Thread: To cut thin steel?

Hi all
I have not needed to work with steel until now
I want to cut a galvanised steel sheet into strips about 20 mm wide and .5 mm thick but because of the quantity required using snippers may not be a good idea not an angle grinder either. What be the next best thing around a hand guillotine perhaps?
Thank you f

Originally Posted by Ricardito

Hi all
I have not needed to work with steel until now
I want to cut a galvanised steel sheet into strips about 20 mm wide and .5 mm thick but because of the quantity required using snippers may not be a good idea not an angle grinder either. What be the next best thing around a hand guillotine perhaps?
Thank you f

I'd go to the nearest sheet metal place and ask them to cut the strips for you on their guillotine. Don't know how many you need, but it'll take them no time at all.

Originally Posted by Big Shed

I'd go to the nearest sheet metal place and ask them to cut the strips for you on their guillotine. Don't know how many you need, but it'll take them no time at all.

+1
And if you have right hand and left hand tin snips to mark the sheet edges it will be even cheaper as they can just lay the sheet strait on the machine without marking out.

Dave

You're a clever fellow Dave. Where'd you learn all this?

Bob.

It's just things I pick up over the years.

Dave

Or they might even use their back gauage.

Yeah the sheet shop certainly is the way to go. We used to get a whole sheet cut into strips at a time. Now since finding a local supplier that already has them in near enough width to suit our needs we simply buy em in. No sharpish edges to clean either. Can it be 19 mm wide? Does it have to be gal? Would ally be fine? Cause the ally strip we buy in is about 1 mm thick. By the time one cuts it manually or outsuources it to a shop.....

Originally Posted by Dave J

+1
And if you have right hand and left hand tin snips to mark the sheet edges it will be even cheaper as they can just lay the sheet strait on the machine without marking out.

Dave

yep ...an apprentice I know was sticking his tape measure thru to check his sizes...ah thats good and then put his foot on the pedal...chomp...cut the sheet right where he wanted it...and his tape...hahaha

I found this out after he borrowed my tape and did the same thing....hahahaha...i didnt laugh back then tho

cant use hoop iron from the hardware store?..it is about those sizes...some where near it anyway

Originally Posted by eskimo

yep ...an apprentice I know was sticking his tape measure thru to check his sizes...ah thats good and then put his foot on the pedal...chomp...cut the sheet right where he wanted it...and his tape...hahaha

I found this out after he borrowed my tape and did the same thing....hahahaha...i didnt laugh back then tho

Where do you think my 2 inch rule came from?

Jordan

Originally Posted by pipeclay

Or they might even use their back gauage.

I have found the places with the cheaper prices have primitive equipment on the side for smaller jobs so it doesn't tie up their regular work. It is usually the boss or the forman that does it for me, or if they have to set up a machine and pull one of the guys off something else, up goes the price.

Dave