# how to cut sheet stainless steel - Done it!



## dedee (24 May 2010)

What is is the best method of cutting thin stainless steel sheet?

I need to cut a piece of 0.6mm stainless steel sheet. The cut will be 65cm long so a hacksaw is out of the question. 

I have an angle grinder but was wondering if it would be better to glue the steel to a piece of mdf/hardboard/ply before cutting.

The cut piece will be mounted to a horizontal surface in the kitchen behind and above the hob which is set into the corner of a worktop. 

Andy


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## bugbear (24 May 2010)

dedee":11cnk3ld said:


> What is is the best method of cutting thin stainless steel sheet?
> 
> I need to cut a piece of 0.6mm stainless steel sheet. The cut will be 65cm long so a hacksaw is out of the question.
> 
> ...



By hand you have a range of options:

* pad saw

* Shetack

* Eclipse #55

All of them guaranteed to make you miserable!

BugBear


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## dedee (24 May 2010)

BB,

so an angle grinder is not a good idea then?

Andy


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## Racers (24 May 2010)

Hi,

I did a SS hob extractor with a angle grinder it worked but that was because the cut was hidden. 
Can't you find a local sheet metal company with a guillotine?


Pete


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## RobertMP (24 May 2010)

A good quality fine metal cutting jig saw blade should do it. Having a backing board behind it that you cut at the same time is a good idea. Don't cut it dry. Spray WD40 on the cut line and frequently on the blade whilst cutting. Expect that you may need to change the blade even using a quite low speed.

Angle grinder will heat the metal and distort and discolour it. If you have a backing pad and metal sanding discs for it then it could be useful for cleaning up the edge after cutting.

If you have a local sheet metal company then it is a 30 second job on a guillotine. Mark the cut line for them in marker pen or pencil. I used to hate it when people walked in and wanted something cut but expected you to start measuring it up for them


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## dedee (24 May 2010)

Thanks, I was worried about discolouration using the angle grinder.

I am searching Pages jaunes for Tolerie Industrielle so will give a couple a call tomorrow as it is a "kind of" bank holiday here today.


Thanks


Andy


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## chipchaser (24 May 2010)

Hi Andy, 

Probably the easiest and least stressful is to find a sheet metal works or stockholder with a guillotine for metal. They should cut it dead straight with a good edge in about 5 seconds once they’ve got it lined up.
If that’s not possible you could use a sheet metal saw, I have one by Eclipse which takes standard hacksaw blades. You would need the appropriate blade as some stainless steel is very tough. I am not too sure on why but understand that if it isn’t cut quickly with a sharp tool some grades work harden.
I have a Turner Nibbler which claims to cut s/s up to 1.0mm thick. It fits into a power drill. I have cut mild steel with it but not found it easy to get a straight edge, more like the mice have nibbled it for me. Machine Mart sell them but I was shocked to see how much they cost now (£59). They also have a wheel cutter that bolts to your bench but I have never tried one of those. It says up to 1.6mm mild steel but doesn’t mention s/steel so probably not hard enough.
I have used a Dremel type tool with the thin cutting discs to cut old saw blades into pieces for scratch stock blades. I found I could make a 50mm long cut pretty straight with patience and concentration but 650mm would, I think, be quite taxing.
Finally, standard angle grinder discs at about 3.5mm thick generate a lot of heat as they cut and might distort the edge and turn it blue. If it goes wrinkly you won’t flatten it again. I think you might get an acceptable result with a small angle grinder and the ultra thin 115x1mm thin cutting discs. Worth trying if you have enough material spare to make a trial cut first. I picked up a pack in Aldi a while back, the pack says: “Ideal for cutting delicate and thinner materials and stainless steel”. I haven’t tried them yet so can’t confirm how good they are. I would make a temporary jig to guide the tool in a straight line and upright. Obviously keeping the disc above the cut at the start and raising it out of the cut should you need to stop and restart due to the torque reaction on start up. Axminster list these ultra thin cutting discs in their May flyer at £4.95 for 5.

Best of luck with this
Graham


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## Boz62 (24 May 2010)

If you do use a jigsaw, don't forget to masking tape the underside of the jigsaw's base, to save marking the St-St. DAMHIKT 

Boz


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## jimi43 (24 May 2010)

Give "LE SALVAGER" a call....

BUT...make sure you don't turn yer back on him or he may turn it into a boat or clock or something equally stupid...

   

Jim


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## toolsntat (24 May 2010)

Monodex sheet metal cutter or Mole supercut and maybe even the good old GOSCUT (done thickish steel and brass sheet but not stainless before) 8) 8) 

Andy


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## dedee (24 May 2010)

Well on the basis that one should not pay someone to do a job that you have not at least tried to do your self I set to with the jig saw and metal cutting blade and plenty of WD40.
I could get 2 pieces from the 50cm square sheet I had so if I did cock it up I could then try to get it done properly.

As you can see in the pic the cut edge will be covered by the tile edging. It did ripple a wee bit but not to much and the saw was in fact easy to control.

I did not even put in on a backing board first. Just clamped one end to the bench and had someone hold the cut piece steady.







Thanks again


Andy


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## Hitch (24 May 2010)

Angle grinder would have been the way to go imo.... i do a bit of sheetmetal work. :lol: 

Just need to buy a good quality thin disc. One or two of the 1mm (max) thick ones, they will go through this stainless with such a small amount of discolouration its barely visible. Not like thoose ol' 3mm thick ones, which make more heat, sparks and burrs than is acutalyy believable!


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## Ikisumu (26 May 2010)

Hitch":24juxd1n said:


> Angle grinder would have been the way to go imo.... i do a bit of sheetmetal work. :lol:
> 
> Just need to buy a good quality thin disc. One or two of the 1mm (max) thick ones, they will go through this stainless with such a small amount of discolouration its barely visible. Not like thoose ol' 3mm thick ones, which make more heat, sparks and burrs than is acutalyy believable!



I would second with all of above. 

Here's my tip for occasional cutting with a guiding fence.

Straight cuts with thin cutting discs are very easy and very precise with a single straight steel strip as a fence. Just lean the running disc a little bit against the fence so it touches. Fence edge will be only polished just a bit, and the cut will advance along the line.

I used here some fluid, just to cool down the carbon steel back. Usually there is no need to use coolants if just cutting.












Samu


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## BradNaylor (27 May 2010)

I had a similar problem last week when installing a cooker hood; I had to cut the 'chimney' bit to length where it met a flyover between the two adjacent wall units. 

I hid the cut line within the flyover but as it turned out I needn't have worried. My angle grinder did a near perfect job without any discolouring of the stainless steel - and I used a standard 3mm disc.

I'll get some thinner discs for next time now that I know about them.


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