Cut Through Thin Aluminum Sheet

Tired of getting fingers cut on sheet metal while using tin snips.

Cut through thin aluminum sheet.

And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel. There are three tools that kevin caron uses a lot to get a precise cut from a thin piece of metal. One tool is a foot shear or a jump shear. These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife.

The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot long pieces using this method. If you use metal shears to cut thin sheet metal such as duct metal it curls and can be difficult to flaten properly. Then bend the sheet back and forth a few times to snap it. There are two ways to cut round ducts.

If possible choose a saw blade that creates narrow kerfs the notch or slot made by the saw. Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut aluminum with a wall thickness of more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm. Tin snips are primarily used for cutting thin sheet metal like tin aluminum brass and thin gauge stainless steel. Diamond tred aluminum sheet heavy weight model 57575 13 49 13 49.

Press the sheet down well with your brayer to make sure it is stuck well. 3 make your first cut in the sheet metal. Cutting thin aluminum should require no more than a few basic tools and is therefore a task that can be easily tackled either on the spot or from any reasonably well equipped garage. Another tool is a plate shear for cutting slightly.

Before cutting put on a pair of safety goggles and work gloves to prevent injuries. They don t cut curves well. Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum. Set your store to see local availability compare.

Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade. Place down on your blue mat. Straight cutting compound snips work best for cutting thick or doubled up sheet metal. This is the only mat that i would use to cut metal as you do not want it to be very sticky.

M d building products 1 ft. Nestle thick material deep into the wide open jaws before you squeeze the handles. Lincane aluminum sheet weathered gray model 57565 62 98 62 98.