And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel.
Cutting sheet metal straight line.
A quality jigsaw and the correct metal cutting blade will make short work of sheet metal cuts.
This same idea i decided to take to sheet metal when using the scissor shears.
Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade.
Step 5 optional if your project requires cutting a hole in the center of sheet metal draw it on the metal as you would any other cut line.
For thin sheets of metal you can use tin snips to cut through it.
Edge surfaces of cut sheet metal are not typically smooth and straight.
Even in properly cut metal the fracture zone will be angled and rough.
An well known trick when cutting with your plasma cutter is to clamp a metal straight edge to the metal so the arc is directly over your cut line.
As you cut one side of the sheet metal will ride up and over the.
Then grip the saw with both hands and push the blade through the metal to cut it.
Then create a pilot hole within the penciled circle.
And the long blades make it easy to cut straight and leave a smooth edge.
Start by taping both sides of the sheet metal directly over the line you want to cut and clamp the metal to a work station so it doesn t move.
To cut straight lines use an electric saw.
If you need a straight cut clamp a straight edge to the sheet to act as a guide for the jigsaw footplate.
It cuts metal almost as easily as a scissors cuts paper.
If you ve got a lot of straight cutting to do buy tin snips like the one shown in photo 4.
In sheet metal cutting the lower the clearance value the higher the edge s quality.
This way you can simply press the edge of the torch cup against the straight edge and slowly make a straight cut.
