How Do I Cut Aluminum Sheet Metal

Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards.

How do i cut aluminum sheet metal. Then bend the sheet back and forth a few times to snap it. 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 aluminum down. Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum.

Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut aluminum with a wall thickness of more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm. 2 mark the start and stopping point of your cut. Put on safety glasses and leather work gloves for protection from aluminum shards and sharp cut aluminum edges.

Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. 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. 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.

Measure the awning frame that eventually will support and attach to your corrugated aluminum sheet. And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel. Check out this video. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.