Cutting long straight lengths

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Need to cut 1/8"-1/4" off an already painted 1/8"x6" 10' long plate. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this without destroying the paint??Was thinking tapping up the material clamping on a guide and maybe running a jig saw down the length!?!?what about a rage circular saw?? I don't have one, but if thats a good option I'll try it outThanks
Reply:You could take it somewhere to have it trimmed with a waterjet.
Reply:Hello MetalArchitect, as an alternative to Supe's post, possibly find yourself some cardboard to cover the part with on both sides and take it to a shop that has a shear that could trim it for you. The cardboard would help to prevent the hold-downs on the shear or the bed from scratching or damaging the paint. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:1/8 inch plain mild steel plate?You can get a steel-cutting blade for a plain-old 7-1/4 inch circular saw.  The blade is about $40-50 and you can get it at Lowes or Home-Depot, as well as on-line places.  Note that this blade is made and works at the RPMs of a 'regular' circular saw, it is not a 'special' slow-speed blade made for the special slow(er) rpm 'metal cutting cirular saws'.Freud makes such a blade, as well as Lenox.  The thickness limit on those blades is 1/8 inch mild steel plate, so your material is within the blade's capacity.http://www.lenoxtools.com/enUS/Home/default.htmlspecifically http://www.lenoxtools.com/enUS/Produ...AW_BLADES.htmlFreud's blade is the Diablo Steel Demonhttp://www.diablotools.com/blades-ferrous.htmlPut some paper or thin cardboard down onto the painted plate, clamp a straightedge onto the plate, and cut away.  Wear hearing and eye protection.  It's not as loud as using an abrasive cut-off blade in the circular saw, but it is still loud.It works and works pretty well as long as the blade is still sharp.  Once the blade dulls, you know it.Either that or go with the big shear or a water-jet.  A jig saw will work, but will take longer and the cut will probably not be as 'good' as the other cut methods.  The shear may or may not 'roll' the cut edge a bit, depending on how well the machine is set-up.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:1/8... I would tape it up for a guide then cover it with paper and cut it off with my little 4 1/2 grinder with a cutting wheel. We had to do this once for a soda machine mod. They already had it painted and we had to cut down the rear cover so someone would not walk into an edge. Worked good for that application.
Reply:Thanks guys...just got a call and they couldn't wait and cut it themselves and messed up my paint I gave them these pieces prior to fabricating anything else and yet they still made the glass and stone to dig and needed the metal cut cuz it is easier!Oh well I guess i get to charge them now to come and fix there mess up!these are what needed to be cut ....
Reply:....The shearing deal  was a good idea, fast, cheap....that's a nice rug...I have one just like it....Dougspair
Reply:I've got a similar problem.  I'm going to cut some rectangular tubing lengthwise (7 feet long) to form some channels.  The sides won't be of equal length, so I think cutting the tube will be the best option.  My brother-l=in-law bought a metal cutting saw from Harbor Freight (# 08897) and said it works surprisingly well.  I bought one the other day for this job, but haven't cut it yet.  Unlike the original poster, my metal is just primed, not finish coated.  I looked at the HF website and couldn't find this tool listed.  I paid $100 for it.America Needs AMERICA'S Oil!!!"Global warming is the greatest scam in history ...There is no run away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril."--John Coleman, Founder of The Weather Channel
Reply:Steve I can think of two options that might help you. The first would be to build a raised "table" with a straight edge on which to run the saw. This would give you a larger base to rest the saw on. I have something like this that I use to cut panels with. It's a chunk of 3/4" plywood with a straight edge on it. The saw was run full length on it so the edge of the lower ply matches exactly the cut of the blade. For tube, you'd also need to raise this up to tube height and secure it to the tube. I'll often do something similar when I have to do long edge miters on edges rather than flats, like working on door edges. The second thought would be to under mount the saw to a plywood base and use it sort of like a table saw. Just screw a guide to the plywood table. A down side of this is that you will have to wire tie the trigger on, and then turn the saw on either with a power strip switch, or by plugging in the saw. In a pinch I've done this to make an emergency tablesaw on a job.Remember with both of these, kickback can be dangerous..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:You cannot shear 1/8" off a piece of 1/8" x 10ft. long ms.It WILL screw up. At the very minimum it will give an uneven width cut, at the worst it will fold the material over and jam or even worse, mess up the knives.The minimum shear width is 3 x the material thickness. You can cheat a BIT on SHORT lengths (like 6"+ long maybe in this case) but it is still very hard on the shear.Last edited by Marcel Bauer; 01-22-2010 at 12:36 AM.[B]Forever learning[B].
Reply:Originally Posted by jreynoldswelding1/8... I would tape it up for a guide then cover it with paper and cut it off with my little 4 1/2 grinder with a cutting wheel. We had to do this once for a soda machine mod. They already had it painted and we had to cut down the rear cover so someone would not walk into an edge. Worked good for that application.
Reply:Oh crap!!!!!!!  I was thinking of shorter cutsI don't know what it's called, but they used to make a slightly tacky paper that you could put on, and easily peel off.  That and a guide, with abrasive blade in circular saw would be great.  I dunno about the paint damage from the heat of the abrasive wheel though"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I would take a straight edge and use a razor wheel like Sam said.  I would use the straight edge only to make the pilot groove.  I would then remove it so it would catch the debris of the cut and scratch the paint.  The razor wheel can be tracked down the cut easily and complete the cut with out creating heat and destroying the paint.
Reply:Went to repair the angles today...They messed them up bad! I forgot to take pictures of the damage, I just got in there and started sanding, filling the gouges with glazing putty, sanding some more then painting it! with a small paint brush...The Hotel was busy and I couldn't spray. Oh well they look pretty good afterwards....Might need a little compounding and waxing once everything drys to make a seamless blend