The siding on my house has to be fifty years old. I want to expand a mud room back entrance by a foot wider ,can I cut the siding in place and tuck a “j” channel in the cut to flash it. I really don’t won’t to remove it if I don’t have to
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Sure, use a sharp utility and/or an oscillating tool witha fine blade. I'd probably tack a 1X4" up as a straight edge as well.
I'd try good avaition snips, perhaps the "nibbler" variety, and also try a Multimaster or knockoff with a fine metal blade or an abrasive one. Likely you'll want to use a combination of tools.
A lot depends on how heavy the AL is and how tightly fastened, plus how awkward a position you manage to be in. (Seems like there's always a bad corner to deal with.) The potential problem with the Multimaster is that it will shake the loose AL so badly as to wrinkle/tear it (and make a terrible racket), while the snips simply may not be able to get close enough to cut what needs cutting, especially where the sections join.
I have done this..
Plywood blade put on a circular saw backwards.
a shoot board to run the saw on is ideal, but a pc of laminate taped to the sole of the saw works as well when free handing. This keeps you from easily marring the finish on the siding.