Cutting Large Holes In Sheet Metal

Tap your hammer to leave an indentation on the sheet metal.

Cutting large holes in sheet metal.

I ve messed with trepanning tools abrasive wheels hole saws and all manner of other stuff for cutting large holes in sheet metal. Don t say that you were thinking of holding that metal sheet with bare hands. Use clamps to hold the sheet. In a well designed sheet metal cutting process the cracks should meet each other and form a continuous break.

It is common practice to use a self starting step bit to form the. It s meant for creating lightening holes of the type seen when building aircraft or maybe just toolboxes and furniture that are built like wwii fighter planes. Follow few steps step 1. Depending on the tools you have you ll now need to punch or drill a hole where the indentation has been made to produce an accurate hole in your sheet metal.

Use a scrap of plywood as a backer for the hole saw s pilot bit and to protect your work surface. For this step you ll need a compass ink and a center punch. Step bits can be used to make even larger holes typically 1 3 8 inch wide or smaller in sheet metal but do require pilot holes. For large holes a hole saw gets the job done cleanly and quickly.

Place your sheet metal on your steel block and position your centre punch at a central point in your cut out design. This break will create the fracture region. In response to a question about h. Be that as it may here is a neat idea from flyboy accessories for cutting larger holes in sheet metal.

The fracture region starts at the end of the burnish region and occupies most of the rest of the thickness of the cut with exception to the burr.