Easiest Way To Shape Sheet Metal

Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade.

Easiest way to shape sheet metal.

If your project requires curved cuts make an easy economical and adjustable. If you want a sharp 90 bend tap along the crease with a mallet. For thicker copper sheet you would want to use a jewelry saw it s a bit slower but gives you a nicer finished cutting edge. Place the sheet metal on top of the workbench and lay out your pattern using a tape measure pencil and straightedge.

How to bend sheet metal without a brake in 4 different methods with minimal or homemade tools. How to bend sheet metal without a brake. It s strong and flexible. Then bend the sheet back and forth a few times to snap it.

Hammering off dolly is a precision operation that is used to shape metal without stretching it. If your sheet metal is too thick you may need special machinery like a brake or a torch to bend your sheet into the desired shape. And you can use the same technique anytime you need a straight cut on aluminum or other light gauge sheet metal even steel. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.

This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. You can use a tape measure or ruler to measure the thickness of your sheet metal. For higher gauges meaning thinner copper you can easily do it with standard hardware store metal snips. Mark a bend line and place the sheet metal on the edge of your bench.

Next place the wood parallel and slightly behind the bending line. This measurement will be necessary for calculating your bend allowance. Cutting your own copper shapes can be easier than you think. They look like big scissors and work the same way.

Finally bend the sheet up by hand to the angle desired. This photo shows hammering on dolly but in this case the dolly is rubber clad. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards. Clamp the wood on top of the metal to the workbench.

Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Steel is an impressive material. Determine the thickness of your sheet.