How to Cut Sheet Metal With a Jig Saw

When using a jigsaw to cut sheet metal, you need to pay attention to the amount of pressure applied to the metal, the speed at which you push the jigsaw and the teeth-per-inch (TPI) of the jigsaw blade. You can easily control the pressure applied and the speed of the jigsaw, but the TPI of the jigsaw blade must be determined before performing the cut. The TPI of the jigsaw blade has to be matched to the thickness of the metal. The thinner the metal, the higher the TPI required to make the cut.

Things You'll Need

• Safety glasses
• Leather work gloves
• Sheet metal
• Worktable
• Self-locking C-clamps
• Jigsaw blades
• Jigsaw
• Fine-toothed file

Instructions

1. Put on your safety glasses and leather gloves.

2. Lay the piece of sheet metal on the worktable, with the area that you need to cut overhanging, but remaining close, to the end of the table.

3. Secure the piece of sheet metal to the worktable by placing one pair of self-locking C-clamps where either edge of the sheet metal meets the end of the table.

4. Insert the jigsaw blade into the jigsaw per the manufacturers operating instructions.

5. Place the jigsaw onto the surface of the sheet metal with the jigsaw blade resting near the edge of the sheet metal and aligned with the cut line.

6. Press downward on the jigsaw while supporting the sheet metal with one hand.

7. Depress the trigger of the jigsaw and push gently forward to begin cutting the sheet metal. If the metal vibrates rapidly, push the jigsaw slower to allow the blade to cut easier into the sheet metal.

8. Ease up the downward pressure that you have applied to the jigsaw and slow down the forward momentum of the jigsaw as you come to the end of your cut to avoid bending or deforming the end of the sheet metal.

9. Release the sheet metal from the worktable by removing the self-locking C-clamps.

10. Flip the piece of sheet metal over and run the fine-toothed file along the cut edge to remove the sharp edge remaining after the cut.