How Do You Cut Through Sheet Metal

Keep in mind that you will require specific bits or attachments depending on the material you intend to cut.

How do you cut through sheet metal.

You can cut mild steel up to about 3 8 in. As you cut one side of the sheet metal will ride up and over the. With a suitable punch press you can metal sheets as per geometrical shapes and can occupy numerous tools for this particular type of cutting. If you ve got a lot of straight cutting to do buy tin snips like the one shown in photo 4.

The cuts may also be a bit rough you won t be able to maneuver the saw much and its blade can t cut very deep. Today i ll go over three different tools you can use to cut sheet metal and plate. It cuts metal almost as easily as a scissors cuts paper. Once you have the starter hole work your way out to the desired radius using the correct red or green colored snip.

Cut metal with your circular saw. For cutting out holes in sheet metal it s going to be necessary that you begin with a starter hole this can be formed by using the hammer and chisel method to punch through the metal. Then grip the saw with both hands and push the blade through the metal to cut it. Jigsaws and metal cutting band saws are more work but can make most cuts in light to medium sheet metal.

Even so your cut will probably be a little ragged. You can use it to cut through materials such as aluminum or any other sheet metal. To cut straight lines use an electric saw. In our test it cut through rebar like a hot knife through butter.

However a hacksaw is great tool to have on hand to take care of simple steel cutting tasks. Start by taping both sides of the sheet metal directly over the line you want to cut and clamp the metal to a work station so it doesn t move. Hot metal chips will fly. Depending on what you would like to cut and its thickness you can decide between a cut off wheel or a 1 1 2 inch cutoff wheel which is known to cut sheet.

A hacksaw can cut through sheet metal but its shape limits the types of cuts it can make. For thin sheets of metal you can use tin snips to cut through it. And the long blades make it easy to cut straight and leave a smooth edge. It may not be an obvious choice but fitted with the right blade a circular saw is a great metal cutting tool.