Cut SS Plates?

[BeaverRat]

Hello,
I am designing a dry cell that will use 36 6"x6" plates, but I need a way to cut a 36"x36" plate into 36 6"x6" ones. I asked a local metal shop, but they wantet 85 dollars to do this... It seemed like a lot to me just to cut out 36 squares... What is the cheapest way to get these plates cut?
Thanks

[Drafty-01]

WOW! What a rip off! All you need to do is find someone that has a sheet metal guillotine, it would not take long to set up either. It's pretty standard equipment in a sheet metal shop. A shop that makes ducting for building etc could be a start.
That, or buy a cheap jigsaw and a couple of metal blades. It doesn't look as good though, unless you have a good guide for the saw, and tidy up the cut edge with a file or something similar - pretty hard work though.
Stainless steel needs to be cut really hard though. Like drilling, a lot of cutting force and not so much speed. When it is cut/machined, the surface of the metal work hardens, so the idea is to cut this surface away as much as possible.

Good luck with this one.
After all, we're all try to save money doing this, not trying to find a new hobby to pour money into - get a racing car or boat if that's the aim...

Cheers,
Martin.

[viper_1986_1986]

Depending on its gauge you can easily cut it with just some elbow grease :)
Just bending it back and forth.
Get a GOOD first bend using some clamps and make sure its dead on; then evenly across the whole sheet bend up then down... It doesn't take more than 25 times to break a 26g.

I haven't done this on a sheet that big, i did it with a 12" sheet and it was fairly easy and got a cleanish edge. A file smoothed it right out :D

But this is just the cheap man's way...


note: no saws... those leave a HUGE mess....

[Drafty-01]

Hi Viper,

I would agree that using a saw for this would be pretty messy. That's where holding the plates and guiding the saw is really important. Not all that hard really, but probably not the best option. If you already have a saw, it may be an option to explore though.
How did you manage to straighten the edges of your plates out when they had separated? I imagine they would not be perfectly flat after doing it this way.

Cheers,
Martin.

[H2OPWR]

Hello,
I am designing a dry cell that will use 36 6"x6" plates, but I need a way to cut a 36"x36" plate into 36 6"x6" ones. I asked a local metal shop, but they wantet 85 dollars to do this... It seemed like a lot to me just to cut out 36 squares... What is the cheapest way to get these plates cut?
Thanks

Here $85.00 is cheap. They all charge $100.00 an hour shop time with a one hour minimum.

This is just my humble opinion. Let the pro's do it. If your plates are not very flat your effeciency will suffer. Even plates warped just a little are very hard on effeciency.

Larry

[viper_1986_1986]

Hi Viper,

I would agree that using a saw for this would be pretty messy. That's where holding the plates and guiding the saw is really important. Not all that hard really, but probably not the best option. If you already have a saw, it may be an option to explore though.
How did you manage to straighten the edges of your plates out when they had separated? I imagine they would not be perfectly flat after doing it this way.

Cheers,
Martin.

I have only some very small scrap pieces left so i can't try the saw, but next time i get my hands on a large piece i will try it again. The blade i was using was very unstable :D

The very end of the plate was bent a little but, to fix it i just filed it down.
So i made my cuts a bit longer than needed. Then filed down the little extra off the end so i no longer had a slight "J" shape to the plate..

On one of the plates i tried the little boys methed, a rubber hammer, it worked but the plate is kinda dinged up, i do use it in my cell and no shorts. I just use PCV liner for my gaskets.

Price wise, that is a bit much, but here where i live(Austin, Texas) everything is dirt cheap.... to cut something like that, maybe 40$....
I had 21 pieces custom cut for my wet cell and after parts and labor only 100....

[BioFarmer93]

http://www.datamancer.net/blog/?p=54

About twenty years ago I hacked a circular saw like this guy did to make a table saw, except mine was AC, not DC. The boss was too cheap to to even buy a used table saw so I drilled some holes in the foot plate and mounted it into a quickly built 3/4" plywood 3 sided box with the top (table) having a 2" overhang all the way around so I could C-clamp a fence (piece of 1.25x1.25x.25 alum. L) on it as needed. Took a minute to make sure the fence was parallel with the blade whenever you changed cut widths, but it was free and it worked just like a REAL table saw. Anyway, if you don't already have one they are cheap at pawn shops. Build the box, mount the saw, and stop by Home Depot or Lowes or Ace and pickup a couple aluminum oxide 1/16" thick cut off wheels. They will probably fit the shaft of the saw, if not they sell adapter inserts too.. Set your blade height only about 3/8" above the table top when cutting, but for the moment raise it all the way so you can make a reference line with a fine point pen, and a straight edge lightly but firmly clamped to the blade. You will measure ALL you cuts on this side of the blade/line, and measure from both ends of the line when setting up your fence. Clamp your guide (fence) down after your sure it is parallel with the blade and have fun. You can even route the shop vac hose under there to suck up the metal dust as it is made.

[HHOJeeper]

When I bought my steel it came 4 foot by 2.5 feet and I just cut it with my jig saw. I used a 2x4 and c-clamp to hold it to my shop table and my other hand to help keep it stable as I cut. Came out super close. I stacked all my plates and just for good measure clamped them and ran the edges across the grinder.

[BioFarmer93]

That works too! And Bosch makes some REALLY good metal cutting blades for their saber saws... Couple C-clamps w/ wood blocks for no dents and an inexpensive angle grinder and you're pretty much in business. Except now, you have to drill the holes... That's fun- do you have a Drill Doctor bit sharpener? You're gonna need one heh, heh, heh... Either that or a nice little pile of change to spend on new bits... All I can say is to firmly use a center punch start with. It will keep your drill bit from wandering if you're using a hand drill, and will precisely locate a hole center if using a drill press. Use low RPM, plenty of cheap brake fluid to keep the cut cool and preserve bit life.

[viper_1986_1986]

Use low RPM, plenty of cheap brake fluid to keep the cut cool and preserve bit life.

Caught my eye on that....
I have been using my father's drill press to do my holes and i already killed a few of his bits...
I kinda figured to do SUPER low RPMS....

But.... Brake fluid? Like lube up the bit with it?

[BioFarmer93]

Use a hammer & prick punch (pointed) on top of a hard surface to firmly mark the center of your hole. Move to the drill press, and with the cheap baby medicine dropper you picked up at the local drug store, place a generous drop of brake fluid on the marked spot in the SS. Every time it dissapears, put a little more there. This does three things: it lubricates the bit and makes it cut easier. It dissipates heat and reduces (somewhat) work hardening of the metal. It tames metal chips a bit, though SS tends to not chip too badly compared to some other harder metals. The big thing though is the heat generated, that's what wears your dad's bits out so fast and can be greatly reduced by being generous with the brake fluid. Technically, the nitpickers will say you should be using the proper cutting oil for the type metal and bit speed but save your money so you can buy dad a drill doctor to sharpen up all the bits you dulled and all the ones he's dulled. I guarentee it will pay for itself in less than 2 years... Have Fun!