Cut Through Thin Aluminum Sheet

The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot.

Cut through thin aluminum sheet.

How to cut thin sheet metal and keep it flat. To cut straight lines use an electric saw. If possible choose a saw blade that creates narrow kerfs the notch or slot made by the 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.

Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum. Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut aluminum with a wall thickness of more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm. Tired of getting fingers cut on sheet metal while using tin snips. 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.

Cutting thin aluminum should require no more than a few basic tools and is therefore a task that can be easily tackled either on the spot or from any reasonably well equipped garage. These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife. For thin sheets of metal you can use tin snips to cut through it. 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.