Good Ways To Cut Sheet Metal

Wax your saw blade before cutting sheet metal.

Good ways to cut sheet metal.

An angle grinder fitted with an abrasive metal cutting disc works well to cut all kinds of metal including bolts angle iron rebar and even sheet metal. Simply line up your chisel along the line you are going to cut and strike the back of it with a hammer. They look like scissors and work fine with sheet metals like brass aluminum tin steel etc. Put on a pair of work gloves before you wax the saw to protect your hands.

Using a chisel and hammer is the most basic form of cutting sheet metal. Tin snips or aviation snips are one of the most widely used tools to cut sheet metals. Jigsaws and metal cutting band saws are more work but can make most cuts in light to medium sheet metal. If you ve hit it hard enough the chisel will cut the sheet metal if it s thin enough.

Metal is difficult for saws to cut and rubbing wax along the blade helps prolong its sharpness. But the discs wear down quickly cut slowly and shrink in diameter as you use them. Such as straight cut snips left cut the right cut etc. Apply a thin layer of paraffin or saw wax to the blade just enough to cover the surface before making any cuts in the metal.

Also referred to as aviator snips these scissor like hand tools cut sheet metal materials up to 18 gauge in thickness accurately without leaving a ragged bent edge as the finished product.