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How to cut this metal panel in half?

Brent H

Ultra Member
Dewalt makes a metal cutting circular saw (20v) and you can get circular saw blades for steel and aluminum. We use it at work. Works great. You can slice 1/2 inch aluminum plate - slowly, but it amazing it slices.
 

Hruul

Lee - metalworking novice
I bought a metal cutting blade I am going to try on my regular circular saw. Diablo 7.25". I also have a 10" nonferrous blade for my miter saw. Worked well on the aluminum railing for the deck a few years ago.
 

Chicken lights

Forum Pony Express Driver
I bought a metal cutting blade I am going to try on my regular circular saw. Diablo 7.25". I also have a 10" nonferrous blade for my miter saw. Worked well on the aluminum railing for the deck a few years ago.
You can actually use regular table saw blades for aluminum
 

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
What I used looked like what you would mount on an angle grinder only 1/8" thick. Was a bit of push to get it through that panel. Lots of grinder disk dust left behind.

CutOffDisk.JPG

LOL..... I should check.. maybe that things not 6-1/2" dia anymore.
 
Last edited:

Mcgyver

Ultra Member
What I used looked like what you would mount on an angle grinder only 1/8" thick. .

usually a lot less than 1/8, less than a 1/16 really, but its what we'd call a zip disk, used in an angle grinder. Used all day long in the fab shop to cope beams, cut off stuff etc. They are well reinforced so so don't fly apart. With a bit of practice they are the hand tool for cutting steel....e.g. need to cut a foot long peice of 1/2" steel? Easy, just grab the grinder with a zip disk
 

Hacker

Super User
What I used looked like what you would mount on an angle grinder only 1/8" thick. Was a bit of push to get it through that panel. Lots of grinder disk dust left behind.

View attachment 14469

LOL..... I should check.. maybe that things not 6-1/2" dia anymore.
Where those blades work really well if for cutting metal roofing and siding.
 

historicalarms

Ultra Member
usually a lot less than 1/8, less than a 1/16 really, but its what we'd call a zip disk, used in an angle grinder. Used all day long in the fab shop to cope beams, cut off stuff etc. They are well reinforced so so don't fly apart. With a bit of practice they are the hand tool for cutting steel....e.g. need to cut a foot long peice of 1/2" steel? Easy, just grab the grinder with a zip disk
I had a piece of seamless pipe 20" long that i needed cut lengthwise, perfectly, in 2 equal radius one time . I wanted the smallest cut possible so I still had close to 2 full size pipe halves. Thinking it would have to be torch cut and only having a large torch tip on the farm i took the pipe to a local large welding shop, asking them if they had a special small torch tip for as little metal loss as possible . The shop owner handed the pipe to an empoyee and instructed him to " take this to the zip cut and cut on both lines. the young fellow brought it back to me in 5 minutes with a perfect smooth- straight cut that removed almost no material to make both cuts....I was sold on zip-cut blades after that.
 

Tom O

Ultra Member
I have picked up one from KMS it’s metal with a diamond coating on the edge I’ll try it soon.
 

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
I had a piece of seamless pipe 20" long that i needed cut lengthwise, perfectly, in 2 equal radius one time . I wanted the smallest cut possible so I still had close to 2 full size pipe halves. Thinking it would have to be torch cut and only having a large torch tip on the farm i took the pipe to a local large welding shop, asking them if they had a special small torch tip for as little metal loss as possible . The shop owner handed the pipe to an empoyee and instructed him to " take this to the zip cut and cut on both lines. the young fellow brought it back to me in 5 minutes with a perfect smooth- straight cut that removed almost no material to make both cuts....I was sold on zip-cut blades after that.

I used a zip disk for the very first time just last week. I liberated a bearing from a 2-1/2" dia. solid shaft that I wanted to recover. I was impressed with how quickly it sliced through that bearing.
 

Dabbler

ersatz engineer
I had to cut some 050 sheet 24" across, it took 3 minutes with a 1/16" cutoff blade in a 4" angle grinder.. Cleaned up with a file in about the same time.
 
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