Best Method To Cut Sheet Metal

The classic hacksaw or hack saw if you prefer is the quintessential metal cutting tool.

Best method to cut sheet metal.

Choose a blade with 20 to 24 tpi teeth per inch for thin metal 10 to 18 tpi for medium thickness metal and about 8. Wax your saw blade before cutting sheet metal. Extend blade life by keeping the saw s speed slow. Using a chisel and hammer is the most basic form of cutting sheet metal.

Electric nibblers can be used both as an electronic tool and a stand alone air tool. If you ve hit it hard enough the chisel will cut the sheet metal if it s thin enough. Power slicing is one advanced and effective way to cut items from sheet metal. A plasma cutter is one of.

Making detailed cuts with. Every shop should have at least one because they can do things that are difficult or impossible with some of the other cutting methods. These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife. Straight cutting compound snips work best for cutting thick or doubled up sheet metal.

How to cut sheet metal method 1 of 4. As with most work you have many options for completing the job. The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot long pieces using this method. And the most frequently used tool in this regard is the best quality electric nibblers.

If you use metal shears to cut thin sheet metal such as duct metal it curls and can be difficult to flaten properly. There are two ways to cut round ducts. First if you want to cut a duct near the middle and use both ends mark and cut the duct before snapping it together. Set your saw to straight rather than oscillating if there s a choice.

They don t cut curves well. Choose between red blue or yellow snips based on the cut direction. A variety of tools hammer and chisel angle grinder or hacksaw to name a few may be up to the task but tin snips are typically the best and most economical option for do it yourselfers. The easiest cutting methods may depend.

Using tin snips for thin sheets. Here are a few tips for cutting metal with a recip saw. They re great to cut steel or aluminum or almost any metal. Cutting straight lines with an electric saw.

If you occupy a sharp blade they work even better. Simply line up your chisel along the line you are going to cut and strike the back of it with a hammer.