Learning a lot from you Kevin. You're brilliant at explaining things, and full of good ways, for those of us that want to make things out of metal but don't have a load of tools, to get the job done.
I simply use my laser, it´s s clean cut every time xD In all seriousness, you can cut really thick Aluminium with a scoring knife. Score the metal a couple of times and then bend it back and forth a couple of times. Makes no noise and the cut is really clean.
@@KevincaronSculpture keep up the good work and no matter what anyone says negatively keep doing what you do and improve on that! Your explanation is easy to follow
Thirty years ago I made a third hand. I took a small Vice Grip and drilled a 1/4-20 tapped hole in the handle. Took a camera gimbal and secured the Vice Grip to it on the 1/4-20 stub. The gimbal has a locking device to hold it at any angle. Mounted the two on a small turning, 3/4"dia., 2" long with a 1/4" thick, 2" square base bolted on the other end to make a foot. Works great when fastening small pieces together that magnets will no hold. Thanks for sharing another gadget.
The (sacrificial) straight edge guide is a great idea. I reckon the best gift an experienced craftsman can offer a newcomer might just be offcuts: it's amazing how much easier things get as you accrue a little stock of straight-enough and flat-enough bits and pieces, wedges, shims, blocks to raise things up or use to spread out clamp force etc.
Love this video as I have a 20 gauge steel to cut and I find the hand held snips just not that great. I will now use my angle grinder and I like the idea of clamping down a straight edge and follow that as a guide. I am new at this and I see that you made about 5 passes before cutting it. I will do the same and not force it with one pass. Thanks for the excellent video. How come your wife is always wondering on what you are doing?
Great job explaining different types of cutting Kevin.. It's also worth noting that there are many different qualities of cutting wheels/discs, some last much longer than others and some are also specialised for cutting stainless steels.
I use a wood circular saw at 4800 revs per minute with a metal anti kickback tungsten carbide blade to cut thin alu and sheet metal up to 1.6 mm thick next to a straight edge clamped down for a nice straight clean cut
Straight edge for the grinder is good, it's easy to get wobbly fighting the torque of the machine. On occasion when I have to cut 20ga or thinner or soft metals I have an old paper cutter that originally belonged to a school I think with an 18" blade that is so easy to use. It leaves a very small burr but dead straight. I have a used electric shear also (up to 14ga) that makes great curves. We accumulate lots of tools as time goes on.
I noticed that plasma cutters have come down a lot in price. I already have an everlast welder that is fantastic. How practical would it be to own a plasma cutter?
Fred Smith I have a small capacity plasma cutter and I use it often, I got a great deal on it and it has a built in air compressor which came in handy at the time but I'm shopping for a larger machine now doing more work on structural metal. Portable bandsaw, plasma and handheld grinder with a cutoff wheel probably handle 80% of all cutting. Go for it.
There's some cheap but functional plasma cutters on ebay around 200 dollars. May not last you 30 years but if you have a decent air supply they get the job done and for my budget 200 is much more doable then 1000+ for the name brand high quality ones.
Sure love my angle grinders, a plasma cutter is a bit dangerus for my little wooden garage, so my alternatives are dremel or tin-snipps. Been drooling at some electric shears, have you ever used one?
I want to cut 12"x12"x0.045" stainless steel 304 into 12 strips of 1"x12", with clean edges, and no noise or dust. Can a sheer do that cleanly on both sides of the cut?
Would love to see something on how to cut intricate shapes from thin metal. I use shears, but my arthritic hands are getting tired sooner all the time. Of course, I have (and use) a jewel's saw, as well. But would br thrilled to find a mechanical way to cut these shapes until laser cutters some down a little. ;-)
I need to cut CIRCLES in a small sheet of stainless steel. Can you tell me how to cut circles and what tool do I use? Whoops! Just found your other video on cutting holes.
How thick of metal are you talking about? What kind of metal? What tools do you have on hand now? You can just use a Beverly shear to cut the scallops if that will work. Or you may just use a grinder to shape the metal if it is thick enough. Sorry, but not enough information to be very helpful.
I am trying to repurpose a metal closet/cabinet. I would love to cut free hand designs in it. Is there a tool for that? The design I'm envisioning would have points, and rounded edges like a leaf.
Great video there bud. Quick ?'s How would you recommend cutting thin/slim aluminium profiles for LED strips? I'm trying to cut 13mm wide aluminium LED profiles, rather thin sides and nearly every power tool burs or twists the sides so its not a perfect mitre cut. Hand saw is the closest but still not perfect as I would like so any help is appreciated. Also any idea how to cut corner style light diffusers?
You might have good luck with a guillotine paper cutter. All depends on how thick the aluminum is. As to the light diffusers, sorry, with out seeing one I don't have any idea.
hi kevin , please to advise for plasma cutter for cutting thin stainless and alu , on cnc , torches could be cnc shieded or water injection may be the hypertherm , powermx30 , thanks again
Kevin, thanks for the video! I was wondering, is it possible (and how good the cut quality) to cut thin metal sheets (around 0.3mm) with plasma cutter? Need to cut a lot of squares and thinking if CNC plasma is the way to go.
I really WANT a CNC for my powerplasma too but whether I can AFFORD one is a totally different matter! So many toys and too little money to spend on them ....
What about those cutters that use counter rotating wheels? I can't recall the name of them at the moment, they seemed to be commercially popular about 10-15 years ago, but I rarely see them used in scenarios like you describe. Are they a gimmick?
I could clamp it to the mill bed and do it that way. Or use a pencil grinder with a small end mill or burr and just cut it out by hand. All depends on how complex the design is I guess.
@@KevincaronSculpture thanks for the reply. Shame I cant post photos here! 😁 Baically, a rectangular cutout in the middle and on the ends, half cut away to a c shape but with a curve at the middle, if that makes sense.
I have never needed to cut a 38mm brass tube, but have made similar cuts using an old Craftsman chop saw with an abrasive disc in place of the saw blade. I use this chop saw exclusively in this fashion and it works reasonably well. Not the cleanest cut ever, but nothing you can't clean up pretty easily - and most importantly, it makes a perfect 90 degree cut.
hi kevin thanks for prompt reply i have an old cnc chineese , one without thc , i would like to buy complete cnc 3000x 1500mm , with complete set , cutter thc and shielded torches , mostly i cut , very thin , stainless and galvanized metal plate , then i need , nice cut , without drosses near laser cut , (without pretention to obtain same results) cut from , 0.6 mm to 2 mm stainless and alu , from my experience and many reads , the best is to use , cooled water to injection water torch , on a water table i can use 01 cutter , and 02 differents torches , one for very thin metal as above and one other other for , thick aluminium ( 5mm ) in the 02 case would like to use ,always , cooled water torches or injection water torches what do you think about , ??? , at hypertherm specs docs , they preconise ,to use , injection torches , with N2 gaz instead of air or oxygene you advise , everlast , yes i heard good things about , please to think about thanks
I don't know anything about a water table, can't offer any advice on that. I use a Hypertherm on my cnc table and it works very well. You might check with the guys at Dynatorch about their tables. Don't know if they ship to where ever you are.
How much do those shears cost? Be a lot quicker to break down a 4x8 sheet of metal for some projects I want to to. Is either that or a plasma cutter to cut 1/8-3/16" or so material to build fire pits with.
Kevin Caron, Artist Can get a Hobart 17Air plasma cutter and a Milwaukee dry cut circular saw for lass than that foot shear. Plate shear does best in what size metal thickness?
Kevin Caron, Artist To get started, am thinking of a dry-cut circular saw and the dry-cut wheel for the angle grinder. Think that would work best for me since the "welding/fabrication shop" would have to be setup and taken down every day until I get a proper shop built?
Really want a good pair of electric shears.. Something that will handle 1/8 inch if possible.. Not a fan of nibblers, leave too much of a mess to clean up after.. Course I was probably using it wrong also..
Mine leave a piece about 1/4" wide because of the cutting shear width. The other dim. is based on how fast I am pushing. I use it making circular cuts, instead of using a saw. I agree about the mess. Especially when they are non magnetic metal.
I would suggest re-titling this with "Aluminum" inserted in the title. I know it would work with Mild Steel but i was put off a little because i was thinking mild steel when i click the video.
@@KevincaronSculpture I don't really have I clamp it onto a CNC and cut through the T-Slots at the moment... but I'm really having an eye on the hsbr-305 (I need straight cuts only through the entire metal without bending the sheared off side). Another way seems to be a nibbler (the first time I heard about that was just yesterday someone recommended it to me). There are drill adapters which aren't expensive but 100$ adapters are recommended, which would be still cheap for the quality you get. The HSBR-305 would cost 500$ .... I'm making 0.8mm spur gears.... still thank you for the video! it saves me trying it because I don't want too much dust at the place where I'm doing it, and that's the reason why I called it messy (from my point of view).
Learning a lot from you Kevin. You're brilliant at explaining things, and full of good ways, for those of us that want to make things out of metal but don't have a load of tools, to get the job done.
I love taking the wrong tool and figuring out how to do the job I need. Thanks for watching and posting.
This was a killer video! Thank you! Made quick sense of things and no distracting music. Good job
Thank you for watching and posting.
I've only watched two of your videos so far, but they are short, explain everything well and I just love them! Thanks for the great information :)
Glad you like them!
I simply use my laser, it´s s clean cut every time xD
In all seriousness, you can cut really thick Aluminium with a scoring knife. Score the metal a couple of times and then bend it back and forth a couple of times. Makes no noise and the cut is really clean.
I will have to give that a try! Thank you for watching and posting.
Your like the Bob Ross/Mr.Rogers of a metal shop! Love how you explain things and demonstrate the work at hand. Excellent work!
Wow, thanks!
@@KevincaronSculpture keep up the good work and no matter what anyone says negatively keep doing what you do and improve on that! Your explanation is easy to follow
Thirty years ago I made a third hand. I took a small Vice Grip and drilled a 1/4-20 tapped hole in the handle. Took a camera gimbal and secured the Vice Grip to it on the 1/4-20 stub. The gimbal has a locking device to hold it at any angle. Mounted the two on a small turning, 3/4"dia., 2" long with a 1/4" thick, 2" square base bolted on the other end to make a foot. Works great when fastening small pieces together that magnets will no hold.
Thanks for sharing another gadget.
Sounds like a fun build! have to try making my own someday..
The (sacrificial) straight edge guide is a great idea. I reckon the best gift an experienced craftsman can offer a newcomer might just be offcuts: it's amazing how much easier things get as you accrue a little stock of straight-enough and flat-enough bits and pieces, wedges, shims, blocks to raise things up or use to spread out clamp force etc.
This is one of the reasons you will never see the underside of the welding table! It's a little on the full side!
I don't know why, but I never thought of just clamping a straight edge to the line I wanted to cut. Thanks for the tip!
I am always looking for a better and or easier way to get the job done. Thanks for watching and posting.
Great breakdown. Thanks for sharing.
Man I wish we were neighbors 😂🙌🏼
We could build a bigger boat!
Thanks
Awesome Channel Sir!
That would be cool!
Always enjoy your videos Kevin. Learned a lot from you over the years. Many thanks for all the tips and how toos you give us.
Happy to share what I learn the hard way Mike!
Exactly the video I needed to see . thanks
Glad it helped!
Thanks mate, great tips
Happy to help
Love this video as I have a 20 gauge steel to cut and I find the hand held snips just not that great. I will now use my angle grinder and I like the idea of clamping down a straight edge and follow that as a guide.
I am new at this and I see that you made about 5 passes before cutting it. I will do the same and not force it with one pass. Thanks for the excellent video. How come your wife is always wondering on what you are doing?
Well, she has to have some fun as well!!! Thanks for watching and posting.
Thanks for the info! I learned what a cutoff wheel is!!!
Thanks for watching Jay.
Nice clear and concise lesson... Thank you
Thanks for watching and posting Jay! Don't forget to click an ad or 2. Helps pay for the videos.
Beautifully done!
Great job explaining different types of cutting Kevin.. It's also worth noting that there are many different qualities of cutting wheels/discs, some last much longer than others and some are also specialised for cutting stainless steels.
Great point!
Have to get a bunch of them and see whats what!
That should be good Kevin.. they also come in different thicknesses, the ones you see me using give you about a 1mm cut
This guy knows what he’s talking about 👍
Thank you!!!!! I needed to hear that today.
I use a wood circular saw at 4800 revs per minute with a metal anti kickback tungsten carbide blade to cut thin alu and sheet metal up to 1.6 mm thick next to a straight edge clamped down for a nice straight clean cut
If it works for you,, awesome!
Straight edge for the grinder is good, it's easy to get wobbly fighting the torque of the machine. On occasion when I have to cut 20ga or thinner or soft metals I have an old paper cutter that originally belonged to a school I think with an 18" blade that is so easy to use. It leaves a very small burr but dead straight. I have a used electric shear also (up to 14ga) that makes great curves. We accumulate lots of tools as time goes on.
Amen Brother!!
I noticed that plasma cutters have come down a lot in price. I already have an everlast welder that is fantastic. How practical would it be to own a plasma cutter?
Fred Smith I have a small capacity plasma cutter and I use it often, I got a great deal on it and it has a built in air compressor which came in handy at the time but I'm shopping for a larger machine now doing more work on structural metal. Portable bandsaw, plasma and handheld grinder with a cutoff wheel probably handle 80% of all cutting. Go for it.
There's some cheap but functional plasma cutters on ebay around 200 dollars. May not last you 30 years but if you have a decent air supply they get the job done and for my budget 200 is much more doable then 1000+ for the name brand high quality ones.
Great tips!
Glad you think so!
Sure love my angle grinders, a plasma cutter is a bit dangerus for my little wooden garage, so my alternatives are dremel or tin-snipps. Been drooling at some electric shears, have you ever used one?
I have a shear that is rated to 16gauge. Did a little too much and snapped something inside. Still looking for a "good" one.
I want to cut 12"x12"x0.045" stainless steel 304 into 12 strips of 1"x12", with clean edges, and no noise or dust.
Can a sheer do that cleanly on both sides of the cut?
All depends on the shear you are using. A dull blade will make a big mess as well. But that is what I would reach for to do this job.
What’s the best budgeting way to smooth it off once you’ve cut ?
I just use a 4.5-inch grinder with a soft pad. Say about a 120 grit or so.
I always thought aluminum would clog up cut off wheels. Looks like they do just fine though! Good to know.
Good info! Thanks guys!
Would love to see something on how to cut intricate shapes from thin metal. I use shears, but my arthritic hands are getting tired sooner all the time. Of course, I have (and use) a jewel's saw, as well. But would br thrilled to find a mechanical way to cut these shapes until laser cutters some down a little. ;-)
I need to cut CIRCLES in a small sheet of stainless steel. Can you tell me how to cut circles and what tool do I use? Whoops! Just found your other video on cutting holes.
You got it!
Thanks! Really helped my project!
Glad it helped!
great tips ! 👍
Thanks so much!
Thanks for watching!
Will this method work for 1mm-thick 65MN spring steel? I've got a plate that I need to cut into 15mm-wide strips.
It should work but I have never played with that type of steel so am really not certain. Give it a try and let us know.
Greeting from iraq well done
Thank you for watching and posting.
still got the hook on the end of the scribe I see! (your Feb 17 video you said that one of these days you were going to cut it off!)
I just jabbed myself with that damn thing today!
How do you like the ear protection? do the batteries last long? is it AM/FM only or bluetooth too?
A/M F/M with a jack for input.. Battery's last about 6 months with regular usage..
Hi Kevin. Great video. Just found it. Can you pls give advice on a tool that I can use to create scalloped edges on galvanized metal?
How thick of metal are you talking about? What kind of metal? What tools do you have on hand now? You can just use a Beverly shear to cut the scallops if that will work. Or you may just use a grinder to shape the metal if it is thick enough. Sorry, but not enough information to be very helpful.
What kinda gloves you wearing?
Those are goat skin, and they are from Stanley. "Leather for weather" is what it says on the tag. Got them at the big orange store.
I am trying to repurpose a metal closet/cabinet. I would love to cut free hand designs in it. Is there a tool for that? The design I'm envisioning would have points, and rounded edges like a leaf.
Plasma cutter would be my first pick.
You could also use a jig saw with a metal cutting blade.
Or a nibbler.
How on earth do you keep the grinder from cutting into the straight edge/reference?
Just keep the disk flat to the straight edge and watch that area to make sure it is true.
Can you tell me how to cut a hole in a lanai bottom for an extension cord to fit through
hole saw on a drill works great. Just search for "hole saw for metal".
Kevin Caron, Artist thank you
What would you recommend using for sheets of diamond plate that's only .032 thick ? I can't cut a straight line using tin snips.
A 4.5 inch angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. Run it against a straight edge to keep your line.
Great video there bud. Quick ?'s How would you recommend cutting thin/slim aluminium profiles for LED strips? I'm trying to cut 13mm wide aluminium LED profiles, rather thin sides and nearly every power tool burs or twists the sides so its not a perfect mitre cut. Hand saw is the closest but still not perfect as I would like so any help is appreciated. Also any idea how to cut corner style light diffusers?
You might have good luck with a guillotine paper cutter. All depends on how thick the aluminum is. As to the light diffusers, sorry, with out seeing one I don't have any idea.
Which day is best for cutting thin gauge steel sheet?
Any day that ends in "y".
Friday
hi kevin , please to advise for plasma cutter for cutting thin stainless and alu , on cnc ,
torches could be cnc shieded or water injection
may be the hypertherm , powermx30 , thanks again
Can't go wrong with Hypertherm, I like the Everlast line as well. All depends on what CNC table you have and what your budget is.
Kevin, thanks for the video! I was wondering, is it possible (and how good the cut quality) to cut thin metal sheets (around 0.3mm) with plasma cutter? Need to cut a lot of squares and thinking if CNC plasma is the way to go.
CNC is always the way to go for cutting in my opinion.. Still looking for an affordable plasma table, time will tell..
I really WANT a CNC for my powerplasma too but whether I can AFFORD one is a totally different matter! So many toys and too little money to spend on them ....
What gauge or thickness of sheet metal would you prefer to make deck post brackets?
I would probable reach for the 16 gauge steel.
@@KevincaronSculpture awesome thx
What about those cutters that use counter rotating wheels? I can't recall the name of them at the moment, they seemed to be commercially popular about 10-15 years ago, but I rarely see them used in scenarios like you describe. Are they a gimmick?
I know what you are talking about but have never seen one.
How would you go about making cutouts in a brass tube (say, 38mm diameter)?
I could clamp it to the mill bed and do it that way. Or use a pencil grinder with a small end mill or burr and just cut it out by hand. All depends on how complex the design is I guess.
@@KevincaronSculpture thanks for the reply. Shame I cant post photos here! 😁 Baically, a rectangular cutout in the middle and on the ends, half cut away to a c shape but with a curve at the middle, if that makes sense.
I have never needed to cut a 38mm brass tube, but have made similar cuts using an old Craftsman chop saw with an abrasive disc in place of the saw blade. I use this chop saw exclusively in this fashion and it works reasonably well. Not the cleanest cut ever, but nothing you can't clean up pretty easily - and most importantly, it makes a perfect 90 degree cut.
hi kevin thanks for prompt reply i have an old cnc chineese , one without thc , i would like to buy complete cnc 3000x 1500mm , with complete set , cutter thc and shielded torches , mostly i cut , very thin , stainless and galvanized metal plate , then i need , nice cut , without drosses near laser cut , (without pretention to obtain same results)
cut from , 0.6 mm to 2 mm stainless and alu , from my experience and many reads , the best is to use , cooled water to injection water torch , on a water table
i can use 01 cutter , and 02 differents torches , one for very thin metal as above and one other other for , thick aluminium ( 5mm )
in the 02 case would like to use ,always , cooled water torches or injection water torches
what do you think about , ??? , at hypertherm specs docs , they preconise ,to use , injection torches , with N2 gaz instead of air or oxygene
you advise , everlast , yes i heard good things about , please to think about thanks
I don't know anything about a water table, can't offer any advice on that. I use a Hypertherm on my cnc table and it works very well. You might check with the guys at Dynatorch about their tables. Don't know if they ship to where ever you are.
If that's aluminum why is there Sparks coming off of it?
Because the straight edge I was using is steel and the cutoff wheel is rubbing against it. Great question, you are the first to ask.
@@KevincaronSculpture How much damage are you doing to the straight edge when you guide your angle grinder alongside it?
One day the Tesla of tools will plug itself in :)
How much do those shears cost? Be a lot quicker to break down a 4x8 sheet of metal for some projects I want to to. Is either that or a plasma cutter to cut 1/8-3/16" or so material to build fire pits with.
If I remeber right that foot shear was in the $1500 range used, the little plate shear was about $160.
Kevin Caron, Artist Can get a Hobart 17Air plasma cutter and a Milwaukee dry cut circular saw for lass than that foot shear. Plate shear does best in what size metal thickness?
That shear works up to 1/8th inch. The foot shear will only do 16 gauge. Next step up is hydraulic and much more money.
Kevin Caron, Artist To get started, am thinking of a dry-cut circular saw and the dry-cut wheel for the angle grinder. Think that would work best for me since the "welding/fabrication shop" would have to be setup and taken down every day until I get a proper shop built?
Have you ever thought about using a CNC machine? Or is that not really good for artistic integrity? Just wondering I have no opinion either way.
Have been looking at them but can't find one I can afford. Really want a water jet but holy shite are they proud of them!
They are stupid expensive! But man would they make cutting intricate pieces easier.
what are your thoughts about electric shears and nibblers ?
Really want a good pair of electric shears.. Something that will handle 1/8 inch if possible..
Not a fan of nibblers, leave too much of a mess to clean up after.. Course I was probably using it wrong also..
interesting. thanks for responding.
Mine leave a piece about 1/4" wide because of the cutting shear width. The other dim. is based on how fast I am pushing. I use it making circular cuts, instead of using a saw. I agree about the mess. Especially when they are non magnetic metal.
Jigsaws with metal cut blades work frickn GREAT!!!
Where I order the scrib?
Lots of them online. Or the big orange store.
@@KevincaronSculpture is it a certain one
What about stainless steel sheet?
Because stainless is much harder then steel you have tom cut slower and use some lube. Other than that I feel it is done the same way.
Great. Now do a radius. And cutoff tools and grinders are a sure way to not have a straight line. Nearly guaranteed unless you do it all the time.
I want to make scallop cut across a 10ft. Ridged metal
Okay, what are you building?
I would suggest re-titling this with "Aluminum" inserted in the title. I know it would work with Mild Steel but i was put off a little because i was thinking mild steel when i click the video.
I shall scold the videographer severely.
Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to this man and I'm sure he will refund your 3 minutes and 46 seconds of life back to you!
@@PALM311 Are you upset bruh?
Hmm, wish I had a metal shop, guess I'll just use my dremel.
Use whatever works for you.
@@KevincaronSculpture the dremel actually worked well enough, not straight but a lot better then metal sheers.
Very messy it seems. I need exactly that but I should be able to get away with shearing
If you have the tools, awesome!!
@@KevincaronSculpture I don't really have I clamp it onto a CNC and cut through the T-Slots at the moment...
but I'm really having an eye on the hsbr-305 (I need straight cuts only through the entire metal without bending the sheared off side).
Another way seems to be a nibbler (the first time I heard about that was just yesterday someone recommended it to me). There are drill adapters which aren't expensive but 100$ adapters are recommended, which would be still cheap for the quality you get.
The HSBR-305 would cost 500$ ....
I'm making 0.8mm spur gears....
still thank you for the video! it saves me trying it because I don't want too much dust at the place where I'm doing it, and that's the reason why I called it messy (from my point of view).
We need a ten foot shear lol
Oh yeah!
00:03 who is that talking ?
That is my Office manager, aka my wife!
Or just use makita metal shears
If you happen to have a set on hand then that is a great option.
😃✅🖤
@3:43 when wearing mask was not a norm.
That's me!! NOT normal!!
Hardly precise when the marker would have been good enough with the cut off grinder.
Anyone ever seen his wife?
She played "Wilson" on Tool Time!!
@@KevincaronSculpture I was thinking Norm's wife Vera from Cheers.
Don't be such a Twinkyloaf, I use hand-shears!
Good for you.
@@KevincaronSculpture New-age-Brony spotted!