cuting door and window holes in alum side?

[metoady]

ok i glues the alumium siding to the plywood
what should i use to cut the alum out of the holes

jig saw? router? rotozip? dull butter knife?

what did you guys use on yours ...or what works the best?

thanks

[ScottH61]

I haven't tried it yet, but my guess would be to use a router with a flush trim bit... that way you can't cut into the wood, and it will make the aluminum a perfect match to the existing hole for the doors/windows.

[Geron]

ok i glues the alumium siding to the plywood
what should i use to cut the alum out of the holes

jig saw? router? rotozip? dull butter knife?

what did you guys use on yours ...or what works the best?

thanks

I used a jig saw, nibbler, and router with speed control. Really like the nibbler with the router making the finished edge (when necessary.)

Geron

[Michael W]

For the big holes, I used a nibbler. For the smaller holes, I used the router with voltage reducer. The voltage reducer is necessary when cutting aluminum, otherwise the bit tends to melt the aluminum rather than cutting it.

While the nibbler cuts are not as precise, as a router with a patter bit, it has one advantage, it makes those neat curly q's. The little chips from a router cut are very messy and end up everywhere.




Note from the photos, I used painters tape around the perimeter of the cut, this is to keep the router base from scratching the aluminum.

[Chris C]

I agree with Michael. I'd use a nibbler to get within about 1/16" of your line but then finish up with a neater cut from a flushcut router. Personally, I like to use my little trim router instead of the larger routers I have. The smaller diameter of the cutter seems to work a little better for me, and it does just fine if I'm not "hogging" off a big bite. Also, I might mention, an upcut spiral flush cutter will provide a shear cut, which aluminum seems to respond well to.