Cutting Sheet Metal Straight Line

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.

Cutting sheet metal straight line.

It cuts metal almost as easily as a scissors cuts paper. Then create a pilot hole within the penciled circle. If you ve got a lot of straight cutting to do buy tin snips like the one shown in photo 4. Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade.

And the long blades make it easy to cut straight and leave a smooth edge. Edge surfaces of cut sheet metal are not typically smooth and straight. This same idea i decided to take to sheet metal when using the scissor shears. 1 16 of over 2 000 results for straight cut sheet metal tools finder 12 aviation snips long straight cut tin snips cutting shears power cutter with cr v blade comfortable grip 300mm scissors for cutting metal sheet hard material industrial quality.

And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel. Start by taping both sides of the sheet metal directly over the line you want to cut and clamp the metal to a work station so it doesn t move. A quality jigsaw and the correct metal cutting blade will make short work of sheet metal cuts. Even in properly cut metal the fracture zone will be angled and rough.

Shaving is a secondary process that can be used to improve edges of cuts that have already been made. This way you can simply press the edge of the torch cup against the straight edge and slowly make a straight cut. Even so your cut will probably be a little ragged. To cut straight lines use an electric saw.

As you cut one side of the sheet metal will ride up and over the. In sheet metal cutting the lower the clearance value the higher the edge s quality. If you need a straight cut clamp a straight edge to the sheet to act as a guide for the jigsaw footplate.