Nibbler Air or Drill

[busastars]

Think a Nibbler is going to be my next tool for cutting out 0.8mm sheet metal. Few questions though as always

I only have a small 25L Sealy compressor but also have a Drill & Cordless Drill for the options of the Nibbler.

Never used one before so how accurate are they, within a few mm, within 10mm etc.

Anyone got any photos of the cut they do.

Should I go for an Air one for about £15 of the bay or one for the Drill from RDG at about £20

All opinions welcome

 

[rtbcomp]

Personally I'd go for an air one becuase it's safe to use in the wet and it won't burn out if you stall the drill. As always you get the quality you pay for.

I don't think a battery drill will be up to the job.

They're quite accurate I'd say within a mm, and can go round curves. Bear in mind though they cut a strip out of the metal about 2-3mm wide, so you must work to the edge of the blade.

 

[jaykay]

that compressor will not keep up with a nibbler.and 0.8 mm is a bit think for one.

 

[gavuk]

i bought the aldi shears last time they were on offer ,very good for the money £10...works off a 25l compressor,compressor will cut in and out though.....cuts straights and corners well, this style

 

[pedrobedro]

that compressor will not keep up with a nibbler.and 0.8 mm is a bit think for one.

Thick? I have a Turner nibbler drill mounted and it cuts 1.2mm 18g with no trouble. Oil the cut line sparingly to save wear on the cutter and use a guide if you want a dead straight line. I too bought the Aldi shear but I haven't used it for any length of time yet. It does make cutting easy though.

 

[Fergus]

I used to have a drill mounted nibbler, now I've got an air powered one and I prefer it to use as there is less bulk to manoeuvre. My small compressor is a 25l jobbie, it will run the nibbler, but not over long runs.

 

[busastars]

Cheers all, may just get an Air powered one and give it a go.

Going to have to check the spec of my compressor, it will only be for cutting out sheet steel for doing exhausts and dont have to be that accurate, within a few mm as I would be trimming up afterwards.

 

[Shox Dr]

Be very careful with any type of nibbler. Those bloody crescents get everywhere. Including newly fitted cushion flooring the misses just had fitted in the kitchen.

I was in the dog house for weeks

 

[busastars]

I got a cheap one from this link:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....845132&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_3912wt_932

Its rated at 9 cfm BUT my compressor I would guess is about 6-7 cfm............

 

[RedOrZed]

I got a cheap one from this link:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....845132&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_3912wt_932

Its rated at 9 cfm BUT my compressor I would guess is about 6-7 cfm............

Is it any good? I keep looking at them cheepo red tools but wondering how cheap they really are...

 

[chunkolini]

I had a drill owered version. Worked ok, a bit cumbersome, but as Shox Dr says the crescent shaped offcuts are a massive pain. I used mine once and punted it out on fleabay. Then bought a Bosch power shear (gsc16) , lots of money but a great piece of kit.

Chunko'.

 

[Sam(GTD)]

Is it any good? I keep looking at them cheepo red tools but wondering how cheap they really are...

If those are the cheap 'am-tech' brand (judging by the casing it is) then no, they are mickey mouse, far too easy to stall due to poor tolerances in the rotor and will break down quickly, a good nibbler should last a long time.

Sealey and draper will be much better budget nibblers, around the £40-60 mark.
The good thing with these is spare punch and die sets are cheap and easy to find.

Nibblers are a really useful tool, you can mount them on a circle maker bar and produce perfect circles in your sheet, if you try this with a mounted reciprocating saw you will end up with an imperfect circle as the blade will walk, nibblers will cut to high accuracy if used with skill or mechanical guides.

An air nibbler is a much better choice than drill attachment for a few reasons:
-You can use it one handed, in a compact frame....no faffing about with a chuck mounted tool holding it with 2 hands.
-As mentioned previously it won't burnt out under the strain, nibbling can put a lot of stress on the drill.
-A decent drill nibbler is getting on for the same cost as an air one....