Cutting steel sheet ?

[ReddZed]

Just starting out welding, so need lots of smaller pieces to practice weld together.
I've got a couple of bigger sheets of 2mm steel and having no fun at all using a hacksaw - it works, but its slow, awkward, and not the best cut...and harder work than I'd like too if I'm honest.

What might be the next step up from the hacksaw ? (i.e. not looking for a plasma cutter...yet)

* a circular saw with a metal blade ?
* a metal chop saw ?
* reciprocating saw (last time I used one the cut was very rough) ?

 

[brightspark]

a1.0mm slitting disk in an angle grinder ,clamp a bit of strait angle or anything as a guide for cutting

 

[Onoff]

Plasma cutter, super quick, relatively quiet. Slitting disc in a grinder, noisy. Was always my goto pre plasma.

 

[Onoff]

Cut with plasma:

 

[brightspark]

he isnt looking for plasma at the mo

 

[6ply]

Sheet metal guillotine / shear. You may get lucky and find an old one for around £20. No dust. No noise. Nice cut.

 

[Bornfree]

Just pop into your local Lidl and get a 125mm corded grinder for £24 and some 1mm discs. It will go through it like a hot knife through butter.

 

[Nomad]

Decent tinsnips and plenty of shredded wheat for breakfast?
For smaller pieces I've used tinsnips, they work ok but it''s a lot easier to cut thinner metal.

 

[hotponyshoes]

Just pop into your local Lidl and get a 125mm corded grinder for £24 and some 1mm discs. It will go through it like a hot knife through butter.

If he's going to Lidl he may as well get the plasma cutter..

 

[David_W]

Bit more expensive, but metal cutting circular saws leave a lovely finish and easy to get straight cuts. The Milwaukee cordless is so convenient

 

[Misterg]

Decent tinsnips and plenty of shredded wheat for breakfast?

For 2mm sheet?
Are you Popeye, or am I just totally inadequate?

 

[Onoff]

he isnt looking for plasma at the mo

That'll teach me to skim read posts

 

[Erie Fred]

Keep what you have for future usage.
Go to a scrap yard or local fab shop and see what you can scrounge for your practice strips.

 

[ReddZed]

The grinder, of course, it's sitting right there with a grinding disc in it but picking up some cutting discs today - that answer was more obvious than I thought

Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

[BrokenBiker]

For general chopping of bits to practice with you really can't beat a grinder with a 1mm disc.

I am fortunate enough to have numerous methods for cutting steel, 4/5/9" grinders, hack saws, 355mm abrasive saw, plasma cutter, jigsaw and reciprocating saws with metal blades, drill press for chain drilling, lathe for big round chunks, band saw with bi-metal blade...

But for ease of use, relatively quick cuts and very little clean up afterwards it's always a 1mm disc in a grinder...quick skim over the edges to take the rags off afterwards and you've got a clean cut with a nice soft edge that can be used straight away with a mig

 

[redlig]

The grinder, of course, it's sitting right there with a grinding disc in it but picking up some cutting discs today - that answer was more obvious than I thought

Thank you all for your suggestions.

The 1mm discs last a lot longer if you don't force them but let them cut at their own speed .

 

[Craig-S]

Makita circular saw for metal is my go-to for cutting coupons out of 2mm sheet.

I use a clamp guide and the finish is decent and repeatable, it's also probably the fastest if you take into consideration cleanup from cheap plasma. It's a bit noisy so ear protection advised.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Anyone suggested a nibbler yet? What's the capacity of a basic one of those?

 

[TEO]

Really good advice from @Erni Fred

Don't chop into good big bits for learning billets

For the cutting : as you've asked the question I'm assuming that you've no experience if however you have used these tools before then excuse the sucking eggs info.
Many of these "rules" become guidelines as experience grows but please don't put any store in You Tubers especially those who don't wear eye protection or who've removed the guards.

Wear safety glasses minimum, a face shield too with a grinder.

Hearing protection too. It's not cool to be blind or deaf or both.
Frequent flyers to A&E to get eyes seen to are idiots.

Be careful using gloves with power tools; very easy for material to get caught & pulled into something spinning. I try only to use them when handling the material....& Welding of course.

Listen to the motor/blade. The changing pitch will tell you when you're feeding to fast or applying too much pressure.

Clamp the material securely.

A grinder's should probably be the first purchase. Super versatile powered cutting tool but difficult to be really precise, ok for "good enough" & better.

A cut off machine's a game changer, I started with an abrasive one - does the job but nasty
A cut off saw was a nice improvement & I still use it a lot - still nasty but a better cut.
Both still throw out chips/dust & I'm still using a face shield over glasses.

A bandsaw takes up a bit more space but I'm getting a more accurate cut, the waste is more contained, lovely & quiet.
Not for sheet materials though.

A track saw seems like a good way of reducing sheet materials, maybe my next purchase.

Tin snips & hand operated shears are worth consideration, ditto hand files as ways of getting what you want.

My Lidl plasma comes out once a year, it's too fragile to be a good doorstop & I could easily do without.

Nibblers as mentioned above worth a look, they had them briefly in Lidl but I managed to resist, not sure that my willpower will be strong enough when they come round again.

HTH