Cutting 16ga. Stainless

[claytonisbob]

I built a custom console for my Chevelle, and I have been planning to top it with a sheet of stainless. I have a piece of thin MDF type stuff that is 1/8 inch thick mounted in place where the stainless goes. That is my template.

I bought a sheet of 16ga stainless, 12" x 48" and I want to cut it down to a 7"-8"ish wide by 37" piece. The side are completely straight, but they do taper in a bit. I would have used aluminum, but its too soft, and being a console, it would get all mared. The stainless should look good for a long time.

I tried to cut this stuff with an air cut off wheel, but its taking FOREVER. If I try to cut too much in one place at once, it yellows from the heat, so I have to make SEVERAL passes. My air compressor is a 10gal and I live in an apartment, so I don't want to piss my neighbors off by running it all day (or I don't want to burn it up). Plus, this does not give me the sharpest line, which is what I want.

My thought was I could take it to a shop (body shop, machine shop, steel supplier???) and maybe scribe my lines and have them cut it with a table sheer. From what Im reading though, thats right at the edge of what a sheer can cut, depending on how big the sheer is.

Maybe CNC/waterjet? but that would be expensive to have someone cut it that way for whats basically a trapizoid/rectangle. And I wouldnt even know who in Dallas could do that.

Any thoughts?

[oestek]

Plasma cut it with a straight edge... should need very little grinding to clean up. A local body shop should have no problem with it.

[DirtShark]

Would recommend water jet, accuracy you need with no heat transer to the product. Water jet machines are fairly common now so you should be able to find one in your area.

[Sparky67]

You might try a local sheet metal shop. Here is a few that is in your area. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sheet+metal+dallas Here is a company with some larger sheers, http://www.westernsheetmetal.com/page5.html or here is a waterjet that is in Dallas. http://www.awcwaterjet.com/

Jeff

[claytonisbob]

I think I am going to give Western Sheet Metal a call. It looks like they have huge equipment and they state on their site 1/2" stainless :twothumbs.

I didn't know if a plasma cutter would not distort the color. Plus with a foot sheer its a 2 minute job.

Thanks for your help guys.

[Jim Nilsen]

Any good sheetmetal shop will have a big enough shear to to cut the piece you have to the size you want. Just call around until you find them.

20ga. would also be thick enough for the piece you are doing and you be able to trade the 16 ga. piece for the 20 ga. at the shop you find to cut it for you. They may even have a piece laying around and for the money you will still do it for a good price and be able to keep your 16 ga. piece for something that you really need 16 ga. for.

You can also find someone with a cordless skill saw that has the smaller blades " 6 1/4 or 5 3/4"and buy a Dewalt metal cutting blade for it available at at Menard's, Lowes or Home Depot and cut it with that by clamping it in between a piece of 1/4 in plywood and a piece of angle to hold it flat. I have cut 10ga. stainless with my Dewalt cordless skillsaw with no problem. Just make sure you wear leather gloves because the chips get very hot and wear a face shield along with saftey goggles because if the chips hit your face it is not very comfy. Go slow and patient and you will get the job done with 1 blade. You could even rent the saw at a rental store if you wanted to. If you could get lucky the rental place might even have one of those twin blade Craftsman metal cutting saws. The skillsaws really do work and if someone tells you it is impossible it is because they have never seen it done.

[Mathius]

Any sheet metal shop as mentioned would have a shear they could cut it down for you with. You could try the SMWIA homepage: http://www.smwia.org/ and figure out what local is in your area and find a shop that way, but it should be easy enough to find something in the phone book.

That's probably the best way to get a nice straight cut with no need for cleaning up the edges.

Otherwise if you had to use a home brew method, I'd use an electric angle grinder with a cut off wheel. Will be slow going like your air method, but won't take as long with the electric grinder and I know it will work. I've done it before. You have to be good with it though to get a nice edge and it probably won't be perfect irregardless unless you're REAL good.

I'd get in touch with someone who has a shear. A shear won't leave burn marks either, and 9/10 the edge is pretty clean, you won't have to worry about sharp edges.

Mathius

[Yelcamino]

If all else fails, you can get a hack saw blade for an old school hand held jigsaw. I use mine to cut 16ga sheetmetal all the time.

[Jim Nilsen]

If all else fails, you can get a hack saw blade for an old school hand held jigsaw. I use mine to cut 16ga sheetmetal all the time.

Thanks for adding this since I forgot to. Using a jigsaw with the right blades is a very good way to the job. It can also be done with a sawzall. Once you get it close you can use a flap sander or fine grit grinding disc to get it exact. Put a piece of angle on the top line to make sure you keep it straight. And yes cutting it by hand may seem like a lot of work to most it is still a way to do the job and not screw it up.

Using a cutoff wheel with a grinder or an aircutoff tool will take much longer make more mess and will potentially discolor the stainless and add more labor. It is also a way to be too aggresive and go beyond the line you seek to have. I highly recommend any other method than this for a piece that is going to be decorative. Mathius is telling you the way it is including that the electric tools are much more efficient than an air tool.

As was stated again, the shear will leave the best looking edge and it will be the least amount of work. Don't get discouraged and find the man with the shear. If you have any food processing plants near you or other large factories near you the maintenance shop in most of these places will have a shear and if you seek out the right maintenance man you can get it done for beer.

[claytonisbob]

I tried to use a metal cutting blade on my jig saw to cut a small piece for something else I was working on and I burned up 2 blades pretty quickly. They were medium black and decker blades. I don't know if I should use something to keep it cool (WD-40, 3 in 1, Tap Magic...) because the front edge of the blade got really hot and the teeth got dulled down to nothing in a matter of seconds.

I'm going to find a shop of some sort this week to take it to to get it sheared. I'm sure it cant be much, would be really awesome to get it done for beer ;)

[zbugger]

I cut some 16ga with a cutoff wheel just the other day. It wasn't stainless, but weldable steel. At least that's what they called it when I got it. Anyhoo, it didn't discolor till I went nuts with the sanding wheel cleaning up the edges. It pays to watch what you're doing.... It didn't take long to cut through and it wasn't difficult at all.

[modfox]

finding someone to cut it with a plasma would be easy I would think and I cut all metals with mine and get really no discoloration even on chrome parts and most every shop has one minor clean up of the edge is all thats needed hope that helps!

[Jim Nilsen]

I tried to use a metal cutting blade on my jig saw to cut a small piece for something else I was working on and I burned up 2 blades pretty quickly. They were medium black and decker blades. I don't know if I should use something to keep it cool (WD-40, 3 in 1, Tap Magic...) because the front edge of the blade got really hot and the teeth got dulled down to nothing in a matter of seconds.

I'm going to find a shop of some sort this week to take it to to get it sheared. I'm sure it cant be much, would be really awesome to get it done for beer ;)


Speed and feed is the biggest killer of blades. With stainless you must go as slow with the speed as you can. A high carbon blade with the right numberof teeth is reqired. 16ga. should be about 14tpi. Too fast will burn them up as you have found.

I still like the cordless skill saw these days and have to remind myself to use it as it is still something that just doesn't seem logical.

[Mathius]

Speed and feed is the biggest killer of blades. With stainless you must go as slow with the speed as you can. A high carbon blade with the right numberof teeth is reqired. 16ga. should be about 14tpi. Too fast will burn them up as you have found.

Which is the same for drilling stainless as well. Low speed, high pressure when drilling stainless. High speed, medium to no pressure for regular steel.

Saves your drill bits again and again.

Mathius

[gearheads78]

I can do it this weekend for some lunch money with a plasma cutter and a straight edge.

LMK

PS never mind I just noticed how long it needs to be. I don't have anything long enough to use as a guide.
You need a sheer. It will take 30 seconds. You might run up to Metal Supermarket close to Inwood and I-35 they have a giant sheer. I bet they would do it for $10.00-15.00

[novaderrik]

if you were local, i'd take your template into work so my supervisor could scan on the fabrivision to make a cad file out of it for me to cut out in 30 seconds on the flat laser i operate.
lately, we've had a lot of extra time to learn how to make Punisher skulls of various sizes from 2" up to 10" and on material ranging from 20g stainless to 5/8" steel- and my boss's boss is working on making a really cool Harley logo sign program- so a center console cover would be nothing..

[Yelcamino]

if you were local, i'd take your template into work so my supervisor could scan on the fabrivision to make a cad file out of it for me to cut out in 30 seconds on the flat laser i operate.
lately, we've had a lot of extra time to learn how to make Punisher skulls of various sizes from 2" up to 10" and on material ranging from 20g stainless to 5/8" steel- and my boss's boss is working on making a really cool Harley logo sign program- so a center console cover would be nothing..

Where's your shop located?