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Cutting aluminium
rodgling - 27/8/13 at 08:56 PM

I'm looking to make some new aluminium panels to tidy up the interior over the winter. What's the best tool for cutting long (ish - about 20cm) straight edges?

I've already got side cutters and a nibbler, neither of these give very neat results in my hands.

richmars - 27/8/13 at 09:16 PM

Stanley knife.
Fix metal rule to Al panel, score along rule with knife. repeat.
You'll need a new blade for every cut, but gives a good straight cut.

avagolen - 27/8/13 at 09:17 PM

Hacksaw and file work well - in the absence of a guillotine.

Set the hacksaw with the blade at 90 degrees to normal then you
can cut long edges.

Snips or jigsaw can be used for initial cuts, just do not get closer than 10mm to the
desired edge.

Use a straight edge to check for high spots and file slowly.

Use a fine file when you get close to the finished edge.

slowly, slowly, gets results.

have fun.

plentywahalla - 27/8/13 at 09:38 PM

Plasma!

loggyboy - 27/8/13 at 10:28 PM

Guillotine for straight cuts, jigsaw for curved. Jigsaw will need good ally blades, and edges finished with file/grit paper.





rodgling - 27/8/13 at 10:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by plentywahalla
Plasma!


This is exactly the kind of tool buying advice I was hoping for :-) Although if I'm honest a guillotine sounds less likely to take my legs off. A regular paper guillotine will do the job?

loggyboy - 27/8/13 at 11:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by rodgling
quote:
Originally posted by plentywahalla
Plasma!


This is exactly the kind of tool buying advice I was hoping for :-) Although if I'm honest a guillotine sounds less likely to take my legs off. A regular paper guillotine will do the job?


Assuming your joking I wont take piss, but will point you to these...

www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Guillotines-/12578/i.html?_sop=1

So jigsaw is the cheaper option.

Smoking Frog - 27/8/13 at 11:20 PM

Used a jigsaw and finished off with a file for all my panels. Correct blade, jigsaw settings and support the panel both sides of the cut. Cut from reverse side as the sole plate will always leave scratches. A squirt of DW40 on the blade helps. Be careful when reaching the end of the cut as the blade tends to snag.

cliftyhanger - 28/8/13 at 07:10 AM

if using a nibbler, clamp a straight edge as a guide. I have done that many times with steel sheet, and it gives excellent results. I use a pair of speedclamps for the job. Also handy for using with a circular saw for wood, worktops, fitting kitchens and so on.

Doctor Derek Doctors - 28/8/13 at 07:20 AM

I found that a jig saw with a nice straight but of angle clamped to the sheet to run it along made a decent cut with the tool I had.

Although the easiest way to get a nice straight edge was to just use the straight edge of the supplied ally sheet as the main straight lines for the bopdywork.

plentywahalla - 28/8/13 at 07:29 AM

quote:
Originally posted by rodgling
quote:
Originally posted by plentywahalla
Plasma!


This is exactly the kind of tool buying advice I was hoping for :-) Although if I'm honest a guillotine sounds less likely to take my legs off. A regular paper guillotine will do the job?


I was being quite serious, and you can always hire one.

On thin sheet aluminium they are amazing. As they put no stress on the sheet when cutting there is no surface damage or distortion. It is literally like the proverbial knife and butter job.

You will get a bit of dross on the edge but it will be much less than a saw blade will leave, and it will clean up with a file.

ashg - 28/8/13 at 01:29 PM

angle grinder with a 1mm inox cutting disc, goes through ali like butter and cuts real nice straight lines.

snakebelly - 28/8/13 at 04:03 PM

depends how thick, we used some .9mm sheet last weekend to close in the front doors of the Hindenberg and found the easiest way was a Stanley knife up against a long steel ruler, scored it 2 or 3 times them just bent it back away from the score and it came apart clean and easy.

rodgling - 28/8/13 at 04:44 PM

That's quite lo-tech, but I will give the stanley-knife approach a try, thanks.

The Black Flash - 11/9/13 at 11:23 AM

Bit late but anyway...
I have a sheet metal saw which is a hacksaw blade holder, but rather than a big tubular frame, it's more like a wood tenon saw without teeth, and the hacksaw blade bolts on the bottom, where the teeth would be. Great for cutting straight lines in sheet material, but I've googled and can't find one anywhere. It is quite old so maybe nobody uses them anymore?

Edit - one of these, this 'un is rather rusty:
.
"Vintage", apparently. Bloody useful, says I

[Edited on 11/9/13 by The Black Flash]

The Black Flash - 11/9/13 at 11:32 AM

Bit late but anyway...
I have a sheet metal saw which is a hacksaw blade holder, but rather than a big tubular frame, it's more like a wood tenon saw without teeth, and the hacksaw blade bolts on the bottom, where the teeth would be. Great for cutting straight lines in sheet material, but I've googled and can't find one anywhere. It is quite old so maybe nobody uses them anymore?

nick205 - 11/9/13 at 01:38 PM

I favour a decent manual nibbler, with plenty of WD40. Always cut with the good face down to keep it clean and go steady. I get good results and minimal finishing afterwards.

jps - 30/9/14 at 08:19 AM

Helpful tips here - i'm in possession of some, but not all, of the tools mentioned - so want to get a 'nibbler'. Can anyone recommend this one? https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-dhc-2-double-headed-metal-nibbler

Ta!

rodgling - 30/9/14 at 08:25 AM

I have one of those. It's alright, it cuts nicely but it's a bit hard to steer so it can wander off course. But it does do the job. You may find it better to mount the drill in a vice and feed the aluminium by hand.

Badger_McLetcher - 1/10/14 at 06:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by snakebelly
depends how thick, we used some .9mm sheet last weekend to close in the front doors of the Hindenberg


Hadn't realised this thread was quite this old