Cutting Thin Aluminum Sheets

Make your first cut.

Cutting thin aluminum sheets.

Downcut spirals compression cutters and the like have no place in aluminum work. Set the piece of aluminum on a table or over sawhorses and position it so the cutting area has open space underneath it. Clamp the sheet metal in place on your work table to hold it in place while. You want cutters specifically made for aluminum.

Most tin snip manufacturers color code their. 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. Bench mounted tools such as shears or band saws cut aluminum sheet relatively slowly and with varying amounts of accuracy. Choose between red blue or yellow snips based on the cut direction.

Mark the start and stopping point of your cut with a grease pencil or some similar implement that marks on sheet metal. An air powered sheet metal nibbler or a nibbler head attached to a power drill can cut through galvanized corrugated aluminum sheet as well as flat sheet up to 16 gauge. How to cut fold sheet aluminium. Then bend the sheet back and forth a few times to snap it.

Using tin snips for thin sheets 1. Use cnc router bits for cutting aluminum carbide endmills cnc routers use a variety of specialized cutters that should not be used with aluminum. And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel. Using a softer piece of material such as wood as a backer will allow the chisel to push through the metal and prevent wear on the chisel s tip.

How to cut thin aluminum. Clamp the aluminum down. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade.

Align the tin snips with the sheet metal.