Picking A Jig Saw For Cutting Aluminum Sheet Thin

How to cut sheet steel using a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade.

Picking a jig saw for cutting aluminum sheet thin.

Install a metal cutting blade into a jigsaw. Mild steel no iron pipe and sheet metal up to 10 gauge thick photo 6. Metal cutting blade this type of blade has smaller teeth separated by sturdy slots. For cutting sheet metal choose a finer blade with 21 to 24 teeth per inch.

Use blades with 21 to 24 teeth per inch to cut metal. Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut aluminum with a wall thickness of more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm. Depending on how tight the curves are either a recip saw or a jig saw will be the tool for the job. Some of the most common cutting tools are metal shears circular metal saws or even a cutting torch depending on the thickness of the sheet metal but the most recommended cutting tool for sheet metal is a jigsaw.

The jig saw can make tighter turns. This design helps in cutting metal pipes and sheets. Types of circular saw blades for cutting aluminum. Use a 24 toothed blade or greater to cut through aluminum.

Blade manufacturingmakes a hss blade with 200 teethfor cutting really thin aluminum say window screen track but for most material being cut a carbide blade with 8 teeth per diameter inch will do well 10 x 80 tooth is a good example. Both have pros and cons. If possible choose a saw blade that creates narrow kerfs the notch or slot made by the saw. You can t cut through thick blocks of metal with this one however.

I actually find that i can usually get a straighter cut on thin plate with a jig saw. Sheet metal is made of stainless steel galvanized iron or aluminum and you can cut sheet metal manually using different kinds of tools. The more teeth on the blade the smoother the cut will be. How to cut thin aluminum.

For cutting 1 16 thru 1 8 material use 10 teeth per diameter inch 10 x 100 tooth or a 12 x 120 teeth. The recip saw has a longer stroke and more power so it will cut faster. There are two main types. Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum.

It is ideal for thinner sheets up to 11 gauge.