when cutting with those things, on thicker material, keep in mind that you have to keep them straight in both planes. the blades do deflect and bend....
With router you do not need to go full depth on the first cut, once you get half way you can move inside to do the other half. 2" bits are cheap as are guided bits which will let you cut from the other side without needing a guide plate.
It may be easier to rough cut with saw first and clean up with router,
With the router if you can get a 1/2 inch then I think you can get the bits that are used for kitchen tops which are very long....I have a set somewhere which I could measure up if you want me to....dunno if you can get a 1/4 to a 1/2 converter....but routers can be had quite cheaply.
Is it not just easier to dismantle the rear in a more controlled way....I would have thought there would be a bunch of fasteners holding the aluminium corners in place on the inside. Am just thinking that you'd then maintain the factory edges....it's a lot easier to cut a straight line when you have another parallel line to measure against. If you make two cuts top and bottom then you lose the factory edges...then you have to worry about getting the corners square etc etc etc.
Will you be reusing the aluminium corner joiners or coming up with a different approach?
okay so, i have a 3M full face and also a half face mask. I bought these particle filters for them, you can see the vapour filters in the background.
I wore the full face, but after using the sabre saw for 2 panels I realised the saw was generating chips rather than fumes, so i can use the half face and glasses and not worry.
The sabre saw eats through these panels, it is superb. However its not very accurate, please see the pic below.
So now im worried - If i use the sabre saw im going to have some very large panels with no real straight edges.
Once the panels are off, is it possible to find a true 90 degrees within the panel, and if so, how?
I was thinking I might buy a folding builders squares -
snap a chalk line first: measure , recheck and measure again...snap your line, mark it with duct tape or similar then rough cut your panels...once on a flat surface, you cat cut to the tape/chalk line true.
that stuff is very thick...I would experiment with a skill saw, router or other tool similar. Cut through both sides as mentioned above, then, see if you can snap the rest of the panel.
you may be able to snap the panel on top of and along another panels edge...
A sabre saw wouldn't be my first choice for that job, they are very hard to keep in a straight line as you discovered plus the blade can wander off square through the panel.
A skil saw & a straight edge would get you a initial straight line then use a builders square to mark off that. Check the square before you use it, they are not always square when you buy them. On a large panel like that you can double check your right angle by marking a 3-4-5 triangle.
You could also cut those panels on a bench saw though they will be hard to handle.
I worked in a food factory & all the internal walls were formed from panels similar to yours but the outer skin was plastic coated steel & not fibreglass. Whenever we had contractors in making alterations they used a skil saw fitted with a carbide tipped blade to cut all the panels.
Sometimes we had to cut hatches in the panels so you marked out your hole on one side, drilled through at the corners to mark the corners on the other side, cut each side with a grinder or jigsaw then used a hacksaw blade to cut the bit you can't reach in the middle.
Personally I would dismantle rather than cut what is there....you can then simply measure off the preserved factory edge and use it to set your cut line (with suitable guide in place etc). I think once you lose the factory edge it gets quite difficult on a panel that large to get something spot on....a small error in the angle would throw you right out....you would be better off measuring the diagonals and making sure they are equal and set the angle perfectly that way.
guys thanks, exactly what i needed, different options, thanks. My dad has a laser level, im going to ask him would that be suitable for this application. @jpmillermatic I bought a clalk line during the week, ill mark it all with that before cutting. @Turbo good to hear about how actual professionals do it, thanks ) @Pigeon_Droppings2 dismantling will take too long, would be nice but if i put some work in after cutting hopefully I can get them pretty good. Will prob go at this today, off to get a decent breakfast into me and then launch into it.
I would run a simple crcular saw against a straight edge , ie a straight batten or piece of 50 x 25 box , the sabre saws are fir demolition jobs , rather than my protracted explanation google homemade track for saw, even if shorter than the job it would be easy to align for near perfect cuts, saws are available cheaply used
hey there @rosinante ) I have a track saw, I'll use that to get quality cuts once the panels are off and on the flat.
The sabre saw is the fastest way to take the box apart. Will get good cuts later.
re cutting , what about 50mm box clamped either side(top an bottom) to act as guide for sabre blade,with blade running tight to box, or even four box steels with blade width gap if you want it spot on, take more time to set up but worth the hassle as no messing afterwards,Arther