How To Cut Thin Aluminum Sheet

The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot.

How to cut thin aluminum sheet.

This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. Aluminum cutting take my word for it i have cut 100 s of sheets of aluminum diamond plate. I have tried everything else this works circle b fab. Water jetting also works for any of these parts and these days is not any more expensive than other methods.

Get a jigsaw i have a craftsman commercial that the blade goes back and forth as well as up and down i believe they call it oscilating or orbiting. These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife. You might want to put a couple of wood blocks sandwiched between the table and the plate so you don t slice up your table. 2 mark the start and stopping point of your cut.

Set the piece of aluminum on a table or over sawhorses and position it so the cutting area has open space underneath it. For starters clamp the plate down if you can. Routing is also used as is cnc routing. Align the snips with the line you want to cut with the upper blade of the tin snips touching the sheet metal.

Clamp the sheet metal in place on your work table to hold it in place while you work. C clamps that hold the aluminum on a table is a great way to keep things steady. Flip the sheet over and repeat. You will really be surprised how well this cuts.

Depending on the complexity of the shape thinner simpler parts can be cut by shearing or punching. Tin snips are primarily used for cutting thin sheet metal like tin aluminum brass and thin gauge stainless steel. Clamp the aluminum down. After a few wiggles the sheet will fracture along the cut line leaving a clean break as shown in the above photos.

Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. Apply a lubricant like standard oil or saw wax to your blade then slow your cutting speed by reducing the diameter of the cutting blade. To cut aluminum use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades.

How to cut thin sheet metal and keep it flat.