Cutting metal panels

[john in la]

I need to cut a bunch of 29 and 24 gauge metal panels like you use for roofing or to build a pole barn.
Not looking for a make shift way to cut them such as using a wood circular saw blade turned backwards.
I have some good aviation snips but that seems like a lot of work to cut about 200 feet of cuts.
Most of the cuts will be across the panels 3 foot width but I do have to trim some down the panel to width.

From what I read a nibbler is what I need to cut across the humps of the panels as a shear is more for cutting flat like down the panel. On top of that a nibbler is kind of a high priced tool to buy for a one time use.

With all this I am kind of in a compromize mode.
Trying to decide if I should get metal cutting blade like Diablo or Irwin makes or try the nibbler attachment they make for a drill because I do not know what would be best to try.

So if we consider this is a one time use tool what is the best tool I can get and keep the price within reason.

Thanks in advance for your advise.

 

[MJMJ]

Circular saw. You can get a metal blade for a cleaner cut if thats important.

 

[4520BW]

I have an 18v Milwaukee circular metal cutting saw. It works great from metal roofing all the way up to 1/4 plate.

 

[rustyfarmall]

I watched a guy who was a member of the crew that built my new building a few years ago. That guy could cut sheet metal using aviation snips faster than anybody, and probably faster than with a skill saw, and make clean, accurate cuts. I CANNOT do that.

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 13:04:50 06/08/19) I need to cut a bunch of 29 and 24 gauge metal panels like you use for roofing or to build a pole barn.
Not looking for a make shift way to cut them such as using a wood circular saw blade turned backwards.
I have some good aviation snips but that seems like a lot of work to cut about 200 feet of cuts.
Most of the cuts will be across the panels 3 foot width but I do have to trim some down the panel to width.

From what I read a nibbler is what I need to cut across the humps of the panels as a shear is more for cutting flat like down the panel. On top of that a nibbler is kind of a high priced tool to buy for a one time use.

With all this I am kind of in a compromize mode.
Going down the panel with a nibbler will work very well, but cutting across the panel will be problematic. I'd use the circular saw.
Trying to decide if I should get metal cutting blade like Diablo or Irwin makes or try the nibbler attachment they make for a drill because I do not know what would be best to try.

So if we consider this is a one time use tool what is the best tool I can get and keep the price within reason.

Thanks in advance for your advise.

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 13:04:50 06/08/19) I need to cut a bunch of 29 and 24 gauge metal panels like you use for roofing or to build a pole barn.
Not looking for a make shift way to cut them such as using a wood circular saw blade turned backwards.
I have some good aviation snips but that seems like a lot of work to cut about 200 feet of cuts.
Most of the cuts will be across the panels 3 foot width but I do have to trim some down the panel to width.

From what I read a nibbler is what I need to cut across the humps of the panels as a shear is more for cutting flat like down the panel. On top of that a nibbler is kind of a high priced tool to buy for a one time use.

With all this I am kind of in a compromize mode.
Trying to decide if I should get metal cutting blade like Diablo or Irwin makes or try the nibbler attachment they make for a drill because I do not know what would be best to try.

So if we consider this is a one time use tool what is the best tool I can get and keep the price within reason.

Thanks in advance for your advise.

Oops! Retry.
Going down the panel with a nibbler will work very well, but cutting across the panel will be problematic. I'd use the circular saw.

 

[Richard G.]

I bought a nibbler that fits in my cordless drill and have done a bunch of cutting across the ribs.
My son is using it currently cutting 45 degree angles on some 5 V metal for his new front porch.
He said it works great also.
Just need the metal held securely and a firm grip on the drill and nibbler handle.
Richard in NW SC

 

[Russ from MN]

I cut crosswise with snips, lengthwise with a skillsaw with blade in backwards or a grinder. I have never been very impressed with nibblers. When you use a grinder or skillsaw wipe off the steel after or you get rust spots.

 

[john in la]

This is the circular saw blade I was looking at.
Do you guys think this will make good clean cuts??

 

[fixt]

I've got one of those used to cut metal roofing and was quite pleased with it. Of course safety glasses are a must as it slings swarf quite a bit. It zipped right through it.

 

[Janicholson]

That diablo is a good bet. Putting 3 together at once may decrease noise and vibration. putting a car tire and rim on top of the piece will hold it down. wear coveralls, the pieces are hot and leave scars (friend with T shirt) a safety shield and turned up collar. Jim

 

[jniolon]

(quoted from post at 08:24:09 06/08/19) That diablo is a good bet. Putting 3 together at once may decrease noise and vibration. putting a car tire and rim on top of the piece will hold it down. wear coveralls, the pieces are hot and leave scars (friend with T shirt) a safety shield and turned up collar. Jim

use a full face shield AND hearing protection

j

 

[Steve@Advance]

For a one time job, the metal cutting saw blade is the most practical.

I used one just yesterday, not pleasant, but effective. Wear gloves, long sleeves, glasses and a face shield. Be careful with the saw cord, it wants to get caught in the cut, could easily cut through and electrify the entire panel!

But all and all, I believe the saw is a safer method than trying to use hand snips. Applying that much force that close to sharp edges usually ends up with a blood letting!

 

[Ken(Ark)]

For 200' of cuts I would use the skill saw and make me a 2x4 guide and some saw horses . We used to install lots of aluminum awnings with 2' wide panels and we had a radial saw w/ steel blade set up for that . One mark and it made a nice square cut . This is assuming you will be cutting the sheets before installing them ?

 

[dr sportster]

Circular saw with proper blade. Snips there will be blood.

 

[Mule Meat]

Less than $75. Attaches to just about any drill or 1/4" impact driver. Malco also makes a good shear attachment. But it cost around $100 +/-.

Using a saw (which is my last choice for cutting tin). Turn the panel upside down. You will not be fighting the saw over the ridges or waste time rigging and clamping jigs or guides to the panel in order to cut'em.

 

[CBBC]

I help a buddy do metal roofs from time to time when he can't find anyone to go up on steep high pitches.

Typically everything is cut to size from manufacturer. But there are always valleys and gables and sometimes someone just measures wrong. While he does have good metal roofing snips, the tool used 90% of the time is a 41/2" angle grinder with a zip cut (1/16" or thinner) disk.

If they all need to be shortened he stacks the sheets to 1/4" (10 sheets???) any more they sometimes bind. Make it level and supports both sides of the cut ( lay 2x4s every couple feet to hold the stack level and off the ground). He makes a mark with a sharpie and then sometimes scribes with a nail to ensure the line can be seen through the sparks.

Note, the cut line can and will rust. Depending on where it is he will paint it and try to stick the cut end under flashing.
Also if the dust is left on the painted metal, usually just the top sheet, it can leave rust spots so he uses the compressor to blow off.

Not sure how you are installing but with the screws it's not hard to start and screw them from the roof. But if everything is perfectly lined up he will pre drill some of the holes while the metal is supported on the ground. It makes the whole instal smoother, especially on a steep pitch.

The most important thing I have seen, measure everything twice or three times before you cut or drill anything. We have caught ourselves out a 1/2" once and that would have been an awkward problem to fix without reordering.

The short answer- what we use is the zip cut on angle grinder.

Good luck. Grant

 

[Tramway Guy]

I use one of these to cut sheet metal. Quiet and fast.
Milwaukee Shear

 

[kcm.MN]

John, I've used several tools to make the cuts you want to make. Angle grinder can get the metal too hot, so that's out. Air nibbler.....just out. I ended up using a circular saw with a sharp carbide blade in it. Carbide is much harder than the metal you're cutting, so no problems there.

Don't know what the talk was concerning turning the blade around. I did that when using the circular saw with PVC siding, but certainly not with steel. Keep the blade in its proper configuration and it'll cut just fine. Handle the blade shield by hand; don't rely on the shield raising when it hits the edge of the metal or you'll have messy starts.

As for the Diablo blade, that's just going uptown! You won't get any better than a circ saw and the Diablo blade. But again, for what you're cutting, a standard carbide tipped blade would be fine.

Also as mentioned, full face shield and hearing protection. I'll add gloves to the list as well. If you want the cut edges to last their longest, you'll also need to coat them to prevent rust. I'm not up-to-date on the latest and greatest products for that purpose, so might want to check with your local building center, of check metal manufacturer's website.

 

[WGM]

A pair of Wiss W5 bulldog snips will cut anything you want. I built my post frame engineered building (pole barn) 20 years ago and that's all I used for the cuts. Of course I was a union trained sheetmetal worker. But if you are a novice get the nibblers.

 

[PJH]

The metal manufacturer will warn you against using a circular saw to cut their roofing. It's not only the heat of the cut, but it also throws hot particles forward onto the painted surface. The paint warranty will be voided, and it will rust rather quickly in a strip alongside of the cut. Everybody does it, including myself, and I could show you a picture of the rusty strip if it wasn't threatening to rain right now.

My son has a Black & Decker nibbler. It makes a nice longitudinal cut, but it does not like crossing the ridges. Here's a link to the kind of snips (not the brand) that I like to use for crossing the ridges. The bigger the better.
Big snips

 

[Mike M]

I cut all my liner panels to length by hand. It was close to that amount. Get 2 pairs of Midwest snips. A RH & LH pairs. These snips are made in such a way as your hand is above the cuts. Some odd spots around the windows I used a jig saw with metal blade.

 

[john in la]

Richard

Could you share the model and brand drill nibbler you have.

While I think a skil saw would be faster I fear the panel rusting on the cut line.
Others have even confirmed this fear is true.

 

[kcm.MN]

(quoted from post at 13:55:09 06/08/19)While I think a skil saw would be faster I fear the panel rusting on the cut line.
Others have even confirmed this fear is true.

Doesn't matter if the cut was made using angle grinder, circ saw, snips or nibbler, there is still the bate-metal edge. If that edge is covered by the next sheet, that usually provides all the protection necessary. I've never had a circ saw leave any worse a cut line than snips. A nibbler is dang near a perfect up-and-down cut with no scratching of the surface, but it can take practice to make a straight cut.

I have an air nibbler that I'd send to you if you wanted. I'll never use it again. Well, better let me find it first! *lol* I haven't looked for it in many years. Could be one of several places. Something tells me you don't want to wait that long.

 

[john in la]

Then would you suggest my best option is to get some matching paint and paint the cuts.
I am most worried about the ends rusting so I want to use whatever is needed to cut this metal to prevent that.

There has to be exposed cut edges.
Using 8 foot metal I got for $1.00 a foot to cover a 10 foot wall.
It I put the 2 foot piece at the top it has to overlap the 8 foot piece.
If I put the 2 foot piece at the bottom the end by the rat guard will be exposed.


This is a slow and tedious process for me.
Got this stuff over the winter but the rain over new clay fill has made it imposable for me to get going.
That and my 1 man crew (me) trying to figure out how to put 300 lb trussed 10 feet in the air without a loader tractor.

 

[kcm.MN]

Not sure how far you are from the coast. Do you have/get salt air there? If so, then the edges need to be protected. Paint is good, but so is being adequately covered....as in an overlap. Some areas don't allow for overlap.

Another thing is, are these panels new or used? If new, then any warranty should dictate how exposed edges are handled. If used, AND if not so close that you get a lot of salt air, then I probably wouldn't worry about it. Where I lived in Texas, was far enough from the Gulf to not have to worry. But was also relatively dry, so not a lot of concerns about rust. Up here, I cut edges and, when possible, cover with overlap. If not possible, then I don't worry about it. Over 10 years now and steel still looks great with no visible rust.

 

[john in la]

While I live away from the coast I live within a few miles of a 1200 sq mile salt water lake.
The panels are new but come with no warranty.
They are panels that were cut for a different job and were never picked up.
That is why I am using 8 foot pieces rather than having them custom cut to the 10 foot length I need.

I may be over thinking this like I often do.

 

[DoubleO7]

(quoted from post at 19:30:35 06/08/19) While I live away from the coast I live within a few miles of a 1200 sq mile salt water lake.
The panels are new but come with no warranty.
They are panels that were cut for a different job and were never picked up.
That is why I am using 8 foot pieces rather than having them custom cut to the 10 foot length I need.

I may be over thinking this like I often do.

Both ends of the panels from the supplier are cut and exposed raw edges same as when you make a cut.
If your cut is made with a good shear, or next best being snips or a nibbler.
And no barn builder or metal roofing/siding installer ever treats those cut edges with anything to prevent rust.

 

[JD Seller]

John another idea. The last storage shed I built we put a translucent panel at the top of the outside wall. These panels are fiberglass/plastic and are easy to cut with a paneling blade in a circular saw. I know they will not last as long as the steel siding but they are easy to replace with them being held on with screws. The panels we used match the rib pattern of the steel siding.

So in your case you would put your eight foot steel on the bottom and then cut a two foot plus sheet of the translucent panel for on the top. Neither will rust this way.

Makes the inside of the building so much brighter.

 

[kcm.MN]

(quoted from post at 19:11:44 06/08/19) Both ends of the panels from the supplier are cut and exposed raw edges same as when you make a cut.

I've often wondered about that. Makes sense, as that exposed edge has such a tiny surface area.

Bare metal on the flat surface, however, I can see that rusting fairly easily.

JDSeller -- In reply to the translucent panels, awesome idea!!

 

[john in la]

Thanks JD.

I'm going to call them Monday and see what the clear panels cost.

 

[moresmoke]

Dont know if it's an option in your area, but some of the roofing retailers have shears to rent for cutting steel panel.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Nibblers are great for making complex cuts, but not so great for straight cuts. I think the results will be better using a circular saw with a metal-cutting blade.

Have you considered ordering the panels cut to length?

 

[DoubleO7]

(quoted from post at 00:27:52 06/09/19)

(quoted from post at 19:11:44 06/08/19) Both ends of the panels from the supplier are cut and exposed raw edges same as when you make a cut.

I've often wondered about that. Makes sense, as that exposed edge has such a tiny surface area.

Bare metal on the flat surface, however, I can see that rusting fairly easily.

JDSeller -- In reply to the translucent panels, awesome idea!!

The steel is intially coated with some sort of zinc/galvanizing treatment before the various layers and types of paints are applied.
That initial zinc coating is expected to give the panels a self healing sort of feature against corrosion to some extent.

 

[JDEM]

The Diablo 48 tooth metal-cutting circular saw blade cuts those steel panels like butter. After many years of struggling to get good cuts with steel roofing and siding - I switched and am amazed at how well and smooth it cuts steel. I built three pole barns and did several roofs and the blade still cuts fine.

 

[SETX]

4 1/2" grinder with a Metabo disk on it.

 

[ohiojim]

you don't want a nibler for crosscuts on metal roofing !! i tried that route and didn't work. almost anything will work better for you.