How To Cut 30 Gauge Sheet Metal

If you ve hit it hard enough the chisel will cut the sheet metal if it s thin enough.

How to cut 30 gauge sheet metal. Choose a saw with a tooth number of at least 24tip teeth per inch to ensure even cuts in the metal. You can cut mild steel up to about 3 8 in. It may not be an obvious choice but fitted with the right blade a circular saw is a great metal cutting tool. Mark a bend line and place the sheet metal on the edge of your bench.

Clamp the wood on top of the metal to the workbench. Most sheet metal cutting tools are limited to 16 gauge and thinner 14 gauge is still sheet metal but in common forms 11 gauge while technically sheet metal is 1 8 thick and not really sheet metal for the purposes of this article so we will focus on 16 gauge and thinner. In our test it cut through rebar like a hot knife through butter. Hold the side of the metal sheet and put your snips around the edge.

Finally bend the sheet up by hand to the angle desired. Use your nondominant hand to hold the side of the metal. Cut metal with your circular saw. A soft wood backer will allow for the chisel to pass through more easily by providing support for the metal.

2 x research source. Hold the snips loose in your hand and place the two blades around the edge that you d like to cut. Next place the wood parallel and slightly behind the bending line. This will not only brace it to keep it in place but you ll be able to pull it up as you cut.

Reasonably easy to cut a big sheet up as long as both sides are biggish. 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. And for this reason there are other tools for cutting metal roofing such as metal shears or an electric nibbler. Put on a pair of work gloves before you wax the saw to protect your hands.

Hot metal chips will fly everywhere. Thick using a ferrous metal cutting blade. The lower the number the thicker the metal is.