Auto hobbyists and handypersons sometimes have the need to cut aluminum sheeting and don t always have the luxury of going to a metalworking shop to take care of it.
Picking a jig saw for cutting aluminum sheet thin.
Use blades with 21 to 24 teeth per inch to cut metal.
How to cut thin aluminum.
Mild steel no iron pipe and sheet metal up to 10 gauge thick photo 6.
Types of circular saw blades for cutting aluminum.
It is ideal for thinner sheets up to 11 gauge.
This design helps in cutting metal pipes and sheets.
If possible choose a saw blade that creates narrow kerfs the notch or slot made by the saw.
Brought to you by http www ultimatehandyman co uk.
Depending on how tight the curves are either a recip saw or a jig saw will be the tool for the job.
I actually find that i can usually get a straighter cut on thin plate with a jig saw.
The recip saw has a longer stroke and more power so it will cut faster.
For cutting sheet metal choose a finer blade with 21 to 24 teeth per inch.
Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum.
Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut aluminum with a wall thickness of more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm.
The jig saw can make tighter turns.
For cutting 1 16 thru 1 8 material use 10 teeth per diameter inch 10 x 100 tooth or a 12 x 120 teeth.
Metal cutting blade this type of blade has smaller teeth separated by sturdy slots.
Use a 24 toothed blade or greater to cut through aluminum.
Both have pros and cons.
Blade manufacturingmakes a hss blade with 200 teethfor cutting really thin aluminum say window screen track but for most material being cut a carbide blade with 8 teeth per diameter inch will do well 10 x 80 tooth is a good example.
With the proper blade jigsaws can cut through wood with embedded nails 1 8 in.
Sheet metal is made of stainless steel galvanized iron or aluminum and you can cut sheet metal manually using different kinds of tools.
How to cut sheet steel using a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade.
Install a metal cutting blade into a jigsaw.
The more teeth on the blade the smoother the cut will be.