Radius Corners

[Knocker]

Hi all,

I own a sign shop; we use 0.8 colour bond sheet metal and 3mm aluminium. Some customers ask for rounded corners, with 0.8 I use tin snips and file the edge off, with aluminium I use a jigsaw and also file the corners off.

I have been searching the net high and dry but can’t find a manual tool that will give me a perfect radius cut. There must be some kind of tool to do so like a manual hydraulic version or some thing you can use 2 x shifters to tighten to cut.

Can someone please assist?

Thanks

[scooter]

Welcome mate :)

Couple of googles here (http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=radius+corner+punch+sheetmetal&btnG=Google+Search&meta=)& here & (http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=radius+punch+press&btnG=Search&meta=)here (http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=radius+punch+press+handheld&btnG=Search&meta=)for you mate, could be old ground but hopefully something here for you.

Edit: a tool here (http://www.irvansmith.com/scart/round-cutting-unit-p-1104.html) and an idea here (http://www.ctlaminating.com/Pages/ID/CornerRounders.html).


Cheers...............Sean

[BobL]

No matter what cutting tool you use you are gonna have to smooth it off.

If you have many to do then a press and dedicated die would be the way to go but that can work out to be quite expensive.

If you only have a few that something that would speed things up and give a much better finish over a file is a linisher or a belt sander mounted upside down. I use one to make radiused corners on up to 12 mm Ally plate. Here's a tool (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=56835) I made recently using 6 and 3 mm ally plate. For small radii like of that tool I just do them freehand for larger I mark up the circle using a metal working compass and cut of the execess and then use a belt sander to finish. You could clamp 5 or 10 of the signs together and do each corner simultaneously

I'd maybe look at buying a small linisher that would be a lot quieter than a belt sander - they make an awful noise.