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  #1  
Old 10-05-2017, 07:36 PM
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Murdoch Murdoch is offline
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Default Advice for cutting 16 gauge steel and aluminum equivalent

Not sure if this belongs here and I truly apologize for my ignorance if that in fact is so.
I'm working on a project and I am wondering what would be the best tool for cutting 16 gauge steel and the equivalent thickness in aluminum.
I thought a scroll saw would have done it, but not good at all.
I was wondering if a bandsaw would be OK but I would like to be able to cut curves and such.
Now sadly I have a limited budget, by that i mean that I would be looking for a used unit or even trading for said item. I am also limited on space, yes limitations ol plenty here lol.
I appreciate your help and support on this.
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Old 10-05-2017, 08:09 PM
BSG BSG is offline
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What about a Beverly shear?

http://beverlyshearmfg.com
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Old 10-05-2017, 08:24 PM
cliffrod cliffrod is offline
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What kind of scroll (saber) saw?

I have a Makita saber saw with variable speed and four orbital settings (from straight up and down to a progressively greater oval pattern which helps shed debris from the teeth) and it works very good on sheet metal. For very thin stuff, sandwiching between plywood or luan helps stabilize the metal.

I bought this type of saw based on Ron Fournier"s first book, because it was the most versatile way to cut so many things. It's pretty slow to use for cutting 1/4 plate steel but works great with lots cleaner edge than using a torch. Until I get a Beverly, this and my Kett electric shear (added since the Makita saw) are what I use.
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Old 10-05-2017, 08:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cliffrod View Post
What kind of scroll (saber) saw?

I have a Makita saber saw with variable speed and four orbital settings (from straight up and down to a progressively greater oval pattern which helps shed debris from the teeth) and it works very good on sheet metal. For very thin stuff, sandwiching between plywood or luan helps stabilize the metal.

I bought this type of saw based on Ron Fournier"s first book, because it was the most versatile way to cut so many things. It's pretty slow to use for cutting 1/4 plate steel but works great with lots cleaner edge than using a torch. Until I get a Beverly, this and my Kett electric shear (added since the Makita saw) are what I use.
I had a Mastercraft that I had picked up for $40.00 just sold it for $50.00
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Old 10-05-2017, 09:35 PM
Chris_Hamilton Chris_Hamilton is offline
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Like Cliffrod stated the Kett shears are excellent and affordable. KD-440 model would be the way to go. Plus I think they are still American made. At least the 440 that I got a few years ago was.

http://www.kett-tool.com/products/de...t_model=KD-440
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Old 10-06-2017, 12:11 AM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Curling shears (Kett, Milwaukee, Makita, etc) are good on 18 ga steel and thinner.
If you use a saber saw (handheld "jig" saw) you must have two teeth engaged or snap the blades, so on thin material you need 32T blades, or 36T and good luck. My box of Bosch sabersaws also has a pile of blades in packages of 5 and 6 per, from 4T and up.

I would buy shears of the bypass type for 16 ga steel because they are civilized in the hand and invite more cutting - unlike other cutting tools.

No price listed:
http://www.makitauk.com/products/met...tal-shear.html

$300 new
http://www.performancetoolcenter.com...20group%20%231

You will likely think that you want to spend $40 for what you think you need, and I'm very sympathetic .....

If you want to cut the metal you have to have a minimum tool. Minimum in my book is not distorted cuts- which will require time to straighten.
Not ragged, which takes time to hand file.
And your hands still function afterwards - no small thing when tools are barely able to do the job .... and take their personal price in skin.

When I was a starving apprentice I haunted the row of hock shops that was facing the tracks, every Saturday morning, 10AM sharp.
With $3 in my pocket.
I still have a few of those excellent US-made primo tools that I bought for $1 ...
$1.50 ....
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Last edited by crystallographic; 10-06-2017 at 12:16 AM.
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Old 10-07-2017, 10:37 AM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murdoch View Post
...I thought a scroll saw would have done it, but not good at all...

Like several others have said above, a hand-held jigsaw can do a decent job if set up right.

A few years back I had a run of published articles, and one was a tech article in Hometown Hot Rod magazine, vol 2 issue 9. Sadly, that magazine is no longer published.

The article was titled "Plasma Substitute". In it, I made the argument that a hand-held jigsaw can be a suitable, but slower substitute for a plasma cutter.

Some salient points:

....the sheet has to be secured somehow

....you have to use considerable down pressure on the saw, as it wants to bounce. make sure the saw is not set to orbit

...my article was written for cutting steel, I used several different brands of blades designated for steel, most were wavy set, like a hand-held hacksaw blade. For cutting aluminum, I would use coarser blades, and a dry lubricant to prevent tooth clogging.

... for 18 ga steel I used a 32 tpi blade and pushed my saw along at a rate of approximately 10 inches per minute
... for 1/8" steel I cut with an 18 tpi blade at 2 inches per minute
... for 3/16 steel I cut with a 12tpi blade at 2 inches per minute

... use enough forward pressure so that you see a constant chip being created, if you don't you are dulling the blade. if you do dull a blade-toss it

... a slow blade speed setting on your saw is absolutely essential....start out on the saw's slowest speed setting, then gradually increase

... as you experiment, you will find that faster blade speed gets to a point of too fast-where the chip doesn't have time to clear, and friction destroys blades.

... check your blade temp occasionally, the correct speed will only warm the blade, if too hot, you're too fast

... this is loud, and the tiny flying chips are hot, not enough to burn you, but if they land in an eye they are a double whammy, so eye and ear protection is advised

... Although those cutting times seem slow, there is some time gain on the cleanup side of the task. A jigsaw cuts with minimum distortion, there is a slight rough edge to clean. Generally a few swipes with a file cleans it up enough.

... A hand-held plasma on the other hand has some dross to clean, and the metal immediately next to the cut has been embrittled and that causes its own issues

... While the cut edge from a Beverly shear is very clean, the piece coming off the right side of the blades is often distorted with some curl

I still don't have a plasma and buy scroll saw blades whenever I see them on sale.
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Last edited by weldtoride; 10-07-2017 at 04:43 PM.
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Old 10-07-2017, 11:57 AM
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Nice I'll have a look at jigsaw blades today...
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Old 10-07-2017, 12:50 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Mark,
Thank you.
Very good points, as I have cut a lot of 1/8 - and thinner steel sheet using the sabersaws.
Drill 3 close-spaced 1/8" holes to start the cut inside the sheet. Drill two 5/16" holes at opposite corners and cut towards the blank corners for square-ish openings.
As you say so accurately : I always pre-oil the cutline and then feel for the right blade speed. Heat is the enemy of blades.
A sandbag or two on the sheet helps absorb the misc vibes of saw racket and saw chatter.

I used to duct the saw's fan exhaust air with some metalwork and duct tape to blow the chips ahead of my cut - but now chip blowers are included with some, if not all, sabersaws ....

(ps, any time I see a "new" hardware store I go looking at cutting stuff - saw blades of any sort, drills, snips .... you never know until you seek ... )
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Last edited by crystallographic; 10-07-2017 at 12:52 PM.
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  #10  
Old 10-08-2017, 09:25 AM
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Any thoughts on this. Can't seem to upload pic. 14 gauge princess auto metal shear nibbler, it got 4.7 stars out of 5 and 7 good reviews
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Last edited by Murdoch; 10-08-2017 at 09:29 AM.
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