Cutting Aluminum Sheet Jigsaw

Cut metal plate and pipe on low speed.

Cutting aluminum sheet jigsaw.

The more teeth on the blade the smoother the cut will be. Install a metal cutting blade into a jigsaw. For cutting sheet metal choose a finer blade with 21 to 24 teeth per inch. If your saw has variable speeds just consult the chart.

Use a 24 toothed blade or greater to cut through aluminum. Do it carefully and slowly to make sure you get the shape right. In terms of blades you ll want to make sure that you have something with a lot of space between the teeth. Clamp a guide to your aluminum on both sides of your saw.

Cutting aluminum sheet metal with a hammer and chisel is relatively straight forward line up the edge of the chisel along the line you wish to cut and strike the chisel with a hammer. Sharp edges are present on the cut sheet metal so use a metal file or sandpaper to smooth the edges of your project. Position the saw close to the side of the aluminum where you want to begin cutting. If you are making a long cut you may need to apply cutting oil to the blade of the jigsaw to keep the blade cool.

And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel. Use a jigsaw if circular cuts need to be made in the aluminum. To avoid shredding sheet metal or raising a lot of edge burrs tightly sandwich the metal between two layers of thin plywood. Cutting sheet metal is slow work with a jigsaw and even more so if you are working with corrugated metal.

Usually it s a matter of moving a belt to a different sized pulley. Afterwards lower the blade approximately 0 39 inches 0 99 cm past the metal and guide the blade along the metal. Work slowly and methodically. For pattern cutting drill blade starter holes instead of making plunge cuts.

When you re cutting aluminum on a band saw you ll want to crank the blade speed up to 250 feet per minute. Using a softer piece of material such as wood as a backer will allow the chisel to push through the metal and prevent wear on the chisel s tip. Cut through the sheet where you have put the marking. Instead of pushing it forcefully slide the jigsaw slowly and allow it to eat through the sheet metal.

To cut the sheets of metal rathe. 2 make precise cutting marks on.