I’m having trouble cutting 1.5x2in aluminum stock on the bandsaw… Normally it works fine (albeit slow) but today when I tried it, the machine just didn’t want to cut despite a good amount of pressure… Any thoughts? Is there something I’m doing wrong? Do we have another way to easily cut stock?
Thanks everyone 
The blade was probably dull/ruined by a previous user(s).
Folks when using saw let the blade/cutter do the cutting, not a lot of pressure is needed. Let the teeth remove the metal (wood/plastic). Forcing it overloads the gullets and the blade also over-heats causing it to lose some of its hardness and resulting in faster deterioration. Softer materials will melt and stick to the blade or cause scorching/burning of wood (especially common with routers it seems).
The next user, as above, then has to apply more pressure just to get it to do anything and a vicious cycle results. You’ll also get cleaner cuts letting it go slower.
Oh, don’t forget lubricants, cuts faster and cooler.
Try the horizontal bandsaw. Someone around there can likely show you how to use it.
There are spare band saw blades on top of the cabinet. Make sure you install it in the correct direction, you may have to turn it “inside-out”.
Do not force the blade into the material.
The weight of the arm, or perhaps just resting your hand on the end knob should provide enough downward force to keep it from riding on the material.
Otherwise, the blade is dull. Dull tools are dangerous, and create bad habits.
The horizontal bandsaw has an adjustable weight. As Zach said the arm will be enough, no need to put anymore pressure on it.
quality of cut = blade speed + tooth count of blade + feed rate + sharpness + how you are holding your head . Not only does it sound like a dull blade, but the blades I’ve seen in the machine shop bandsaw are too high a tooth count for doing much aluminum. They don’t clear chips fast enough, which means, among other things, the chips overheat and clog the gullets of the teeth. I’d start with a fresh blade - if you haven’t changed one before, please get someone to show you. It looks simple - and it is; but tuning to where it cuts well does require some experience.
Thanks for the input everyone. Someone was here to help me out. They recommended that I use some cutting oil (I just put some WD-40 on the part). It cut like butter… Not sure if that was all I needed but it worked.
Cutting fluid does three things: it reduces friction through lubrication, aids in chip removal, and it also helps with heat transfer to reduce the chance of overheating the tool and losing the temper/hardness of the cutting edge.
The first two allow the tool to cut faster/cleaner. The last helps keep from ruining the cutting tool for you or the next person.
Whether cutting with a blade, a drill/router/mill bit, or a stationary lathe bit, lubrication/cutting fluid should be mandatory for cutting metal.
There is also a stick of solid blade lube sitting next to / on that metal bandsaw. It looks kinda like a tube of caulk.