Are you looking to get more out of your DIY projects by incorporate metal cuts? Or are you a working professional in the construction industry trying to learn how to do a better job of metalworking with the tools you’ve been given?
Either situation that you’re in, we can help! Using a metal cutting machine isn’t always the simplest, most straightforward task in the world. If you want to excel with your metal cuts, then you need to learn how to do so.
In this article, we’ll provide you with a few quick tips that will help you to make more precise cuts every time you use your machine.
Check and Re-Check Your Design
Even before you use a metal cutting machine, you may have already made an easily-fixable mistake when designing the project. The consequence? A ruined final project.
When you’re using a metal cutter, the machine is going to follow the cutting routes that you have programmed into it. Even the slightest deviation from the correct cutting routes can result in an unusable product. Some of these mistakes are fixable (i.e. if you cut too little off).
But if you cut too much off, there’s probably no way for you to re-attach that metal and allow the final project to maintain the structural integrity required of it. You’ll have the scrap the piece altogether and start from scratch. Just be incorporating a check and re-check procedure into your metal cutting design process, you’ll eliminate many flaws from your work.
Consider How the Metal Will Fall
Depending on what kind of metal cutting machine you are using, you may have to consider how the metal will fall as it is cut. For instance, with many low-end, budget-oriented machines, there may not be a built-in collector for metal shavings and loose cut-out pieces.
To combat this, you’ll want to design some kind of trench that will collect those shavings and metal cutouts so that they don’t go all over your workshop. Metal shavings can easily ruin some of the other projects that you might have going on in the workshop and are a serious health hazard when they’re just sitting around.
Use Safety Equipment
Chances are the metal cutting machine that you are using probably has all sorts of safety warnings all over the device. Heed these warnings! There’s a reason why they’re on there — it’s because someone who didn’t heed those warnings has suffered tremendously because of it.
So when you’re in your workshop and cutting metal, make sure you put on all the gear required: gloves, eye protection, or even a visor or helmet as necessary. Don’t skimp on safety gear.
Use Your Metal Cutting Machine the Right Way
There you have it — with these tips under your belt, you are far better equipped to start using your metal cutting machine the right way and get the most out of your cuts while minimizing errors.
For more construction advice, be sure to check out the rest of the blog!
Check out other metal tool guides:
- Mini metal lathe
- Chop saw vs miter saw
- How to cut metal studs with a chop saw?
