These photo steps show that it can be done using a utility knife.
Easy way to cut thin sheet metal.
Use a circular saw to make long straight cuts in thicker sheets of metal.
Red for left green for.
Align the snips with the line you want to cut with the upper blade of the tin snips touching the sheet metal.
Depending on the cut shape you ll use left cut right cut or straight snips typically indicated by the handle color.
The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot.
Metal lath and hardware cloth can be cut with a tin snips but there s an easier way.
Mount a diamond blade in your angle grinder and use it like a saw to cut the mesh.
We recommend using a diamond blade that s labeled as a ferrous metal cutting blade but many tradespeople use a regular masonry diamond blade with good results.
Tin snips are primarily used for cutting thin sheet metal like tin aluminum brass and thin gauge stainless steel.
If you use metal shears to cut thin sheet metal such as duct metal it curls and can be difficult to flaten properly.
There are several ways to cut corrugated metal.
Easy ways to cut sheet metal panels.
Clamp the sheet metal in place on your work table to hold it in place while you work.
For cutting out holes in sheet metal it s going to be necessary that you begin with a starter hole this can be formed by using the hammer and chisel method to punch through the metal.
Use a pair of snips if you want to avoid power tools altogether and are working with thinner more flexible metal or need to make curved cuts.
Open the snips all the way at the beginning of a cut and seat the sheet metal as deep as possible into the opening this provides you with maximum leverage.
While these methods result in controlled accurate cuts with limited.
The easiest methods for cutting sheet metal panels are not necessarily the simplest.