Want to cut iron lengthwise? Sick of paying for expensive and smelly cutting disks? Here's a better way... Facebook: homestead.downunder Twitter: / homesteadtassie
Hi John . . . Following on from my earlier comment 7hrs. ago - Let you know - Just cut 40 sheets using a diamond cutter - - absolute piece of cake - - Great tip & thanks again . Have a good one .
Great advice but just a word of caution, the hot sparks stick to powder coating and zinc and will turn to rust at the first sign of moisture so if the appearance of the job matters then make sure the sheet is dry and mask off a wide area either side of your cut with tape and cardboard to stop the sparks from sticking. Cheers.
Ha, we had this problem on an office building. Site-ground metal railing above powder coated cladding. Rust all over the cladding, then we realised what had caused it. good advice.
Great info. I did find something interesting. Those "other" cut off wheels are actually great for cutting plastic, Plexiglas, and acrylic lighting panels.
and yes didn’t notice any change in the disc size as stated, I was most surprised at the speed it cut considering I’d used the other discs he mentioned that shrank in size, I even tried the nibbler! Much appreciated the advice given!
I had no idea that you could use a masonry wheel for corrugated iron. I did use one the other day because I only had one cut to make ( and couldn’t be bothered going to K and D just for a cut off wheel) . It cut just as well but all the time I was thinking “am I ruining the expensive masonry wheel?”. Like you, I cut a lot of sheet metal so I might keep one wheel for metal and another strictly for tiles and the like. This was a revelation to me. Keep up the good work and all the best from South Hobart
I need to cut some corrugated steel siding and I put on a 1/16 inch steel cutting angle grinder wheel. It lasted all of 6 ft for a 4 1/2 in wheel. I thought damn this is going to be expensive to cut 50 ft. Went into the store saw that they made diamond wheels and pulled up this video to confirm that would work and your video was perfect confirmation for what I needed. I'm on my way home with my $15 wheel that looks like it's going to save me a ton of money thank you.
Thanks for the info, I have 2 x 10,000L corrugated iron water tanks to cut up for the dump and was planing to use the 1mm wheels and the good news is I already have a few of the diamond wheels.
There's a blade for skilsaw that only has a dozen or so, slots from the outer edge towards the center & no teeth. As it spins it cuts off little notches of the sheet metal. It's made specifically for light ferris sheet metal. I have had the one blade for about 30 years, & cut thousands of feet of up to 18gage sheet metal panels.
HAHA Wow. Watching this video before a trip to Bunnings. Considering a nibbler or some other tool. And it turns out I already have, in my shed, one of these cutting wheels John showed. Thanks!
EXCELLENT TIP SIR!! IMO the best advantage is that the steel blade wont "grenade" when it y=twists or gets wedged. They don't call those grinding disks "wheels of death" for nothing! They are extremely dangerous when cutting material like that corrugated metal.
This is just AMAZING..I have been looking for a way to cut through a 2.5 m corrugated sheet which I needed to cut into thirds widthwise. Your advice was taken and the angle grinder this time went through like a hot knife through butter. Exactly the right disc for the job..Thank you so much..
Darn, all that money I have spent on those fiber wheels and I had the diamond version just sitting there doing nothing....suffice to say come tomorrow I am changing my blades, thank you.
i tried a worn out 100mm diamond blade. i was having trouble getting into the valleys because of the small diameter. i tried a 125mm blade but it was too big and snagged and jumped on the rising section. we see this happening in the video. so i went back to the 100mm blade. it is a smoother cutter. also, the narrower the better. the worn out blade has no diamonds left on it. this cutter also leaves less chunks of cut material on the surfaces which will cause future rust problems. i also trim the rough edges with a curve backed file. this is important. it removes rusting points which will spread onto your good roof. this cleaned up end is as if cut with snips which 'close' the end preventing rusting.
I have been installing sheathing of every different profile for over 31 years. 3rd Generation in my family to do it. If you can afford a nibbler that's what you use to make horizontal cuts across the corrugations. 4 lengthwise Cuts use a tool called double cuts. Milwaukee, DeWalt, make them. The best nibbler is Fein, but they are about eight hundred and fifty bucks. DeWalt makes a pretty good one for about 350. the best double cut shear is Kett. They'll run you about 130 to 150. If you're not going to be doing it a lot and don't want to spend the money, a skill saw will do it. Don't turn the blade around like some people try to tell you. Just had a face shield and some earplugs handy. As far as corrugated metal being an Australian icon, the major manufacturers are all located in the United States. NCI Building Systems is the largest in the world now. They own mbci. I was over their engineering, estimating, and drafting for 6 years. Whirlwind, Butler, berridge Manufacturing, Varco Pruden, all United States companies. Now the 2.67 like he is cutting in this picture is made by a lot of backyard boys because it's a very generic panel. But a very good panel for what it's used for.
Harbor freight tools sold me a pneumatic nibbler for about $20.00 about 15 years ago, and it worked very well to cut the corrugated sheet metal for a building I constructed, but I did have to replace the cutting "bit" for it a few times, and those cost me about $10.00 each. The nibbler and air compressor combo was noisy and the nibbler made a lot of chips, but was a lot more pleasant and safe to work with than a spinning cutting wheel. If I had to do it again, I would try one of the drill attachment nibblers which are available on Ebay and Amazon that are very cheap. The drill attachment cutters look very similar to the cutters on the pneumatic tool that I used. Just note that the cutter head can rotate in any direction, and locks in position with the lock ring. This way, the cuter can follow the contours of the sheet metal without the handle of the tool coming into contact with the sheet metal because the cut will not be in line with the handle. This detail was not provided in the Harbor Freight "chinglish" manual, and I had to find it myself by experimenting with the tool. Stay safe y'all!
Richard N? at NCI sold me the red iron home we still live in today. Nice man. 25 years ago steel was easier and cheaper than wood. Our red iron came on five semis, 56 tonnes, I was amazed. I wish I'd gotten galvanized steel, the chlorine from "my wife's pool" has me busy at times working on rust.
@@dedrickbroussard9797 the drill attachement nibbler i tried was waaay too slow. for commercial install (likke fencing) has to be fast so i would have thought skill saw with light ferris steel blade to be optimal
If you pulled the grinder towards you while cutting (or start where you finished) it will not be riding up every now and again - more control and a bit safer - not a big deal on thin metal like this I agree - but a better practice for all similar cuts on any thickness of material.
True. Pushing the grinder proved more difficult to control, and the cutting disc kept pinching resulting in awkward kick-backs. But when pulled, it’s like a hot knife through butter.
so today oct14,2020------- i bought one of those discs ------they cut the corrugated metal no problem at all------i was half way through my project i went much much better with the wheel --thanks from canada --loews clipped me for 35 bucks
I agree - tried all types and Diamond is the only way to go! But...how do you keep the edges from rusting for galvanized Tin, etc - any recommendations?
Hello Mr. John! I’m a new sub and wanted to share a tidbit for keeping your diamond blade working really well. I use them in rock cutting and the heat produced tends to melt materials, get stuck in the diamond grit, and stops cutting well. Another Downunder person said to run it through a brick and it will remove the melted stone. So far it works great. I’m not sure that will help you much working with corrugated iron, but I wanted to pass it on as a really helpful tip that may give your discs more longevity. Regards...
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Yeah, I've had one of those in my drawer for cutting tile also, shouda known, that diamond tip will last forever as long as you don't try to cut another diamond blade with it.
That’s what I was taught 50 years ago. Faster, safer and you have the guide sites on a circular saw to follow a straight line. Grinders in inexperienced hands is dangerous.
Try a Skill saw (circular saw) with an old wood blade turn backwards. It works great, faster and you have the convenient guide sites to follow a straight line. Try it and do a video how it works.
Work gloves and power tools do not mix. Put your gloves on when you put down your power tool - agreed. Clothing/gloves tends to snag if caught and will drag your body parts in. Same for all loose clothing and power tools/machinery - bad idea. As an apprentice turner/fitter in the early 80's we were forced to cut off out overall sleeves precisely for this reason.
I use a power saw. Same one I use for sheets of plywood. Cuts like a hot knife through butter. Even better if it's tungsten tipped. I also use it for 2 & 3 ml aluminium sheets.
How did the old plumbers cut sheets lengthways?. I read in a roofing manual that cutting with tinsnips will cause the gal coating to spread across the cut but not if cut with a disc. Does this apply to cutting zinc-alume as well?. Discs leave dust which rusts and stains the sheets if not washed off thoroughly.
I think it works as the iron is thin and dissipates the heat sufficiently. It would be no good on steel bar etc where the heat wouldn’t get away from the cut area.
I just used the tinsnips to cut through three ribs then a pair of rigging gloves plant one steel booted foot on one side of the cut line and pull the other up towards you it cuts right off as quick as when you get the feel for it.
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This is great to cut a few sheets, but if you have to cut 100 or 1000 sheets, get a Dewalt DCS496B - it will cut thru that roofing in about 8 seconds and won't pull your arms off in the mean time!
I’m wondering if cutting roofing iron with diamond blade makes it rust as quickly as it does with an abrasive disk. Tho unless u are really close to the sea with lots of salt air like me, you may not be the on to ask
I can't believe what I'm seeing with that naked hand so close to that spinning disc. Wowsers. The emergency department always shakes its (figurative) head at seeing such stuff ...
If it was to be used on a roof the manufacturer would not cover it under warranty as you should never hot cut roof sheets as it causes rust. always cold cut roof iron.
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so easy when fairly flat; try some with mountains and valleys 3" hi. 8 cm hi needs 6" grinder; jig saw blades will break that hi up over the valley. have to dry the diamond wheel with 6" grinder.
Yeah, angle grinders like yours with the correct cutting wheels makes it easy, but if you want it even easier than trying to keep an angle grinder straight on your mark, use a skill/circular saw with a 7" DeWalt metal blade, or the even better one for it is the 7" Diamond wheel it'll make your job 50x easier. They are expensive, about $60.00 for the silver diamond blades made by Dewalt and Irwin.
My personal experience is that it is the "burr" (sharp bits) which will rust if you use a hot cutting wheel. This happens with all types of wheel that I have used. Remove the burr with a file to avoid this - also wipe any metal residue off the sheet immediately. Of course as many have observed using "hot" cuts violates any warranty you may have on new materials. But in many cases this isn't relevant.
Just finished 1.8m of corrigated iron - zink (color or type?). Long ways. Sparks everywhere. Face, neck, arms, hands, legs and socks. The deeper you cut the less sparks. And I pulled instead of pushing. Maybe pushing would be less sparks. Should I spray or paint the cuts with Zinc Gal?
I use the snip and rip Method. Snip an inch long slit, stick your foot on the sheet and rip It the rest of the way. Roofing iron rips easily across the ribs.
Maybe let a man choose for himself. I’m not against PPE but I don’t use it unless I actually have a need. You make the decision that’s right for you and I will do the same for myself.
I just did a comparison, a diamond wheel costs $25.00, a fibre disc costs $1 each, (If you buy a pack). So I'll give it a try, and see what the cut looks like and check the effort required. I would have never thought to try but, here goes.
