Build Your Own Aluminum Shredder on a Budget

[Acornstu]

Working on somewhat of a budget i have the need to shred aluminum sheeting. I have a foundry with a 4 inch crucible and would very much like to shreader the plethora of stock car bodies at my disposal. I'm unsure what Guage the car bodies are but you can fold it by hand. I'll mostly be shredding this and aluminum cans in order to compact them in a can bailer into 3 1/2 inch cylinders to feed my foundry. I've looked at several shredders but they all seem either too small or greatly out of my price range. I've looked into possibly using an old wood chipper but I've heard the blades would easily dull and may not even shred aluminum at all.

If anyone knows of any online plans to build my own I'd be grateful. I have or will purchase the motor required to run it. Hopefully electric. Thank you for any input.

 

[Baluncore]

You will need to reduce aluminium bodies to shredder size by using a saw or shears. I would suggest the two blade scissor type electric powered metal shears. Three finger shears produce a coil of waste that might be compacted. Carbide tipped saws will produce many hard to control small chips. There are now slower speed counter-rotating dual blade saws that are easy to control.

It may be better to cut 3” strips of sheet, then pack them together in bundles. Compacted chaff from a shredder melts more slowly than solid aluminium because of the discontinuous internal thermal conductive path. Try to melt a tight roll of Al foil sometime, it is very slow and produces lots of oxide.

The shredder you need should be specified by size of inlet aperture, gauge and the hardest material being recycled. Scrap metal shredders continuously sacrifice their hammers / cutters. Some cutters need to be replaced after only 24 hours of continuous operation.