cutting thin plate

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I was wondering what to use to cut 16gauge steel sheet? Thanks
Reply:What do you have?Me!
Reply:torch, sawzall, pnumatic cutter and may be bing a chop saw if that will cut plate.
Reply:More info needed here, are you cutting little itty bitty pieces or full sheets? For small pieces you could use tin snips, electric shears, a nibbler, plasma cutter, cut off wheel on a grinder and I'm sure I'm missing a whole host of other methods.For larger pieces you could use the saws all, plasma cutter, skill saw with proper metal cutting blade (many varieties available) or even a jigsaw with proper blade. I would however stay away from a torch on 16 ga. as it will warp it all to he!l. DaveI am what I am, Deal with it!If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!
Reply:Really depends also just how much you need to cut and whether they are long straight cuts or a lot of small cuts. With what you have I'd go with a torch. An 0 or 00 tip will eat it up.
Reply:If you go to the torch back off or just lay the angle of the torch back. You'll be surprise how far away it will cut and getting the torch back will help the warpage issue.
Reply:they are about 2 in wide by 10-12 in long. To big for snip, eat to many wheels. would a chop saw work?
Reply:yes, as long as your clamp holds it.  Band saw would be better.  The HF 4x6 is hard to beat for the price.Skill saw with abrasive blade will also do a good job.  Put a steel cutting carbide blade in it and it will do a excellent job. (with straight edge)Me!
Reply:I have a pair of bulldog tin snips that will cut 16 ga with ease, but big sheets you need a helper...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio  Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:Well if you are good with a torch you can cut them with it.  I have cut many of sheets of 16ga with a torch over the years.  Turn the torch low, and lay it down almost flat against the sheet and move quick.   If you can find some good bi-metal blades a sawzall will work pretty well.  Another option is to have a local shop cut it for you.  It probably would not cost too much depending on what you won't done.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I will probably just go and buy a chop saw and cut it with that.
Reply:2" strips would go in my Beverly shear.  But after that, then either the carbide dry saw or the chop saw, standing vertically in the clamp.  Use caution on a toothed blade (like the dry saw or bandsaw) to make sure you have an appropriate feed rate or tooth pitch.
Reply:I dont think I would stand material that thin up in a vise to cut it with a chop saw. That leaves the drop end un-supported and material that thin has a tendency to grab and explode blades...Not good...
Reply:Excellent point.  Hopefully you can stack several thicknesses to be cut at the same time, and clamp them together.  Or if you must cut just one, hold it firmly and pull away from the blade as it finishes the cut.
Reply:Air nibbler in my opinion is your best option. Chop saw for sheet metal?John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:16-ga. is the same thickness as the wall of a lot of the tubing that fabricators use.  We just don't have the structural shape here for support, but it's still just a 2" cut.  A nibbler would work, but that's a lot of effort to make a lot of really straight 2" cuts.Did I mention the shear?
Reply:would a chop saw cu through plate of just tubing and squeared stock? Thanks
Reply:I'm not quite picturing what you are asking.
Reply:will it cut flat steel or just round tubing of square tubing?
Reply:a chop saw will cut just about anything you put under it, the question is how well you can grab the material and keep it from moving.I would use a grinder, good cutoff wheels will eat 16ga like butter.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:I was using some, but they were gettin eaten up preaty quick.
Reply:Originally Posted by mark123I was using some, but they were gettin eaten up preaty quick.
Reply:Agreed.  I use Norton almost exclusively.  I even tried the Hilti brand, just to show the Hilti rep they weren't worth twice as much when it was insignificant how much longer they MIGHT have lasted.They would do a find job to be sure, and depending on how many cuts you had to make would be a tough option to beat versus buying a chop saw for the job, though you've probably been looking for an excuse anyway, right?But for all the clamping involved and trying to cut the line straight, seems the chop saw would be the quickest way, esp. if you can clamp several strips together at a time.
Reply:We use these, I cant believe how long they last and how fast they cut.  Only .040 thick.http://www.cgwheels.com/eng/HTMLs/ar...=703&BSS16=703Have we all gone mad?
Reply:would a chop saw cut 1/8 with out booging down? I have been looking for an excuse to buy a chop saw.Yes it will...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio  Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:Then i may go buy a dewalt and get my free grinder.
Reply:We have a chopsaw at work, 14" wheel, and it cuts pretty much anything as long as you clamp it properly. 1/2" by 2" flatstock, 1" round barstock, 1/8" by 6" flatstock(until the wheel wears down smaller anyway, but you can still turn it over to finish the cut), 2" by 2" by 1/4" angle, whatever you put in it. When you set it up, keep in mind that it will throw sparks quite a distance away from you.
Reply:I can cut 3" with the chop saw i use. Probably bigger just takes longer with thicker materials. Also ours is industrial with a 24" blade lol. Small more common ones from tools stores will cut over 1 inch no problem as long as you dont bog them out too bad.