|
Where to get Metal Sheet?
I'm looking for a metal sheet (something like PC cases are made out of, but
without the textured finish). I don't really need very much. Also would a jig-saw with a metal cutting blade be able to cut something like this? Regards -- Stephen Chown http://www.wallpaper-world.net |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote:
I'm looking for a metal sheet (something like PC cases are made out of, but without the textured finish). I don't really need very much. Also would a jig-saw with a metal cutting blade be able to cut something like this? Look in the yellow pages for your nearest steel merchant. I presume when you say metal you mean steel, rather than any other kind? Aluminium? Copper? Lead? Titanium? If it's only 1mm thick or so, then a jigsaw with a fine metal cutting blade will cut it with no problems. -- Grunff |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Look in the yellow pages for your nearest steel merchant. I presume when you say metal you mean steel, rather than any other kind? Aluminium? Copper? Lead? Titanium? If it's only 1mm thick or so, then a jigsaw with a fine metal cutting blade will cut it with no problems. Yes steel! Or perhaps that stuff that wolverines claaws are made of. Will a steel merchant care that I only want a teensy bit. Regards Stephen |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article ,
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote: I'm looking for a metal sheet (something like PC cases are made out of, but without the textured finish). I don't really need very much. Also would a jig-saw with a metal cutting blade be able to cut something like this? The textured finish is some form of paint - the metal underneath is smooth. B&Q sell small sheets of both steel and aluminium - at a price. If you have a metal fabricator nearby, ask them for offcuts. They can be found on most industrial estates. Small amounts they'll often just give you, or sell larger amounts at near the scrap price. A pukka supplier is likely to only sell large sheets. Cutting thin sheet with a jigsaw requires it to be well supported either side of the cut. The more usual way is with tinsnips, which are also more accurate. -- *Therapy is expensive, poppin' bubble wrap is cheap! You choose. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote:
Will a steel merchant care that I only want a teensy bit. Most of them are really good about this, and will happily sell you a fiver's worth of offcuts. This usually translates into quite a big pile of mild sheet. -- Grunff |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
B&Q sell small sheets of both steel and aluminium - at a price. If you have a metal fabricator nearby, ask them for offcuts. They can be found on most industrial estates. Small amounts they'll often just give you, or sell larger amounts at near the scrap price. A pukka supplier is likely to only sell large sheets. Cutting thin sheet with a jigsaw requires it to be well supported either side of the cut. The more usual way is with tinsnips, which are also more accurate. How neat will a job like this done with tin-snips be? And how tired will my hands get. I need to weigh that against the cost of gettings somebody to do it for me. Its only going to be a piece about 60cm wide (24 inches), but about 20 cm high (8 inches) with rounded corners. Something like this : http://www.chowns.net/cab/panelshape.jpg Sanded smooth and bolted down to another piece of metal, and then painted. Regards Stephen |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote:
How neat will a job like this done with tin-snips be? And how tired will my hands get. I need to weigh that against the cost of gettings somebody to do it for me. Its only going to be a piece about 60cm wide (24 inches), but about 20 cm high (8 inches) with rounded corners. Something like this : http://www.chowns.net/cab/panelshape.jpg The rounded corners will take some filing - what radius? Sanded smooth and bolted down to another piece of metal, and then painted. This is steel, you don't sand it smooth, it comes smooth. -- Grunff |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
How neat will a job like this done with tin-snips be? And how tired will
my hands get. I need to weigh that against the cost of gettings somebody to do it for me. Its only going to be a piece about 60cm wide (24 inches), but about 20 cm high (8 inches) with rounded corners. Something like this : http://www.chowns.net/cab/panelshape.jpg The rounded corners will take some filing - what radius? Not particularly big. I just need it so you don't catch you sleeves on a sharp corner. Its going on a control panel of an arcade machine cabinet. Like this (where the red dotted line is): http://www.chowns.net/cab/panelposition.jpg Sanded smooth and bolted down to another piece of metal, and then painted. This is steel, you don't sand it smooth, it comes smooth. I meant sanding it where I had cut it (I am assuming it won't be super smooth on the edges) Oh yes, and you didn't answer my tinsnips question. (Thanks for all the advice so far though!) Regards Stephen |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote:
I meant sanding it where I had cut it (I am assuming it won't be super smooth on the edges) Ah, ok. You can file the edges. Oh yes, and you didn't answer my tinsnips question. (Thanks for all the advice so far though!) Pretty easy to cut up to 1mm mild with tinsnips. It would take me about 10 mins to cut and file a piece like that. Or about 2 mins with my powered snips. -- Grunff |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Pretty easy to cut up to 1mm mild with tinsnips. It would take me about 10 mins to cut and file a piece like that. Or about 2 mins with my powered snips. POWERED SNIPS you say!! Sounds like another great powertool to buy, that I'll use once and forever have hanging around in my toolbox! (or I could just use the normal ones) Thanks for all the advice! Cheerio Stephen |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
"Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX" wrote in message t... Pretty easy to cut up to 1mm mild with tinsnips. It would take me about 10 mins to cut and file a piece like that. Or about 2 mins with my powered snips. POWERED SNIPS you say!! Sounds like another great powertool to buy, that I'll use once and forever have hanging around in my toolbox! (or I could just use the normal ones) Thanks for all the advice! Cheerio Stephen ========================= Have a look at: http://www.machinemart.co.uk/search.asp?q=nibbler This will give you straight cuts whereas tinsnips tend to distort the metal. Cic. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article ,
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote: How neat will a job like this done with tin-snips be? And how tired will my hands get. I need to weigh that against the cost of gettings somebody to do it for me. Its only going to be a piece about 60cm wide (24 inches), but about 20 cm high (8 inches) with rounded corners. Something like this : Assuming it's the sort of thickness you've said it will cut easily enough with tinsnips. But like everything else, you'd cut *slightly* oversize, then finish with a file. -- *In "Casablanca", Humphrey Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam" * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article ,
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote: How neat will a job like this done with tin-snips be? And how tired will my hands get. I need to weigh that against the cost of gettings somebody to do it for me. Its only going to be a piece about 60cm wide (24 inches), but about 20 cm high (8 inches) with rounded corners. Something like this : http://www.chowns.net/cab/panelshape.jpg Last time I cut sheet steel it was with a hand nibbler, an Eclipse 2000 "Goscut". This was an 8x4 sheet (yes, 8x4ft) of 1mm zinc plated steel, I think tradename "Zintec", and by golly it was hard work.... the thing nibbled in only 1/4" mouthfuls, and at the end of the job I had forearms like Popeye. But (and this was important), it got a nice clean cut, with the swarf tidily curling up and away, with no distortion of the workpiece, and minimum finishing of the edges. One ambush built into the "Goscut" though. The hardened blade is quite brittle and is easy to snap if carelessly bent sideways, eg by trying to turn a corner too sharply. -- Tony Williams. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article ,
Cicero wrote: Have a look at: http://www.machinemart.co.uk/search.asp?q=nibbler This will give you straight cuts whereas tinsnips tend to distort the metal. Both edges will still need dressing afterwards anyway. -- *A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Both edges will still need dressing afterwards anyway. Dressing? |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote:
Both edges will still need dressing afterwards anyway. Dressing? Helmans. Goes with anything :) Seriously though, there will be sharp edges. The easiest way to get rid of these is to run a file down the edges a couple of times to get a more-or-less half-round edge, then polish with a bit of sandpaper. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote:
Both edges will still need dressing afterwards anyway. Dressing? You know, a bit of olive oil, vinegar, garlic, pepper, oregano, all mushed up and shaken up together. Very important. -- Grunff |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote:
Both edges will still need dressing afterwards anyway. Dressing? General description for cleaning up, or bending into shape after the cutting is done. Personally I think I would go to a steel fabricator with the exact dimensions required (ignoring the rounded corners), and they will guillotine some sheet to size - can't see that costing more than a fiver. That way you will get straight edges. Once you have it, you can add the radius (with snips or jigsaw) before filing all the sharp edges off. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Tony Williams wrote:
Last time I cut sheet steel it was with a hand nibbler, an Eclipse 2000 "Goscut". I have a hand nibbler as well as hand snips and power snips. The nibbler is good, as you say, but if I had to choose just one it would be the snips. More versatile, and can cut quicker. -- Grunff |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article , Tony Williams wrote:
Last time I cut sheet steel it was with a hand nibbler, an Eclipse 2000 "Goscut". This was an 8x4 sheet (yes, 8x4ft) of 1mm zinc plated steel, I think tradename "Zintec", and by golly it was hard work.... the thing nibbled in only 1/4" mouthfuls, and at the end of the job I had forearms like Popeye. Back in my teenage days I put side windows in my minivan cutting the holes with a Monodex cutter. Blisters on my right hand for days http://www.powertoolwarehouse.co.uk/...roducts_id/509 -- Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article , Tony Williams
writes In article , Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX wrote: How neat will a job like this done with tin-snips be? And how tired will my hands get. I need to weigh that against the cost of gettings somebody to do it for me. Its only going to be a piece about 60cm wide (24 inches), but about 20 cm high (8 inches) with rounded corners. Something like this : http://www.chowns.net/cab/panelshape.jpg Last time I cut sheet steel it was with a hand nibbler, an Eclipse 2000 "Goscut". This was an 8x4 sheet (yes, 8x4ft) of 1mm zinc plated steel, I think tradename "Zintec", and by golly it was hard work.... the thing nibbled in only 1/4" mouthfuls, and at the end of the job I had forearms like Popeye. But (and this was important), it got a nice clean cut, with the swarf tidily curling up and away, with no distortion of the workpiece, and minimum finishing of the edges. One ambush built into the "Goscut" though. The hardened blade is quite brittle and is easy to snap if carelessly bent sideways, eg by trying to turn a corner too sharply. I've had one of those since sometime back in the 60's and it still is as sharp as ever and still works a treat. Can't remember just how much ally that's been through but these days the jigsaw is the weapon of choice for sheet ally and steel of which it does a very good job especially on ally, if U get the right blade!..... -- Tony Sayer |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article ,
Grunff wrote: I have a hand nibbler as well as hand snips and power snips. The nibbler is good, as you say, but if I had to choose just one it would be the snips. More versatile, and can cut quicker. Yup. I've got a nibbler too, but it's far too slow and hard work compared to a decent pair of snips - unless it's needed for what it was meant for, cutting from one side only. I've got a power nibbler too I bought off Ebay - a self contained one by Hitachi rather than the add on type, but I've not really used it yet. -- *The average person falls asleep in seven minutes * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 09:48:55 +0100, "Chowny A.K.A. Mr 6000 SUX"
wrote: I'm looking for a metal sheet What for ? Your choices are hugely influenced by what tools you have to cut it, and what shape you need to cut it into. Try Yellow Pages and look for a metal stockist, then go round and scrounge in their scraps bin for a vey small number of quids. Aluminium is probably your best bet, just because it's easier to cut. -- Smert' spamionam |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article ,
Grunff wrote: I have a hand nibbler as well as hand snips and power snips. The nibbler is good, as you say, but if I had to choose just one it would be the snips. More versatile, and can cut quicker. I've got a pair of tinsnips, but have never really got on with them, except for short cuts. On long cuts, (a foot or so), the parted metal seems to get in the way of the handles. Must be some trick I'm missing. -- Tony Williams. |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
Tony Williams wrote:
I've got a pair of tinsnips, but have never really got on with them, except for short cuts. On long cuts, (a foot or so), the parted metal seems to get in the way of the handles. Must be some trick I'm missing. The main trick is to part the metal vertically, so that one side is a couple of inches higher than the cut, and the other a couple of inches lower. Gives your and and the snips plenty of room. -- Grunff |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
I'm looking for a metal sheet (something like PC cases are made out of,
but without the textured finish). I don't really need very much. Also would a jig-saw with a metal cutting blade be able to cut something like this? Found somewhere local-ish that will cut me two pieces, with the rounded corners for £15. I'll probably cost near that to buy the tools to do it myself, so I'm getting it from them. Thats for all the advice everybody! Regards -- Stephen Chown http://www.wallpaper-world.net |
Where to get Metal Sheet?
In article ,
Grunff wrote: The main trick is to part the metal vertically, so that one side is a couple of inches higher than the cut, and the other a couple of inches lower. Gives your and and the snips plenty of room. I can't do that without bending one piece so out of shape that it has to be scrapped, and there is this wide internal streak in me, labelled "Scrooge". -- Tony Williams. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:36 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter