Cutting A Straight Line In Sheet Metal

Slitting can be performed in a straight line or on a curved path.

Cutting a straight line in sheet metal.

Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade. Wax your saw blade before cutting sheet metal. Its adjustable head allows it to cut straight lines curves or circles. The easiest way to straight cut metal sheet.

Long straight cuts are easier to make with large tin snips. Then bend the sheet back and forth a few times to snap it. An well known trick when cutting with your plasma cutter is to clamp a metal straight edge to the metal so the arc is directly over your cut line. The circular sheet metal cutters can be driven or the work may be pulled through idle cutters.

Just light scoring cuts then it will snap off at the line you scored. This way you can simply press the edge of the torch cup against the straight edge and slowly make a straight cut. Slitting usually produces a burr. Open the cutters as wide as you can at the start of each stroke and make long smooth strokes.

A metal bender works like a hand held clamp and grabs onto a point of a metal surface that you want to bend. Recently it clicked in my head to utilize an old trick when making straight cuts with a plasma cutter. If your project requires cutting a hole in the center of sheet metal draw it on the metal as you would any other cut line. Then create a pilot hole within the penciled circle using a power drill.

This may be a no brainer to most of you but i had to do a lot of repetitive cutting of sheet steel and was looking for the fastest way to do it. A nibbler is an electric metal cutter used to cut sheet metal in any direction. In this video you ll see how to build a straight cutting angle grinder jig. Make long strokes for long straight cuts.

Slitting is a shearing process in which the sheet metal is cut by two opposing circular blades like a can opener. Lift the cutoff strip and roll it to the side to prevent it from binding on the tin snips handle. Metal is difficult for saws to cut and rubbing wax along the blade. Apply masking tape to both sides of the sheet metal directly over the.

Tape the sheet metal and secure it in place. I have been trying to do it in the s. I could never get a perfectly straight line when cutting longer cuts on sheet metal. Cutting straight lines with an electric saw 1.