Thread: How to rip metal???

The thinner metal track and stud can be cut with an electric shear. Thicker stuff requires a cutting disc in an angle grinder or a power saw. It's noisy and sends up heaps of sparks but is pretty quick. I don't think you'll easily fit the profile in a guillotine to cut it, so a workshop would probably charge you more than the stuff's worth new to cut it down with an angle grinder.

Mick

I have an old Mk2 Triton workcentre which I put a 9" metal cutoff disc in to do this sort of thing. I then just rip like you would when ripping a piece of wood except with more noise and fireworks.

You need to keep the pressure on the cut , otherwise the cutting disc glazes .

John

I was considering an angle grinder, but thought it would be too difficult to rip a perfectly straight edge down the length of a piece. The edge has to be perfectly straight to look any good. Just thought there might be some easier way out there, as I don't know much about cutting metal - if it was wood, then it would be a piece of cake to rip on my Table Saw.

I wonder if there is some way to use a fence with the angle grinder to guide the cut?

For cutting metal I just use thin 1mm wide grinding disks, in my small 4" (or is it 5") angle grinder....'flexovit' I think there called......couple bucks from local hardware store.......my point is, the thinner the better, cuts off fast, no stuffing around......

G'day JTonks, I have thought about this method, but was not really sure how the Triton would stand up. I have a newish Triton, and don't really want to damage it, nor the expensive Triton saw attached.

I remember once asking the Triton people about doing this, but they could not really answer, only say that it could cause a lot of damage.

What sort of damage have you experienced to your saw? What direction do the sparks fly? Do they go down into the saw and do any damage? Would covering the top of the table with say a thin piece of MDF help from sparks damaging the top of the table? What thickness metal do you cut?

Steel is cheap as chips.
Think of another use for the stuff you've got & buy some new for the job at hand.
It will probably cost you more in grinder wheels than new steel.
cheers

Originally Posted by michaelvass

. I have a newish Triton, and don't really want to damage it, nor the expensive Triton saw attached.

I probably wouldn't do it on a new piece of kit either. The old MK2 was superceded by a new model and I never got around to selling it so it is useful for this sort of thing.

Originally Posted by michaelvass

. What sort of damage have you experienced to your saw? What direction do the sparks fly? Do they go down into the saw and do any damage? Would covering the top of the table with say a thin piece of MDF help from sparks damaging the top of the table? What thickness metal do you cut?

Covering the top with MDF would definitely protect the top which will get covered in sparks which melt into the paint.

I am generally only cutting 3mm steel although I have cut through a piece of 100 X 50 structual channel (really hard work)

Main direction of sparks is same as for cutting timber however the stragglers tend to go all over the place.

I tend to agree with soundman though. Depending on how much you need and the thickness you require, it probably wouldn't cost much more to go to a local sheetmetal fabricator and get them to bend up some strips for you.

I must advise against "ripping sheet metal " I assume you are using a friction wheel. the potential for the wheel to jam or bend in the cut is too great.

A fab shop will have to charge more than the new material is worth.That's if they accept the work at all.

The photo shown looks like a scan from one of the yank mags such as Shop Notes.These blokes always use ALUMINIUM angle sections.It is easier to work and looks great.

I have cross cut section steel using a friction wheel in a an old circular saw and leave at that. My 35 years experience in the trade tells me any doing more than that
puts me in line to an accident.

Grinding or friction cutting tools seem to send more DIY ers to hospital than any other group of tolls.
Please keep yourself safe!

Grahame Collins