A Good Method for Cutting Aluminum

Q: What’s a good method for cutting aluminum gutter material?

A: One basic method is to clamp the gutter material firmly to a couple of saw horses and cut using a hacksaw. A good pair of metal snips can also do the job.

Either of those methods works fine, but I prefer using a sliding miter saw with a fine-toothed blade mounted backwards. The speed of the blade combined with the backwards teeth make a nice, clean cut with very little operator effort, and without the teeth tearing out and distorting the metal. Note: When cutting gutter material on the miter saw, turn the profile upside-down so the cut enters the more stable underside of the gutter rather than the top edges.

Once you’ve finished with the backwards blade, immediately take it off and re-install it in the conventional manner.