Cutting Straight Line Sheet Metal

A punch separates a length of stock along a straight line.

Cutting straight line sheet metal.

Even so your cut will probably be a little ragged. This same idea i decided to take to sheet metal when using the scissor shears. As you cut one side of the sheet metal will ride up and over the. One of the simplest types of press working operations is a sheet metal cutting process called a straight cutoff.

It cuts metal almost as easily as a scissors cuts paper. To cut straight lines use an electric saw. Then grip the saw with both hands and push the blade through the metal to cut it. 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.

If you ve got a lot of straight cutting to do buy tin snips like the one shown in photo 4. An well known trick when cutting with your plasma cutter is to clamp a metal straight edge to the metal so the arc is directly over your cut line. For thin sheets of metal you can use tin snips to cut through it. And the long blades make it easy to cut straight and leave a smooth edge.

Step 5 optional if your project requires cutting a hole in the center of sheet metal draw it on the metal as you would any other cut line. This way you can simply press the edge of the torch cup against the straight edge and slowly make a straight cut.