]

Jigsaw gets my vote...  metal blades for the jigsaw are pretty cheap, and 1/8" brass will cut very easily with a decent blade.

or, it could be a good time to add a scroll saw to the shop.

Using some of that brass for Christmas tree ornaments on the scroll saw could bring joy to your friends.

[ajkoontz]

I've cut a ton of aluminum street signs with my Makita tracksaw and it doesn't seem to cause any issues. I always throw in my beater blade when I do this but like I said it doesn't seem to matter all that much. It makes a huge mess of sliver 'sawdust' but I can't tell it is doing any damage to the tool or the blade.

[Bill Wilson]

or, it could be a good time to add a scroll saw to the shop.

Using some of that brass for Christmas tree ornaments on the scroll saw could bring joy to your friends.

I came home from the flea market with a couple rolls of copper flashing, a few years ago.  I've toyed with the idea making Christmas ornaments on my scroll saw with it.  I've made thousands of wooden scroll saw ornaments over the years.  I've even used acrylic and Corian, but never tried any metal.  I'm still not sold on the idea, at least with the copper.  I know Copper isn't as easy to machine as brass, as it can be a little gummy.  I'm not sure how it would cut on the scrollsaw.  I would be much more inclined to try, if I were using brass.  Sandwich it between a couple layers of thin plywood, use a jeweler's blade and should be good to go.

[iclark]

I came home from the flea market with a couple rolls of copper flashing, a few years ago.  I've toyed with the idea making Christmas ornaments on my scroll saw with it.  I've made thousands of wooden scroll saw ornaments over the years.  I've even used acrylic and Corian, but never tried any metal.  I'm still not sold on the idea, at least with the copper.  I know Copper isn't as easy to machine as brass, as it can be a little gummy.  I'm not sure how it would cut on the scrollsaw.  I would be much more inclined to try, if I were using brass.  Sandwich it between a couple layers of thin plywood, use a jeweler's blade and should be good to go.

Agree with all of the above except that the copper should make beautiful Christmas ornaments. I would spray them with some clear Krylon (or similar) after machining to keep the bright copper (as opposed to green) color.

Brass tends to be a little gummy as well. Whether the brass or the copper would be gummier probably depends on the exact alloy and the heat treatment.

Sandwiching the copper or brass between 2 thin sheets of plywood would give you a metal ornament and 2 wood ornaments.