Strip cutting 12c27

Tim-Gabz

Tim-Gabz

Joined
Nov 24, 2003
Messages
5,337
I have just returned from an engineering company where I tried to get my 12c27 sheet cut into strips 30mm and 40mm wide from a 1000mm width sheet for ease of cutting to length and shaping with a bench grinder/sander.

When I caught a moron trying to start on it with a blow torch I questioned his sanity. The excuse was that the saw was broken. I grabbed the steel and fled.

How do I reliably cut out the shapes in 4mm sheet at home. I would prefer machine over elbow power. I have a 115mm angle grinder. Are there band saws that can do the job, or is it the bench rotary cutters?

Thanks.
 
with your tools the thinnest disk you can get for your angle grinder should do fine on something that thin. Becareful to keep the disk in a straight line. I don't know how hard that metal is but, a shop with a good shear should be able to shear it in strips in a few minutes. Ours shears 4 ft pieces of 1/4 (6mm) armor plate with no problems
 
i second anglegrinder, it takes alot less time than you would think. if you have a TIG-welder you could "burn" thru it too i guess
 
Thanks, I will try and pick up a press for my grinder. Probably on my next trip to south africa.
 
I was hoping to get someone with more skills to do it than myself. That does not appear to be the case. There is no one else doing knives in Botswana so I have to reinvent the wheel each time I want to do anything. It is proving to be very expensive.
 
I would love to help you out if I could. I could sent you some 1/16" (1.5mm) disks for your grinder if that will help you out. We use them up by the box at work. They will cut your steel into strips. Just go straight and wear ear plugs and saftey glasses and let the grinder cool off after each strip. Its not hard to do and you don't need a press for your grinder. you can hold it by hand. If you want a real straight line clamp a thicker piece of steel on top and use it as a guide and run your grinder wheel down it a couple times to put a groove down your piece.
 
I would appreciate that, the postage to Botswana is chronic. Do you have a brand and spec for these discs? Nice idea about using another piece of steel over the top.

I will take out my old shooting glasses and ear muffs.
 
We use mostly Pferd disks. Also get the kind without the nut built in in you have a nut and backing plate for your grinder. They are much cheaper. If you have troubles securing the stuff maybe we could do a trade and I sent you some disks and you sent me some interesting local item that is easy to come by there and would be a curio here. Good luck. Jim
 
Jim, I sat with my 115mm disc cutter last night and had a go on the kitchen step, a few grooves in my camp mat that I placed under the steel to protect it from being damaged by concrete. Great cut, but definitely a thinner disc would be quicker and less wasteful.

I will have a look around for some decent curios. I am trying to get warthog tusks at the moment. The sods really don't want to give them up.
 
A small metal cutting bandsaw (64-1/2" blade) with a bimetal blade would not cost much and make quick work of cutting you steel plate
 
Take it to any Tool and die shop. They have water jets and laser jets.
I cut all my knife blanks out on the waterjet. Simply draw it on paper, cut it out make sure it feels good in the hand scan it into the comp......15 senconds later you have a knife blank.
 
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This is an excellent way to relieve stress. The dark penned in areas are still to be ground off,

Tool and die shop? This is Botswana, I am the only person doing knives here and the engineering works are rudimentry and cutting is by torch, they are not prepared to set up their equipment for a small job. When I have a few prototypes there are facilities in South Africa.
 
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