Cut Sheet Metal Without Bending

Cut metal with your circular saw.

Cut sheet metal without bending.

In our test it cut through rebar like a hot knife through butter. 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. It may not be an obvious choice but fitted with the right blade a circular saw is a great metal cutting tool. Clamp the sheet metal in place on your work table to hold it in place while you work.

If you use metal shears to cut thin sheet metal such as duct metal it curls and can be difficult to flaten properly. When working with sheet metal one particularly useful piece of equipment is the brake. When set to a low amperage a plasma torch won t warp the metal and can yield quick clean cuts that help you get the job done quickly. Plus a plasma torch can be used for thick metal too so they are really handy.

There are three tools that kevin caron uses a lot to get a precise cut from a thin piece of metal. Tin snips are primarily used for cutting thin sheet metal like tin aluminum brass and thin gauge stainless steel. These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.

One tool is a foot shear or a jump shear. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Another tool is a plate shear for cutting slightly. A brake is a device that allows you to bend a piece of sheet metal at a particular angle.

Hot metal chips will fly everywhere. Align the snips with the line you want to cut with the upper blade of the tin snips touching the sheet metal. Metal shops have brakes mounted at different angles with automated braking arms however it is possible to bend sheet metal at home without the use of a brake. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line.

The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot long pieces using this method. You can cut mild steel up to about 3 8 in.