Best Way To Cut Sheet Metal Straight Without Power Tools

Hot metal chips will fly everywhere.

Best way to cut sheet metal straight without power tools.

You can cut mild steel up to about 3 8 in. 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. They are essentially metal cutting scissors that are stronger and more durable than standard scissors. To cut straight lines use an electric saw.

The method you choose to cut sheet metal depends on the thickness of the metal and the type of cut you plan to make. If you are committed to learning how to cut sheet metal by hand the cheapest solution by far would be using an aviation snip set. While cutting sheets with a nibbler you may get precise control over the operation. But you have to sacrifice with the cutting depth.

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. A tool like a nibbler is fast and easy to maneuver around to cut circles corners and angles in sheet metal work with out jamming like electric shears or tin snips would. Thick using a ferrous metal cutting blade. It may not be an obvious choice but fitted with the right blade a circular saw is a great metal cutting tool.

Cut a round duct from the right hand side with green handled compound snips. Keep the top blade aligned parallel to the cutting line to cut a straight line around the duct. The best tool to cut sheet metal is an electric nibbler tool it cuts corrugated iron sheet metal and even metal car panels easily. Use chisel to cut metal.

In our test it cut through rebar like a hot knife through butter. Chisels are mainly used to remove excess metal and provide more precise shapes. The following are some of the ways you can cut metal without power tools. The way of cutting sheets with nibbler is to cut punches out of a tiny metal sheet and repeat the process until you get your desired dimension.

Jigsaws and metal cutting band saws are more work but can make most cuts in light to medium sheet metal. Note that hand tools are not ideal if you want to cut the metal into small pieces because it can cause the metal to break. Use this technique if you re right handed or in tight quarters.