Clamp a piece of angle to it and drag the torch against it. Later on, buy a Milwaukee nibbler if you're going to play with a lot of sheet metal.

 

Nibbler works well, but the edge isn't great. Bought a Harbor Freight steel cutting saw as a cheap way to cut thin plate...actually bought a second floor demo unit for $10 off eBay for the blade that was listed as D.O.A. but fixed it with a new plug. Slap down a straight edge...anything from a 1 X 2 to a steel square and have at it. Certainly possible and easy with a Harbor Freight saw so any other brand should be up to the job as well. Cheaper to run than my plasma cutter.

 

I second the HF saw. I bought it because I was too cheap to buy a real one for 10 cuts on 10 gauge. It paid for itself already. Now that I know how good a dedicated metal cutting saw is I might just buy a real one.
A metal cutting circular saw is designed to hold and or prevent chips, filings ,etc. from going all over. I can't believe the HF saw performed as well as it did. I even cut 1/4'' plate with it.

 

If it is a "One-Shot" deal.
How about a metal cutting blade in a "Skil" saw?
It is about $50.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to use my TD plasma cutter.

 

I really need a solution by which the cutting device is on a track of some sort to ensure straight / accurate cuts.

If I could find a used GMC 4' x 10 ga shear, that seems like the way to go. The cheapest model is $7600 new. I'd really prefer a used one in case I ever need to sell it, as I'm guaranteed to lose money if I buy new.

I need to cut a lot and will be ongoing.

 

A steel cutting circular saw blade and a regular 7 1/4" circular saw . I've cut up to 3/8 mild steel plate with it. Works great. No sparks, but a lot of hot metal chips. Wear a face guard and gloves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=redBDB8TgEI

 

A steel cutting circular saw blade and a regular 7 1/4" circular saw . I've cut up to 3/8 mild steel plate with it. Works great. No sparks, but a lot of hot metal chips. Wear a face guard and gloves.

And ear protection. Not as loud and annoying as an abrasive wheel in the saw, but still rather loud.

Multiple ways to cut that plate. Tools and methods used depend not just on the material and thickness, but also the desired/need accuracy. As well as time/speed and cut-cost.

The 'fastest' I think would be the plasma cutter. The quality of the cut would depend on operator skill and may or may not be acceptable as far as accuracy and edge quality. The metal-cutting circular saw blades are amazing (to me) in their relative speed in cutting through steel plate (read the specs on the blade and get the right blade for the job!!!) and can generally leave a 'milled' edge (sharp!!!), but are nowhere near as fast as a plasma cutter. YMMV.

 

I bought one of these with the saw , worked ok. http://www.harborfreight.com/50-inch-clamp-and-cut-edge-guide-66581.html
Use a 25% off get it for $15.00.

This easy-to-use 50” clamp and saw guide is great for general purpose use in a variety of woodworking applications. The clamp includes soft grip swivel pads to secure materials and accurately cut angles up to 45 degrees. Constructed of durable yet lightweight aluminum.
Large clamping handle for better grip and clamping pressure
Quick lever locking mechanism for better security
Lightweight aluminum construction

After rereading, I guess you better buy a shear or sub it out.

 

I guess I will try the Diablo steel demon blade. I called the company and they said I would have no problem cutting 11ga sheet with it. Company said I can return with in 30 days if I'm not satisfied with it. They have at northerntool for $40.

I will go ahead and get a true-track saw guide, which the saw actually slides on top of the track for accurate/straight cuts. Been wanting one anyway, just never got around to getting one. They cost like $150.

The combination may just work well. Just how much can I cut per blade @ $40. Have a feeling I just need to get a shear.

 

Your money, but I'd opt for two of those guides like BD1 linked to. I just use a single guide and have no problem keeping the saw on line, but if you capture the saw between two of them you're going to have a time of it going off the mark.

 

Think long term. Build for the future.

::Hypertherm PowerMax 30/40 plasma cutter::

 

The steel cutting saws are awesome. With that being said if I had a lot of sheet to cut I would have your steel supplier shear it for you. If that is a service they don't offer its time for a new supplier. What my supplier charges to shear their is no way I can justify cutting it myself much less all the extra handling.

 

The Diablo blades work very well and last a long time on 10 gauge. I cut a lot of steel with a Skill worm drive before I got a metal cutting Milwaukee. One thing: your material needs to be solidly clamped or otherwise held fast. Any chatter and the carbide teeth will be destroyed. Yes, that's experience talking. Also, the suggestion of a face shield and gloves is right on. I would add long sleeves if using a regular wood saw as the chips are sharp.

 

A plasma cutter is more fun and less kick back than a saw. My compressor is noisy but it reminds of the duty cycle for the PM380 and to cool it for a while whenever it kicks in.

I want a DIABLO on a chop saw.

 

I recently used a diablo blade on 1/8 sheet metal using my worm drive saw, it works great, leaves a polished edge, no grinding needed.

Still don't know how long it will stay sharp.

Gary

 

Sub it out. Stock the parts and assemble as needed. Sounds like it could be burned.

 

If I use one of those Diablo Steel demon blades in my DeWalt circular saw (not metal specific) will it demolish the saw?

 

Hmmm, that many pieces, on an ongoing basis.

Sub it out, or just have the steel supplier shear (or plasma cut, probably don't need to use a laser or a waterjet) the pieces to size when you order.

DIY, or when you want/need the flexibility of cutting something to whatever size/shape you want/need whenever you want/need it is a reason to do it 'in-house'.

Like I mentioned above, the metal-cutting circular saw blades are pretty amazing and relatively fast. They (can) leave a pretty square (and thus sharp) edge when you cut the sheet/plate. You may have to deburr or ease the edges after the cutting operation. But the metal-cutting blades still aren't as fast as a plasma cuttter with the 'right' output power for the metal thickness being cut.

Brooklyn, one of the 'strengths' of the carbide-tipped ferrous-cutting circular saw blades like the Diablo SteelDemon is that they are usable in a 'common' circular saw. Only real caveats are that the saw needs to have a metal blade guard (not a plastic one) as the metal 'chips' are rather hot when they are cut from the workpiece (sawdust isn't all that hot, so some saws have plastic pieces/parts since they were designed to only have to deal with sawdust and not hot steel ships/swarf) and to double-check the RPM rating of the saw and the specific blade to make sure they are compatible. Oh, and double-check the workpiece thickness limits of the specific saw blade, as the blade makers often have several different blade models for cutting different thickness workpieces.

 

If your looking to buy the plasma cutter I would suggest going up to the cutmaster52, its just a more robust machine.

 

I would not do anything but shear. but im pretty spoiled as the company I work for is pretty well established sheetmetal company. that is, if you are welding outside corners. if you are welding inside corners, I guess it doesn't matter so much.

the skill saw is viable, but man, if you are cutting each side to you're tank (no breaks), fit-up would be so much easier and cleaner with a shear.

 

I can get a new GMC 4' x 10 gauge shear for like $7600 shipped. If I could find a good deal on a used one, I would much rather do that.

 

Sounds like a shear for sure. What about a brake ? Can some pieces be formed instead of all welding ?

 

if your making "boxes" then heck yea! if you have enough machine for 11ga. if you have a "finger" brake you could theoretically break 4 sides up, and just weld the one end on.

but all that braking would mean notching, and all that notching puts you back into skill-saw territory

 

Milwakee makes an excellent steel cutting circular saw. I use mine quite a bit. The Rpms are different when comparing a wood saw and steel saw. Saw is around 300 and blades are 60. Plasma will be cheaper long run but personally I use both. They each have advantages in different situations. A well sized to job plasma can be much faster. With a plasma you can mark each side, clamp a straight edge and pull. Where a saw you need to scribe a line. But setting up a saw in the field is as quick as plugging it in. Any ways my .02

 

In the day when we had a lot of repeats we would get quotes from several shops to shear and bend our metal. Sometimes the scale of economy Will save you a lot of money and time in the long run

 

I am another one for subbing it out to a shop with a shear until you can find a used one.

 

I love this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpCMmCDdFkw