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October 22

Cutting sheet metal

I have a cordless drill and some drill bits (I think 1/4" is the biggest), a single ended hacksaw (like this, i.e. the blade is not under tension: is there a correct name for this tool), a cordless Dremel-like grinder, and some tin snips. I'd like to cut a 2.5" diameter hole in a piece of sheet steel, preferably without buying more tools since I don't do this stuff that often. The hole doesn't have to be precise. My idea is to drill some small holes connected together enough to get the hacksaw blade in, then use the hacksaw to cut a circle, then clean up the edge of the hole with the Dremel. I think the hole required will be too small to operate the tin snips inside, but I would try.

Does the above sound like a reasonable plan? I may want to do it twice but not more than that. It occurs to me that I can get hold of an electric jig saw and buy a metal cutting blade for it, which should be usaful enough to justify the small expense. The "right" tool would presumably be some kind of punch and die, or maybe a metal cutting hole saw, but either of those would going overboard for this one-off task. Thanks. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 01:09, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Using a 1/4" bit to cut several holes close enough together to join up and allow the hacksaw blade to enter sounds quite tricky. I would go with the jigsaw blade since you can probably get one small enough to fit through one 1/4" hole. Also it may be hard to navigate around a 2.5" hole with a 1/2" wide hacksaw blade.

How thick is the steel? If it's very thin, you might want to sandwich the steel between two pieces of wood while you're cutting to prevent the steel from flexing while you're cutting it.

Alternatively, you can get a 2.5" metal-cutting hole saw for less than $10, probably not much more than the cost of the jigsaw blade. A hole saw would be much easier and would produce a cleaner and more accurate hole. CodeTalker (talk) 01:32, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Be vary careful drilling through thin sheet metal. If it isn't clamped down securely it can snag on the drill bit and turn itself into a circular saw blade. An easy way to lose a finger or two. Or worse... AndyTheGrump (talk) 01:50, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks both, good point about clamping down the sheet metal, I'll make sure to do something to keep it from spinning, and can also run the drill slowly. Unfortunately I don't have a vise, but will figure something out. The metal is pretty thin, maybe 0.5mm--I haven't tried to measure it. The thing about the hole saw is that I'm unlikely to have another use for it anytime soon, while the jigsaw blade would keep being somewhat useful. Maybe I can use some other material for this that is easier to cut. It doesn't have to be metal. I just happen to have a bit of sheet metal of about the right dimensions. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 07:21, 22 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Nibbler tool? 136.56.52.157 (talk) 01:25, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah I remember having had one of those ages ago, from Radio Shack. I looked on Harbor Freight and they only had pneumatic ones, but I should check other places like Home Depot. Good point, thanks. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 04:14, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Update: Home Depot has lots of them but even the cheapest hand operated one is $65. Ace Hardware has none. I found a bunch on ebay that attach to an electric drill and are in the $15 range that look sort of interesting and are more in my price range, so maybe. I like the idea of keeping this project close to zero cost using scrounged materials though. Anyway, thanks for all the help everyone. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 04:27, 23 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

If you can use the tin snips as it will be a lot less work than saws or dremmels. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 08:28, 24 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]