Stainless Steel is often used in kitchens because it does not corrode like other metals when exposed to water or acidic foods. However, this very same property makes cutting difficult. Stainless steel has high resistance against many kinds of blades, including tin snips, wire cutters, shears, bolt cutters, and sheets.
Cutting stainless steel can be a daunting task for beginners. It doesn’t have to be! This blog post will cover how to cut stainless steel with the help of a circular saw and an angle grinder, so you don’t need expensive equipment or experience in metalworking. The steps are easy enough for anyone to follow, and it’s likely that you already have all of the materials needed around your house.
Here are some safety measures to follow when cutting:
- To prevent injury, always wear safety goggles while cutting stainless steel to protect your eyes from flying sparks.
- Always cut with a metal straightedge or ruler as a guide. Make sure the object is firmly attached and won’t slip off during use!
- Use screws instead of nails for attaching objects to shiny metal surfaces like stainless steel – nails can slip off of the metal and cause injury!
- When cutting with an angle grinder, never use one that is plugged into a power source. Use either battery-powered or cordless models to ensure safety.
- When cutting with an angle grinder, never cut straight down. Always make sure the blade is angled slightly towards whatever you are using as a guide so that it doesn’t slip off of the metal surface!
- Only use tin snips or shears on softer metals like aluminum – they can damage harder metals such as stainless steel due to how powerful their blades are. Use power tools for these materials instead if possible.
Tools and accessories you’ll require:
- Circular Saw (Cordless or Corded)
- Angle Grinder
- A medium-size cutting blade for your circular saw (or a metal cutoff wheel if you have an angle grinder).
- Marker
- Safety Gloves
- Eye Protection Goggles
Step by Step Guide on How to Cut Stainless Steel:
Using a Circular Saw or Angle Grinder
Measuring and Cutting the Slot
First, you will need to cut out a slot in the stainless steel that is slightly wider than your blade. To do this, clamp down a metal ruler or straightedge on top of the material and use either a circular saw or an angle grinder with a cutting disc attached to cut along it. Hold onto safety goggles while doing so – the sparks that fly can be hot, and it’s easy to lose track of how close you are to the blade.
Once your slot is cut, use tin snips or shears with an angled tip shaped like a “U” (tin snips may work better than shears depending on how thick your stainless steel sheet is) to carefully cut along the slot. Be sure to follow your cut with a file or metal rasp so that you have an even edge on each side of your stainless steel sheet.
Cut the Steel
Now, grab either a hammer and chisel for softer metals like aluminum, or make use of another cutting tool such as power shears or tin snips if working with harder metals. Cut your stainless steel sheet to the desired length and width, being careful not to cut too close to any corners where there may be a weak spot in the metal.
Shaping the Cut
To smooth out rough edges on either side of your cut piece of stainless steel, you can use an angle grinder with a grinding disc attached (if working with softer metals like aluminum). If you’re working with harder metals like stainless steel, a bench grinder or other power tool works well.
If your cut is not straight, the piece of metal may be warped and unusable for many projects. To fix this issue without buying new material, use either an angle grinder (for softer metals) or a bench grinder (for harder metals) to grind off the warped edges until you have a straight cut. This will leave an uneven edge, but you can fix that with another round of cutting or filing and sanding.
If necessary, use metal shears or tin snips to remove any excess material from your stainless steel sheet so it fits how you would like. Now that your cut is straight use a file or metal rasp to make sure all edges are smooth and even on either side of the stainless steel sheet.
This will ensure that there aren’t any sharp pieces sticking out while working with it in future projects! Now comes the fun part – creating whatever design you want. You can cut the stainless steel into whatever shape or size you want, then bend it how you would like by heating it with a propane torch.
Alternative Tools
You can also use a plasma cutter to cut your stainless steel. This is a relatively expensive machine, but it will give you a precise cut and can be used on other metals as well. However, if you don’t have one of these available to use, the methods mentioned above should work fine for how to cut stainless steel!
If you’re looking to make curved cuts on your steel, you can use a jigsaw. However, if you want a cut with sharp corners for some reason (like how cutting a perfect circle can be difficult), then smaller tools like tin snips or shears may work better. The most important thing to remember is that the cutting edge of any tool should always point away from yourself and anyone else in case it slips off of what you’re trying to cut!
Final Words
Using these easy methods to cut stainless steel will allow you to carry out your projects without worrying about injury or material wasted on failed cuts. If done correctly, this method works well on other harder metals, such as stainless steel or aluminum, due to how thin they are, so there won’t be too much resistance when being cut by an angle grinder or circular saw. Also, always remember to wear your protective gear when working with saws or other sharp tools. Happy woodworking!
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