How To Cut 16 Gauge Stainless Steel Sheet

Steel comes in many different forms and thicknesses.

How to cut 16 gauge stainless steel sheet.

If you ve hit it hard enough the chisel will cut the sheet metal if it s thin enough. Wear eye protection like certified goggles to protect your eyes from flying sparks and particles. Wear a pair of gloves to protect your hands from small fragments of metal and sparks. A soft wood backer will allow for the chisel to pass through more easily by providing support for the metal.

Keep rotating the knob until the tube is secure. If you are new to working with stainless steel you should be aware of its fundamental material characteristics. Thicker steel like pipes tubes and plates may require the use of power saws and torches. The lower the number the thicker the metal is.

Once your tube is in position tighten it into place by rotating the knob at the end of the device. Insert your stainless steel tube into the tube cutter. Simply line up your chisel along the line you are going to cut and strike the back of it with a hammer. Gauge to thickness chart click here for a printable pdf chart gauge.

Some materials such as galvanized steel simply have a corrosion resistant surface coating of zinc. Most sheet metal cutting tools are limited to 16 gauge and thinner 14 gauge is still sheet metal but in common forms 11 gauge while technically sheet metal is 1 8 thick and not really sheet metal for the purposes of this article so we will focus on 16 gauge and thinner. Mark on your stainless steel sheet with a permanent marker or metal scribe where you want to make the. Thin gauge steel like sheet metal can be cut with a large variety of tools.

Line up the section you want to cut with the wheel on the cutter. How to cut stainless steel sheet metal. Also it is recommended that you wear safety shoes that have. First you can mechanically cut stainless steel and retain the corrosion resistance on the cut edges.