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Old 01-13-2002, 08:38 PM
Ace! Ace! is offline
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How to cut 3/16" or 1/4" steel?

I'm thinking of doing some work on a project, and I'll be buying some 3/16" or 1/4" steel sheet. How would you cut it to the size you need? Are there blades you can buy for a circular saw (or a sawzall) that would cut through 3/16" or 1/4" steel, or do you need a cutting torch of sorts? Thanks.

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Old 01-13-2002, 09:16 PM
Jeff Weston Jeff Weston is offline
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Short of a plasma cutter or a cutting torch, there are a few different saw options. There are sawzall blades for steel, though the cutting will be slow and you'll go through alot of blades. A better option for straight cuts is to get an abrasive cutting blade for your circular saw. If you're making really long cuts in 1/4", for say a skid plate, you may want to find a friend with a torch.

Good luck!

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Old 01-13-2002, 11:16 PM
Chris L Chris L is offline
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I was cutting 3/16 with the sawzall today and it was not to bad if you use bi-metal blades with 20 teeth per inch. Skillsaw with a metel cutting disk will work better for long stright cuts as opposed to the cutting torch {lot's of grinding and cleanup of edges}. Die grinder with metal blades works well also, but is slow and you will go through a lot of blades. Plasma cutter would be ideal, though expensive.

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Old 01-14-2002, 07:08 AM
KevinF KevinF is offline
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I suppose you've already tried a hacksaw, right?

Torch, plasma cutter, a steel chop saw or metal band saw would be my choices.

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Old 01-14-2002, 07:21 AM
EFICJ5.0 EFICJ5.0 is offline
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You can also rent a torch set-up from a rental place. I have done this in the past and it is faily in-expensive. I would say borrow one if you can. If your cutting large sheets that thick a torch is the only way to go (besides plasma). I tried the skill saw method and although it is WAY faster than a recipricating saw it is sometimes harder to make nice cuts. And like a chopsaw it is smelly, loud and make a mess. For aluminum I have always used a skill saw with carbide blade and a jig saw. But still I say torch.

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Old 01-14-2002, 07:38 AM
Ace! Ace! is offline
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Thanks all, I'll try the circular saw first (because I have that and don't have to go to someone's house to borrow their time or tools yet).

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