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Cutting sheet steel tip

2K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  1971BB427 
#1 ·
When cutting sheet metal that is too thick to cut with other tools like tin snips or a small shear. Or for that matter, it could be done right on the car as shown. :D

But to get that long cut simply clamp a piece of metal to it and cut along the line with a die grinder leaving a beautiful straight and clean cut.







Another little tip is to use the small angle grinder for the cut off disc to get into tight spaces.



Brian
 
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#2 ·
Here's another tip for doing patches. It wont always work for areas that are cramped, but if you have room it makes things go faster. I bend up my patch panel, and make it larger than I need. Then clamp or screw it in place, and cut through the metal with the panel in place. Once it's cut out, the gap from the parting disc makes the prefect gap for welding, and it's always the perfect fit when they're cut in place.
 
#3 ·
That is an excellent way to get nice straight cuts that MATCH. I was shown that tip by a guy at work, and it is awesome. However, in butt welding I have found a perfect fit is needed. After going to Toyota School and being told we had to butt weld everything I started cutting the panel to size then putting it in place and marking the old panel, remove the replacement and then cut the old panel an inch or so below the mark for the new panel. Then put the new panel back into place and scribe the edge with a sharp awl. Remove the new panel and cut the old one perfectly on that line. Then when the new panel is put into place a nice butt weld can be made.

And YES you can butt weld 22 gauge Toyota quarter panels. :D

Brian
 
#4 ·
That is the method I use for butt welding. In small patch panels I can get away with tighter gaps, but the larger the patch, the more a tight gap will give real headaches, and you need the width of a parting disc to ensure it doesn't grow and warp the panel. I used to make them pretty tight, and then found I had to cut a new gap as I welded, and they began to warp.
 
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