# How to cut a thin sheet of Stainless Steel



## PEU (Jan 20, 2007)

I received free of charge a large sheet of mirror finish stainless steel sheet, the thickness is around 0.2mm or 0.008"

I need to cut 3 pieces, longest one is 950x180mm (37in x 7in)

Tried using some sheet scissors but the cut is not clean at all, and I cut myself in the process when doing some preliminary tests.

What would you suggest for the job?

Thanks


Pablo


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## highorder (Jan 20, 2007)

go to your local highschool with a shop... use this.

http://www.ece.byu.edu/services/shop/images/metal_shear.jpg


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## lrw2 (Jan 20, 2007)

.2mm is pretty thin. You might try scoring it with a utility knife and a straightedge.


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## TXArsonCop (Jan 20, 2007)

Or a cutoff wheel on a 4" or 4.5" grinder...


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## PEU (Jan 20, 2007)

HighOrder: technical schools here don't provide shop services to general public here 

Irw2: it is thin, but you dont have an idea how strong stainless steel is, before making the 1st cut, that was my idea 

TXArsonCop: The grinder is a good idea, maybe if I use the dremmel with some cutting discs... I even have a diamond coated one... will try on monday

Thanks


Pablo


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## highorder (Jan 20, 2007)

a dremel wont even touch stainless steel. far to stringy.


sad to hear that schools dont do that sort of thing. here, schools use jobs like this a teachable moments that actually connect to the real world.


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## frisco (Jan 20, 2007)

Be careful with sheet Stainless...... more people get hurt with that stuff...... it grabs and all Hell breaks loose!

Maybe try a HVAC shop that does heating and air conditioning ducts. Give em a few bucs to shear it.

frisco


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## PEU (Jan 20, 2007)

This is what I want to do:







Thats the barbecue I have in my apartment, I live in the top floor so neighbors don't complain 

Its a really nice unit made completelly in stainless steel with removable cooking panels for easy cleaning. The problem with it is that the heat from the charcoal spreads quickly to the sides, and I like to cook meat veeeery slowly, so I want to mod it like its shown in the picture.

Will try one more time using the suggestions here, and if I fail I will use frisco suggestion 

Thanks


Pablo


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## 65535 (Jan 20, 2007)

Go buy some metal shears. http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...BV_EngineID=ccghaddjmddgmejcefecemldffidfjm.0

like that. Makes easy work wear gloves we need you to make us pinapples and stuff.


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## highorder (Jan 21, 2007)

65535, you've never used those have you? he wants a nice cut...


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## 65535 (Jan 21, 2007)

I have gotten good results but you have to go slow. And use an edge to line it up. Like a bench or something a straight line and clamp the metal to your line guide.

One other option is a large cutting press (highorders suggestions) what kind of tooling do you have that can cut? 

That is a large amount of material to cut so I am sur eany machine shop will charge a premium for the cuts. A dremel with diamond disk would work but it would take a long time and be hard.


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## highorder (Jan 21, 2007)

> A dremel with diamond disk would work but it would take a long time and be hard.



its also a long, tough walk to the Moon.


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## 65535 (Jan 21, 2007)

Nothing is impossible people just give up.


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## frisco (Jan 21, 2007)

You really do want to go to a HVAC shop. Looks like you want a bend in there also. To bad your not local to me. I have a 52" Stomp Shear and a 48" Finger Brake.

I've had stuff done at a HVAC shop that was larger than my stuff can handle. In most cases a case of Beer works for payment.

Looks like your serious about your BBQ !!!! Ummmmmm !!!!

frisco


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## TXArsonCop (Jan 21, 2007)

PEU, barbecues are allowed in apartment complexes in your city? Not that I care personally, but you _could_ get in a bit of trouble with that. In most cities that's a major fire code violation. Wouldn't want to see you put that much work into it and get busted by management.

It is one great looking pit by the way.


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## Sawtooth (Jan 21, 2007)

highorder said:


> its also a long, tough walk to the Moon.


If a dremel is too small, try a small angle grinder (wheels are something like 4.25" or something). Ive never cut metal with mine though -- just tons of flagstone with diamond wheels.


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## Amonra (Jan 21, 2007)

if you have a 5" or a 7" circular saw, you could fit an abrasive wheel to it. 1mm thick ones work best for sheet metal as they are fast cutting , dont heat up too much and leave a reasonably clean cut. you would probably need to make some sort of centering washer as the bore diameter of abrasive discs is normally 22.22mm and the most common bore sizes for small circular saws is 18mm. by using a side guide with the circular saw you are virtually guaranteed a straight cut. you could clean the cut afterwards using a fine grit flap disc on an angle grinder.

hope this helps.


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## Mirage_Man (Jan 21, 2007)

Pablo,

Just a thought but from your picture it appears you will have to reach over this piece you're wanting to cut right? If so I think you may want to look into having the edge folded over with a brake. I wouldn't think you'll want that sharp edge there.

Just a thought...

MM


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## luigi (Jan 21, 2007)

Barbecues like Pablo's are more or less standard in Argentina in any house that has a yard or a terrace. 
As long as you don't smoke your neighbours there is no problem at all. 

To be a fire code violation we would need to have a fire code 

Luigi



TXArsonCop said:


> PEU, barbecues are allowed in apartment complexes in your city? Not that I care personally, but you _could_ get in a bit of trouble with that. In most cities that's a major fire code violation. Wouldn't want to see you put that much work into it and get busted by management.
> 
> It is one great looking pit by the way.


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## nerdgineer (Jan 21, 2007)

Find a small commercial metal shop, pay them to make the cuts?


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## PEU (Jan 21, 2007)

TXArsonCop said:


> PEU, barbecues are allowed in apartment complexes in your city? Not that I care personally, but you _could_ get in a bit of trouble with that. In most cities that's a major fire code violation. Wouldn't want to see you put that much work into it and get busted by management.
> 
> It is one great looking pit by the way.



Like Luigi said, barbecues are common place here in Argentina. 

Almost no one (there is always exceptions) will complain if you make a barbecue at home. I live in the 8th floor, last floor in my building, and nobody EVER complained.


Tomorrow I will try with the tools I have, but the idea of taking the sheet to a shop is growing in me 


Pablo


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## dom (Jan 22, 2007)

We have used Wiss shears for cutting shim -similar to what you are cutting -excellent quality-lasts for years.

WISS

The M2RS1 model may suit -or as others have said -use a 1mm cutoff disc in a grinder -these are fantastic -even good for aluminuim.

If you can't get it cut at a workshop -that is

Cheers


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## MoonRise (Jan 22, 2007)

Hey Pablo,

Several choices to get the cuts made.

In no particular order:

- go to a metal supplier or sheet metal shop or HVAC place or welding shop and have them cut it all for you;

- your listed thickness is approximately 14 gauge, which is at the upper limit for some of the common 'sheet metal' shears when they cut stainless. Here is one that looks like it is listed as having the capacity to do 14 ga stainless 

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=167

This one looks like it is rated for 14 ga mild steel but only 16 ga stainless sheet, so your material might be just a bit too thick for it 

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=170

- use a hand-held jig saw with a fine-tooth metal-cutting blade and CLAMP the workpiece down well before cutting it, maybe sandwich it between some relatively thin wood to support the sheet during the cut;

- you can get a metal-cutting saw blade for a 'standard' handheld circular saw to cut metal. See here for an example, it's about $50 here in the US
http://www.freudtools.com/contracto...Specialty_Blades/html/Specialty_Blades_1.html

Again, with the steel sheet you would want to support the steel sheet with a wood sandwich during the cut;

- use a plasma cutter. Zip-zip right through that sheet, only cost you about $1200 or so on sale, not including the air compressor. See here for one 
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/plasma/spectrum_375/

Unless you want the cut edges to look like they were gnawed upon by a demented weasel, or you want to spend a LOT of time with a file or grinder to smooth and straighten the edges out/off, I'd not do those cuts with a Dremel or even a full-size grinder with cut-off wheels. To me, a Dremel is a tool for working on SMALL pieces, not trying to make a cut 3 feet long!

How are you planning on attaching the sheet-metal pieces to you grill? Sheet-metal screws, rivets, welds? Also, if you attach partial shields to some of your grill top framework, be aware that you will be bouncing the heat back around off the shields. If you grill with the unit that close to your wall, I think you will have some problems!

And potted plants on a grill? Sacrilege!

Another thought. Your proposed partial shield in your ghosted image looks like it would interfere with the handles on the grates. And also make the cooking not as uniform because of the only partial shielding on one end and one face. But if you put a full attached shield onto the upper framewaork of your grill, you wouldn't be able to get to the cooking surface!

Maybe rethink the partial shield and attachment method(s) and come up with a better arrangement. In the US, grills commonly have a hinged lid that can swing up for turning the meat, getting to the meat, putting the meat on the grill (you get the idea). Maybe you can put a door hinge near the top of the grill frame and then have a swing-up front/back to your shield? The end panels could be solidly mounted to the frame without much impact on access to the meat.


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## cy (Jan 22, 2007)

NICE GRILL!!!!

.2 mm is mighty thin... don't think it would hold up very well. 

I've got several sheets of stainless shim stock that thickness. I use a precision pair of scissors to make cuts on sheet metal that thin. an old pair of Keen Kutters does job for me. 

that and a precision punch and die set for round pieces.


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## I'M DK (Jan 22, 2007)

PEU said:


> the thickness is around 0.2mm or 0.008"





MoonRise said:


> Hey Pablo, your listed thickness is approximately 14 gauge


I'm confused now are we talking .2mm or 2.0mm.
That's the difference between .008" (heavy foil) and .080" (heavy sheetmetal).

DK


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## 65535 (Jan 22, 2007)

hmm 14 gauge is actually 1-2mm if i remember correctly.


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## MoonRise (Jan 22, 2007)

Hmmm, bleary eyes on my part or typo on Pablo's part?

Yup, 14 gauge is about 2 mm or 0.080 inch thick.

If the material is really 0.008 inch or 0.2 mm thick, that is about 35 gauge. That's just thick foil! Cut it with a pair of scissors or shop snips, or lay a straightedge on it and cut it with a utility knife.

But I wouldn't even bother putting foil on the outside of that nice looking grill. Maybe wrap the meat -inside- the foil and grill it up in the packets that way. Might be a bit expensive to use stainless steel foil to wrap grilled food in though. Unless you have an aluminum foil phobia or some other weird reason not to use standard aluminum foil.


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## blahblahblah (Jan 22, 2007)

I use a plasma cutter (Hypertherm Powermax600 w/ FineCut consumables), as I don't have free access to a sheer. I'd suggest going to a sheet metal shop and having them sheer it to size and then brake it for the angles.

If you really want to DIY, use a 4 1/2" angle grinder with the thinnest cut-off wheel you can find (1/16" or so). Clamp a thick piece of metal or square tube to the sheet to use as a guide. The cut will be a little rough compared to a sheer or plasma cutter, but it should clean up nicely with some fine touch on the grinding wheel or better yet a stationary belt sander.


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## 65535 (Jan 22, 2007)

Or you could use an inverted funnel of SS to conecntrae heat around the meat.


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## Ganp (Feb 4, 2007)

You could also consider these - http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Hand-Nibbler-Shears-Sealey-AK327?sc=9&category=250 

They are a manual version of the air nibbler in 65535's post.

Slow, hand aching, and fiddley, but if you clamp the sheet between straight-edges you can get a good neat cut with no distortion.


Colin.


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## Kevin Tan (Feb 4, 2007)

Pablo, I have worked with ss plates and believe u me, them be a biatch to cut and edge bevel. So best advise so far is to goto a machine shop as suggested by the upper posts and have them sheared, and the edge bendover as a stiffener is a must.


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## hizzo3 (Feb 5, 2007)

you could also use a jig, and a jig saw with a carbide blade on it....just watch out for the shavings


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## bombelman (Feb 5, 2007)

I need one of those too !!


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## cedarcreek (Feb 5, 2007)

If it's very thin, use a straight edge and a utility (razor) knife to score a single clean line on it, then bend it away from the scored line. You might need to turn it over and use the straight edge to support it while you're bending. This often works really well, but you'll have to use a stone or some sandpaper to get rid of the sharp edges---They're really nasty. When you bend, don't let the area away from the score line bend---try to use something to force the bend only at the score line. It won't all happen at once for long cuts, just work it from one end to the other. If you have to make multiple passes with the utility knife, you add the risk of it not splitting right. Try to get one clean, sharp, even pass with the knife.


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