Best Way To Cut Aluminum Sheet

Metal lath and hardware cloth can be cut with a tin snips but there s an easier way.

Best way to cut aluminum sheet.

This is actually one of my preferred ways to cut aluminum. It is stupidly fast and it leaves a nice clean cut if you can hold it. Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum. Then create a pilot hole within the penciled circle.

We recommend using a diamond blade that s labeled as a ferrous metal cutting blade but many tradespeople use a regular masonry diamond blade with good results. Cutting aluminum sheet metal with a hammer and chisel is relatively straight forward line up the edge of the chisel along the line you wish to cut and strike the chisel with a hammer. 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. Either way the main problem you want to avoid is clogging the blade.

To cut straight lines use an electric saw. Then grip the saw with both hands and push the blade through the metal to cut it. If possible choose a saw blade that creates narrow kerfs the notch or slot made by the saw. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line.

For thin sheets of metal you can use tin snips to cut through it. Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut aluminum with a wall thickness of more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm. Step 5 optional 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. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal.

Mount a diamond blade in your angle grinder and use it like a saw to cut the mesh. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.