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May 11, 2010 16:50:33 GMT
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Hi all the sheet metal workers, and other knowlegables. I need to cut 1.5meter or 5 foot of 1.2mm Ally sheeting perfectly at home No idea how to do it very neatly. It will be the covering sheet for the teardrop trailer I am building. I need to be able to do the 5ft cuts 3 times, and do not have a guilotine, and also need to cut a roof vent hole, square into it. Any experience, advice, tools etc ? I have been suggested a Bosch multi tool 180. Right, the floor is yours gentlemen. Thanks, Rian.
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May 11, 2010 16:52:37 GMT
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+?
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Your car is not 'epic', this thread is not 'epic'....the OCEAN is epic, the UNIVERSE is epic.... please stop misusing this word!! It would appear Hotrods are the new VWs - aint fashion funny! '69 BUICK LESABRE 350
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May 11, 2010 16:52:57 GMT
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I've been using a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade to cut anything upto 3mm steel for the Locost
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1997 TVR Chimaera 2009 Westfield Megabusa
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May 11, 2010 17:05:00 GMT
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i have a pair of air shears you can borrow if that's any help
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May 11, 2010 17:12:34 GMT
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how accuratre do you mean though ? as a jig saw etc will be fine for a +-1mm tolerance, if it needs to be EXACT then a pro guillotine is the only way
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L33 RWW
Part of things
Kettle on?
Posts: 135
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May 11, 2010 17:17:13 GMT
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How about using a jigsaw but use a piece of straight timber as a guide to run the bed of the saw against? Just clamp it to the work piece the right distance from the required cut (the distance between the blade and edge of the bed) and you're well away Edit: Edited grammar for clarity!
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Last Edit: May 11, 2010 17:18:20 GMT by L33 RWW
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May 11, 2010 17:23:07 GMT
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Your problem Grizz is to achieve a clean accurate cut over a large flat area with very little or no vibration......
All the above will work however ally will wrinkle and ripple with excess flex and vibration.
I'd fasten the Ally to a sheet of ply wood or MDF and cut the two as one.
Plenty hands will also help.
Have you bought the alloy sheet??
If not make a template and buy the sheet pre cut??
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May 11, 2010 17:23:36 GMT
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Failing that I'd use a disc cutter.
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May 11, 2010 17:24:46 GMT
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Jigsaw - have used sq tube as a guide. Air shears would be good, fast. Or get the supplier to cut to size, or take to an engineering type place for choppage if you've already got it. They won't charge much at all, poss just something for the brew fund.
For the square 'ole, drill corners, chop out with jigsaw. Then file the radius corners to square.
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'66 Amazon <-> '94 LS400 <-> '86 Suzuki 1135 EFE
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berny
Part of things
Posts: 295
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May 11, 2010 17:52:16 GMT
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+? you read my mind but expressed it SOOO much better than i could ;D ;D ;D Grizz have you asked a sheet metal place about cutting it? i know of 1 in gillingham, never used them myself but a old mate of mine used to swear by them, google kejan and they should be right at the top
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10mpg
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,253
Club RR Member Number: 204
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May 11, 2010 18:27:42 GMT
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Hmm, can you borrow a set of air shears?
if your ever near me, your welcome to borrow my guillotine or my plasma cutter or my air shears..
other than that I'd go real steady with an 1mm slit disc in a grinder..
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The Internet, like all tools, if used improperly, can make a complete bo**cks of even the simplest jobs...
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berny
Part of things
Posts: 295
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May 11, 2010 18:32:00 GMT
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just a thought can you get metal cutting disks for circular saws? because a simple "jig" would be really easy to knock up with a bit of ply ect and a few lengths of batten EDIT: you can and i have a few saws here and your more than welcome to borrow one for as long as you need it grizz? I'm quite close-ish to you, I'm in tunbridge wells if you do need it ;D
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Last Edit: May 11, 2010 18:38:11 GMT by berny
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May 11, 2010 19:32:57 GMT
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grizz.. . . . looked through all the suggestions.. nbest one in my eyes is sandwiching sheet between two bits of wood and cutting as one...
failing that... yellow pages look for a fabrication place near you.. 2 minutes on a guillotine job done...
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purplevanman
Posted a lot
Way too orangey for crows
Posts: 3,830
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May 11, 2010 19:51:47 GMT
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I am having the same problem but with 3mm ally checker plate. I used the strip of wood clamped to it as a guide and tried a jigsaw but the blade still deflected And yes I let the saw do the work A disc cutter is just too loud I gave up and went to the local sheet metal place and got them to do it and use galv sheet instead. Second choice would have been the Plaz but I was in the wrong garage and it would still have need cleaning with the grinder!
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Welder, fabricator, general resto work
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Anglia68
Posted a lot
Powered By Boredom.
Posts: 2,049
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May 11, 2010 19:53:19 GMT
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Just one thing to say to you....... NIBBLERSThis sort fit into any electric drill,even battery ones,but you can also get electric or air powered ones.They give a very clean cut with minimal distortion and are easy to use. It's usually best to cut a large sheet down roughly to size and then trim it up neatly afterwards.It might sound like more work but it's easier than wrestling with a whole sheet and trying for accuracy at the same time.hth.
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May 11, 2010 20:39:27 GMT
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Thanks for all the responses, and especially the offers of tools.
Right, I bought the ally sheets, 5x10foot about 6 months ago.
What most of you probably do not realise is that I am making up this build as I go along, plans are for pussies, heard that before ?
Anyway, getting to a shop with a guilotine is not going to happen, so it all has to happen in my back yard.
I have no idea at present what length the roof and galley are going to be, but I know one sheet will go on, and then there will be a 3 foot section on the front, with a joint, partly hidden behnd the "tongue box" which will contain gas bottles and battery power etc.
The galley hatch still is not finalised in my head, as I may make a small vallence below the floor height, or make it all one big thing that folds around the bottom.
I suspect cutting with a jigsaw or airtool will be the end result, so maybe I will be at someones door for an airtool.
Have I mentioned that I love this site, and all the knowlege shared on here.
It surely Rocks !!!
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May 11, 2010 21:29:11 GMT
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If it were me I'd clamp the piece between two stiff pieces of ply and all to a bench as mentioned above and cut with a good quality jigsaw. If you need to replicate the cut (a curve?) a few times use a template to copy the cut and draw onto the top piece of wood, use lots of clamps and cut nice and slow.
That said, I've been using 110v power shears for the cf recently, its awsome, cuts through 1.0mm steel like a knife through butter, does good curves too. (maybe you can hire them?)
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Last Edit: May 11, 2010 21:30:44 GMT by suterman
1985 Bedford CF2 camper 1991 Volvo 240 Turbo
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May 11, 2010 21:33:02 GMT
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Hello Grizz, are you doing the Pod on June 6th. PM me!
I would really be tempted to get it cut by a pro metalbashing place, 5 mins on a guillotine will be a hell of a lot easier than struggling at home, but if you do feel like being stubborn, a number of ways. Jigsaw with metal blades, which are sharp, and let the tool do the work. Ensure the work is clamped down, to stop vibration.
Also, if you are going to make it in pieces, then you will have to join the edges together. I would be tempted to joggle the edge, and poprivet it together. If that is the case, then ensure the top piece, that is on show, has the factory cut edge, so the joggled edge is underneath, and if a bit rough it wont show. Careful marking out of cut lines, use saw, and then DA sander to get back to lines, again ensuring work clamped down to a batten or piece of steel box section. This will take the wobble out, and also a bit of noise
Andy
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1960 Ford Thames 402e resto 1965 Ford Thames 400e van 5.7 ltr 1965 Ford 100e 2.1 Pinto power
It all takes time and money, why do I never have them both at the same time?
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Hello Grizz, are you doing the Pod on June 6th. PM me! I would really be tempted to get it cut by a pro metalbashing place, 5 mins on a guillotine will be a hell of a lot easier than struggling at home, but if you do feel like being stubborn, a number of ways. Jigsaw with metal blades, which are sharp, and let the tool do the work. Ensure the work is clamped down, to stop vibration. Also, if you are going to make it in pieces, then you will have to join the edges together. I would be tempted to joggle the edge, and poprivet it together. If that is the case, then ensure the top piece, that is on show, has the factory cut edge, so the joggled edge is underneath, and if a bit rough it wont show. Careful marking out of cut lines, use saw, and then DA sander to get back to lines, again ensuring work clamped down to a batten or piece of steel box section. This will take the wobble out, and also a bit of noise Andy Thanks for the PM Andy, will do
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If you reverse the tungsten tip blade in a circular saw you can cut metal, or get a screamer blade for it. Basically a square tipped saw blade.
Adrian
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Vitesse 6 Saloon Vitesse Mk2 Convertible BMW R1150GS VW Amarok
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