How To Cut Sheet Metal Ductwork

Lift the cutoff strip and roll it to the side to prevent it from binding on the tin snips handle.

How to cut sheet metal ductwork.

Flat metal is easier to cut than curved so he uses his knee to support and flatten the pipe while he opens it up. Rectangular sheet metal duct. Make long strokes for long straight cuts. Use compound snips with offset handles for more leverage and thinner.

Place the sheet metal on top of the workbench and lay out your pattern using a tape measure pencil and straightedge. Make two marks for cutting when replacing ductwork when cutting pipe bob likes to mark the size he needs on each side of the open seam with a marker. Open the cutters as wide as you can at the start of each stroke and make long smooth strokes. Long straight cuts are easier to make with large tin snips.

Then you just sight on the far mark while you make the cut. Mark the cut line or area on sheet metal with a felt tip marker. Punch a starter hole in the metal with the blade of a. In this video we show you the best and safest way to cut a round hole into a can or rectangular duct.

If it s small enough you can use a vice but if not you still need to hold it down tightly so it won t move while you cut it. How to cut into hvac ductwork. Https amzn to 2ndf97w the best tin aviation snips. You ll need a drill sheet metal snips a start collar.

Fasten down the ductwork before cutting it be sure to fasten down the piece of metal ductwork so it won t move when you cut it to the length you need. Https amzn to 2mkd0sj large screw driver. If your project requires curved cuts make an easy economical and adjustable. Cut sheet metal ducts with tin snips but match the type to the cut.