How Do You Cut Aluminum Sheets Cleanly

Using electric power tools 1.

How do you cut aluminum sheets cleanly. Simply line up your chisel along the line you are going to cut and strike the back of it with a hammer. Using a chisel and hammer is the most basic form of cutting sheet metal. All types of aluminum trim are readily cut with standard saws although certain types of power saws will require carbide blades. When you cut materials of roughly 1 8 inch thickness buy a saw blade that features 10 teeth per inch of diameter e g a 12 inch x 120 tooth or 10 inch x 100 tooth blade any aluminum piece that is 1 4 inch in thickness 8 teeth per inch of diameter is ideal.

Kevin caron is cutting 16 gauge 5051 soft aluminum and it s a little too thick for tinsnips so he needs to use a power tool. Apply cutting lubricants on your blades or bits. Since you ll be cutting. This can range from standard oil to saw wax.

A handheld cutting tool fitted with a metal cut off wheel will easily cut through sheet. Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum. Reduce the diameter of the. 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.

If you have an air compressor one option is an air powered cutoff tool. The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot long pieces using this method. If you ve hit it hard enough the chisel will cut the sheet metal if it s thin enough. If you only have a few pieces of aluminum trim to cut you can cut through the trim with an inexpensive handsaw.

Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut. These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife.