Cutting metal flashing

[Master Carpenter]

I need to rip 4 pieces of metal flashing to trim a panel. Clean, straight edge required. Wondering if the old TS-55 is up to the task? Thought I could sandwich the metal between some plywood to stop it from tearing the edge? Use an old wood blade? Flashing metal is pretty thin. Anyone have experience they can share?

 

[tjbnwi]

I’ve done it often, works fine.

Tom

 

[usernumber1]

would you cut steel with that ? i'd be pretty spooked anything thicker than 18ga

 

[tjbnwi]

would you cut steel with that ? i'd be pretty spooked anything thicker than 18ga

Minimum steel flashing gauge per code is 26 ga. 18-26 gauge is not an issue in my opinion.

With the sheet sandwiched cutting it is not an issue. If I recall correctly Festool marketed a steel cutting blade for awhile.

Set the saw depth to just clear the sheet and not cut the bottom of the sandwich.

Tom

 

[Packard]

What metal?  What thickness?

Aluminum and copper flashing is easily cut by scoring the cut line with a utility knife and bending the metal along the line. 

This works with most flashing, but if the copper or aluminum is dead-soft, it might not or it might require a deeper than normal scoring. 

I used aluminum flashing for my skylight.  It was light, easy to cut and fairly inexpensive. 

I’ve never tried this with galvanized steel flashing and if I did, I would probably try using a carbide scoring blade (usually used to score Formica sheets).  I would try that first. 

Scoring + bending has some obvious benefits:  Quiet, dust-free and no special machinery required.

Minus:  A knife blade can climb the straight edge and cut your hand.

You can mitigate the risk by using a special straight edge (see image below) or by mounting a piece of 3/4” x 2-1/2” hardwood to the center of a conventional straight edge.

 

[Holzhacker]

If you are talking about standard aluminum roll capping which it sounds like you are. A drywall knife and snapping works great. More than adequate. You could also use tin snips.
I wouldn't use a jigsaw. Wrong any variable and the blade will grab the sheet ruining it. (I know) Maybe a circular saw but I just don't know. Never even thought about using a circular saw for capping

 

[Packard]

You can also “hem” the edge.  The flat hem is easiest.

Start the bend over the edge of a hardwood such as maple or oak, then flatten using that same piece.  If it is a long edge (more than 24”) or if it is not easily visible, I would skip that.

But if it is on a window that is at eye-level, you might want to consider this.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

A proper set of tin snips. The right tool for the job.

 

[Master Carpenter]

Tin snips not an option. I need dead straight and flat. It’s trim for a raised wall panel. I’m just gonna send it sandwich style with the tracksaw.

 

[Packard]

Make a test cut using the score-and-bend method.  If it works, it will be your easiest and fastest method.

If it does not work, then (for aluminum or copper) an all steel plywood blade.  They were about $10.00 the last I checked, and they have the highest tooth count.

But cutting galvanized steel will dull the blade in a flash.

 

[tjbnwi]

A proper set of tin snips. The right tool for the job.

If you want to there is an AGE metal cutting blade for the 55. I use the 48 tooth wood blade when I need to cut metal, thin metal like this flashing has had no affect on the blade. 

DO NOT CONNECT THE SAW TO DUST EXTRACTION.
https://www.toolnut.com/amana-stl16...0hPUdL8-JW9ukouy_fM2Sq_goHmuMnARoCKCMQAvD_BwE

If I recall correctly Festool used to market a metal cutting blade for their track saws. I believe they dropped the blades when they dropped the spark arrestor for the CT’s.

There a a lot of metal cutting toothed blades and saws on the market.

Tom

 

[Cheese]

Festool has once again released an aluminum cutting blade for the TS 55 and a steel cutting blade for the TS 75. I've used the aluminum blade on my TSC 55 to cut 5/16" thick aluminum and it works well.

For thinner sheet materials used for flashing, I actually prefer to use a Milwaukee swivel head shear. When cutting aluminum, galvanized or stainless sheet, the shear head removes a 1/8" wide "curl" in the middle which then ever so slightly removes the burr from the edge of the cut material and allows you to handle the cut material (carefully) with bare hands. Cutting with a circular saw does not remove the sharp edge and handling with leather gloves is then a must as is the mandatory deburring process.

The swivel head shear cuts in a straight line if you're careful and deliberate.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Packard]

As it turns out I have a small roll of 20” wide aluminum flashing (0.0105”).

This is the equipment I used to cut across the 20” dimension:

And here is the score line I made (pressing hard on the blade):

And here is the break in the material after scoring.  The break is as straight as my score line.  I don’t think I could equal that cut with a saw. 

The flashing I have is fairly stiff and snapped cleanly.  Very soft material would be much harder to cut using this method.

But do note I was using a straight edge with a vertical safety barrier.  If you are pressing hard on the blade it can climb the straight edge—a risk that can be avoided by screwing a vertical barrier to your straight edge using small screws and counter sinking from below. 

I was neither careful nor deliberate.  [big grin]

NOTE:  The cutting surface I was using to cut the aluminum is a sheet of 44” x 44” glass.  Above the glass is a two tube fluorescent light fixture.  The reflection on the glass looks like something is on the surface.  But the only things on the surface are the aluminum, the knife and the straight edge.

 

[luvmytoolz]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] I was thinking you're using a cement sheet cutter there until I saw the 1/8th wide curl comment!

My cement sheet cutter is identical but with with a 1/4" curl.

 

[Cheese]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] I was thinking you're using a cement sheet cutter there until I saw the 1/8th wide curl comment!

My cement sheet cutter is identical but with with a 1/4" curl.

Ya, my father was in the HVAC business for over 40 years and his go-to product for cutting sheet metal & flashing was Wiss tin snips and Wiss aviation shears...that was until the Milwaukee swivel head shear came of age in the 60's.

I'm not familiar with the cement board variant as I always cut cementious based products with a TSC 55 and a diamond blade.

Curious as to what you use to cut cementious based product.  [smile]  Does it actually look simlar?

 

[luvmytoolz]

Curious as to what you use to cut cementious based product.  [smile]  Does it actually look simlar?

I've got the JS8000 Makita cement sheet shears, fantastic time and effort saver over the score and snap, and really easy to cut shapes with. The head mechanism looks pretty identical to your metal shears but just with a wider blade.

I'll have to check out the Makita cordless metal shears version I think as I've been using a nibbler for sheetmetal, but your metal shears looks a lot better to use.

 

[Cheese]

I've got the JS8000 Makita cement sheet shears, fantastic time and effort saver over the score and snap, and really easy to cut shapes with. The head mechanism looks pretty identical to your metal shears but just with a wider blade.

I'll have to check out the Makita cordless metal shears version I think as I've been using a nibbler for sheetmetal, but your metal shears looks a lot better to use.

Milwaukee sells just the shear head as an assembly (at least they used to) to retrofit on a drill body. I had an extra Milwaukee 0222 corded drill laying around and purchased the shear head and installed it on the drill. The shear head assembly part number is 48-08-0500.

[attachimg=1]

 

[rst]

Being ancient, I’m familiar with tools made originally for aircraft aluminum fabrication. Kett makes saws, nibblers double cut and scissor type cutters for fabrication. Glaziers have been familiar with these since the 50-60s when aluminum became the norm for commercial glazing. The Milwaukee and other shears and nibblesrs are based on the Ketts.  When my wife wanted us to buy a playhouse for our daughters. I bought a Milwaukee bandsaw and a Kett kit that came with the B&D industrial drill and the double cut shear and nibbler interchangeable heads. I made the house from steel studs and corrugated sheets, The only wood being treated ply screwed to 6” steel studs for the torsion box floor. I bought the bandsaw as I hate using the abrasive blades used in the 80s for cutting steel. All these tools came in handy finishing out the interior of my pole barn shop as I again used steel for the horizontal members to fasten the plywood walls. Technology has come miles from then as steel cutting loaded became available as I used steel cutter blades in my PC Sawboss circular blades and a router speed control for installing door lites and now use an 18 v Metabo steel cutting saw for the same thing

 

[tsmi243]

There's an old school trick of installing the blade backwards for sheet metal.  I've done it a few times, just in short bursts, and it works really well.

Just don't try it on stainless!  The carbide teeth break off and go everywhere, like little bullets. 

 

[Packard]

There's an old school trick of installing the blade backwards for sheet metal.  I've done it a few times, just in short bursts, and it works really well.

Just don't try it on stainless!  The carbide teeth break off and go everywhere, like little bullets.

I made a special cutoff fixture for cutting vinyl soffits to length using my old circular saw.  I used a all steel plywood blade with about 140 teeth and mounted that backwards.  The cuts were as clean as those from the factory.

I also used it for bead board vinyl wainscoting.  The thicker vinyl required a faster cut or the vinyl would heat up and melt.    But again, clean cuts. 

Those blades are now $8.00 to $12.00 and 140 - 150 teeth.