Where To Cut Sheet Metal

Standard sheet metal is thin galvanized steel.

Where to cut sheet metal.

To cut straight lines use an electric saw. How to cut thin sheet metal and keep it flat. 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. The way of cutting sheets with nibbler is to cut punches out of a tiny metal sheet and repeat the process until you get your desired dimension.

The edges are sharp the cutoffs are stiff and get in the way the snips bind or you just can t seem to negotiate the curve. The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot. For thin sheets of metal you can use tin snips to cut through it. If you use metal shears to cut thin sheet metal such as duct metal it curls and can be difficult to flaten properly.

A handheld cutting tool fitted with a metal cut off wheel will easily cut through sheet. Instead we recommend using a diamond blade that s rated to cut ferrous metal. It s the same material ducts are made of and is commonly sold in large flat sheets in 18 to 28 gauge thicknesses you can also find sheet metal in aluminum or even copper and brass and they all can be cut using the same tools and techniques. But the discs wear down quickly cut slowly and shrink in diameter as you use them.

These problems are common for those of us who don t work with sheet metal every day. These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife. Apart from hand nibbler there are electric nibbler drill powered nibbler and pneumatic nibblers and so on. Cutting sheet metal with snips can be tricky and frustrating.

But you don t have to be a tinsmith to cut sheet metal successfully. 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. Jigsaws and metal cutting band saws are more work but can make most cuts in light to medium sheet metal. Then grip the saw with both hands and push the blade through the metal to cut it.