How Do You Cut Aluminum Sheet Metal

Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal.

How do you cut aluminum sheet metal.

And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel. This makes it easier for your chisel to get into your aluminum s hardened grains of metal. Cutting straight lines with an electric saw. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards.

Using a softer piece of material such as wood as a backer will allow the chisel to push through the metal and prevent wear on the chisel s tip. You should be able to cut your aluminum metal piece within 30 seconds. Step 2 hold a magnet up to the sheet metal to determine if it is steel or aluminum. Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade.

This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. You can cut corrugated metal both parallel to the ridges as well as across the ridges. Draw a line down the length or width of the sheet metal using a pencil to mark the cut line. Then bend the sheet back and forth a few times to snap it.

Choose a saw with a tooth number of at least 24tip teeth per inch to ensure even cuts in the metal. Cutting aluminum sheet metal with a hammer and chisel is relatively straight forward line up the edge of the chisel along the line you wish to cut and strike the chisel with a hammer. Anything longer and you re probably using the wrong sized chisel or you need to use a saw. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.

2 x research source.