How To Cut A Circle In Metal

How to Carve a Circle in Metal: Best Techniques and Valuable Tips

Any design, whether in your home or in production, implies working with metal.

Often, during the operation of this material, the question may arise: how to cut a circle in metal?

It deserves attention, since the labor intensity of the work process and the quality of its result directly depend on the choice of the right tool and technology.

Using a jigsaw

If there is a need for a perfectly flat circle, you can use an electric jigsaw to cut it.

The work is carried out in several stages:

• First, the thickness of the metal is determined and the appropriate saw blade for the electric jigsaw is selected.
• Before cutting a circle in metal with a jigsaw, a circle outline is outlined on the working plane, which will be cut.
• Using a drill and drill (with a diameter of eight to ten millimeters), a hole is cut from which work will begin.
• The jigsaw saw blade is placed in the resulting slot and the cutting continues according to the outlined drawing.

Cutting with this tool does NOT take a lot of time and effort. over, using a jigsaw, you can get a circle with perfect edges. But this tool is used only for working with metal of minimum or medium thickness (for example, 2. 3 mm).

Application of angle grinder

The angle grinder is used when working with metal of small thickness. You can make a round hole with this tool by following these step-by-step tips:

• Before cutting a circle in the metal of an angle grinder, markings are made so that its contours are clearly visible.
• Along the entire length of the outlined drawing, an angle grinder disk cuts short segments, which will eventually connect.
• The shape will look more like a polyhedron than a circle. Therefore, after the end of cutting, the product is processed and cleaned until the edges become sufficiently even and smooth. An angle grinder can also be used for processing. If the circle has a wide diameter, you can grind the contours with a large disc.

When processing a cut out circle with an angle grinder, you should be careful that the disc is inside the hole and, at the same time, is located in the same plane with the worksheet.

Methods for cutting a circle from thin metal

Metal circles

Metal can be thin, or thick and strong, so a variety of tools are used to cut it.

The choice of materials and cutting technology also depends on what diameter the circle needs and how smooth it should be.

Cutting a circle in thick metal

Cutting Circle Angle Grinder

In order for the tents to have the exact contours of the figure that will be cut out of metal, you should use a ruler, a marking compass and a marker.

First, using a ruler, the required width of the compass connector is set so that it corresponds to the required circle diameter.

Then the center point of the circle is determined on the metal plane.

From it, with the help of a compass, contours are outlined.

To make them clearly visible during work, they should be drawn with a marker.

Gas cutter application

A circle in metal of medium thickness can be cut with a gas cutter. The work takes place in several stages:

• The outline of the circle is outlined.
• Tool burner ignites.
• Regulated combustion torch.
• Carefully and slowly, the torch is carried out according to the drawn drawing.

Using this method, you can cut a hole in the metal, which has a width of about four or five millimeters.

Application of the welding machine

If you have a gas torch in your home arsenal, you can use a welding machine.

It needs to be adjusted to the highest current level.

Then the burning arc is substituted to the contour and held on it until a hole is formed.

Then you just need to slowly lead it along the drawing, until you get an even circle.

But the most important thing is to correctly adjust the power of the tool.

For example, if you are using metal about four millimeters thick, you need a device that operates at about 150 amps. If the metal is thicker, the power of the tool will also be greater.

To speed up the work process, it is better to use thin electrodes. However, they burn out quickly and need to be replaced. Because of this, there will be a need for frequent heating of the metal, since during the replacement of the electrode it will have time to cool down.

How to cut an even circle from a metal cutter are presented on:

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6 Removal of debris

Nippers / pliers leave small pieces of glass that need to be removed. This is done in two ways and you will probably need to use both.

Binding
If the tiny pieces are large enough to be grasped by the pliers, they can be broken off as in step 5 above.
Grozing
If it is stubborn, more rounded bumps that make the edge appear uneven, you need to “chase” them away.

Edges of grooved circles

• Hold the circle firmly underneath with your free hand
• Place pliers with flat jaws on the uneven edge and scrape them down and around the edge
• The serrated inside of the Grozer jaws will “gnaw” uneven parts. This takes some practice.
• To do this, you must use safety glasses. “

Application of angle grinder

The angle grinder is used when working with metal of small thickness. You can make a round hole with this tool by following these step-by-step tips:

• Before cutting a circle in the metal of an angle grinder, markings are made so that its contours are clearly visible.
• Along the entire length of the outlined drawing, an angle grinder disk cuts short segments, which will eventually connect.
• The shape will look more like a polyhedron than a circle. Therefore, after the end of cutting, the product is processed and cleaned until the edges become sufficiently even and smooth. An angle grinder can also be used for processing. If the circle has a wide diameter, you can grind the contours with a large disc.

When processing a cut out circle with an angle grinder, you should be careful that the disc is inside the hole and, at the same time, is located in the same plane with the worksheet.

Choose the right jigsaw blade

The standard blade that comes with most Jigsaw blades is easy to use. Depending on what kind of wood you have, you may need a stronger blade with finer teeth or a blade with larger and wider teeth.

We’ve written a detailed guide on how to choose the right jigsaw blade. However, here’s a short version:

• Generally speaking, you want to choose a narrower blade for smaller circles.
• For larger circles where the turn is not very sharp, a wider jigsaw will do.
• If you need to cut a circle with a jigsaw from second materials such as metal, plastic or even acrylic, there are special blades specially designed for cutting various materials.

If you need help choosing a jigsaw then the Black Decker BDEJS600C. A good choice.

Photo Credit: Sandy Poore on Flickr / CC BY-SA

Drawing without a compass

If you don’t have a compass, you can draw a circle quite easily using just a few objects that you have at home. You will need a nail, rope and a pencil or pen.

• Fasteners nail to tree where the center of the circle should be.
• Tie one end of the rope to the Nail and then measure the radius of the circle you need.
• Tie or just hold the pencil on a rope of the desired length, and then draw a circle on the tree.

This will allow you to create a perfect circle without any effort. You can control the size of the circle by changing the length of the thread.

4 Split incision. Method 2

Repeat 1-3 on the other side of the circle These alternative stained glass cutting methods are fine if you don’t have very thumbs.

Using Grozer to press down on the cut line

• If for any reason you are unable to push with your thumb, you can use the handle of your pliers / pliers to open the cut line.

Use crushers / scissors to separate artglass

You can use pliers to separate the glass:

• Make sure the flat sponge is on top
• Align the end of the jaw along the mowing line of the cut where the cut ended and gently bend it down, making sure you hold it securely
• If the glass is not broken, go to the second end of the score and repeat, this time with a more “clicking” motion.
• Your art glass should now fall apart into one clean piece.

Use tape to avoid splitting wood

If you DO NOT want to split the tree when cutting the circle, you can use the blue utility tape to prevent this.

You will need to attach the tape to one side of the tree, depending on how your jigsaw makes the cut. If the jigsaw cuts upwards, you need to stick the tape to the top of the tree. And if the jigsaw cuts down on the go, you need to stick the tape to the base of the tree.

If you are NOT sure whether the jigsaw cuts up or down, you can always stick the tape on both sides of the tree. Better safe than sorry, really.?

After the circular cut is finished, the tape can be removed.

Below are other entries “How to do it yourself. Householder “. Gas cutter application

A circle in metal of medium thickness can be cut with a gas cutter. The work takes place in several stages:

• The outline of the circle is outlined.
• Tool burner ignites.
• Regulated combustion torch.
• Carefully and slowly, the torch is carried out according to the drawn drawing.

Using this method, you can cut a hole in the metal, which has a width of about four or five millimeters.

Round hole in metal angle grinder

A round hole can be tried with an angle grinder. Short Numerous cuts are made around the perimeter of the entire outlined contour until they merge into a single contour. In this case, the hole is a polygon, with a large number of sides and the more there are, the stronger the polygon will be on the circle. It should be noted that this option is chosen only in the case of thin metal. a maximum of 3 millimeters.

The finished hole definitely needs additional processing, which allows it to get a more regular shape. If the hole dimensions are significant, it can be machined with a thick disc angle grinder. To do this, place the circle inside the hole and at the same time make sure that it is in the same plane with the metal sheet. Included angle grinder, can grind contour.

How to cut a hole in metal with your own hands

Any holes can be cut in metal with high precision and all thanks to such modern cutting methods as plasma and laser cutting of metal.

Unfortunately, for home workshops such high-precision equipment is a luxury, and then they have to use other methods, some of which are quite extraordinary.

Hole cutting

The easiest way to cut a rectangular hole in metal is an angle grinder. To do this, a circle with a thickness of 0.8 to 1.2 millimeters is installed on the machine. The carving is carried out along the marked straight lines until the letter of the metal is not cut through. Use an angle grinder with care in the corners, as it is easy to make a larger cut here.

Round holes are cut in most cases with a gas cutter:

• Ignite the burner;
• The torch should be well adjusted;
• With slow movements, you should guide the torch along the intended contour.

Not every home craftsman has a gas cutter and then a round or oval hole is cut with a welding machine. The device is set to the maximum possible current. The ignited arc is installed anywhere in the hole contour. After a while, a hole will appear in the metal, after which the electrode should be guided along the contour as the metal burns.

Metal has different thicknesses and NOT each of them can be taken by any device. So with a device with a capacity of no more than 150 amperes, it will be possible to cut metal with a thickness of NOT more than 4 millimeters.

Cutting speed in this way is highly dependent on the thickness of the electrode. The fastest way to work is thin electrodes, but they have their drawback. rapid combustion, leading to frequent replacement of the electrode. During the replacement of the electrode, the metal has time to cool down and has to be warmed up first.

Metal marking

The outline of the hole to be cut should be drawn on the metal. Marking is carried out using a marker, a ruler and a marking compass. For a hole consisting of straight lines, markings are carried out using a ruler and a marker. A compass is used to mark a round hole. To make it more visible, point it with a marker.

Unusual metal cutting option

In the absence of an angle grinder, a gas cutter and a welding machine, an electric drill will help to make a hole in the metal. This method should be resorted to only as a last resort, since it is considered the most laborious. At a distance of half the drill selected for work inside the desired circle, draw another circle. Drilling points are marked in a circle of smaller diameter. The distance between such markings should be the drill diameter. Through drilling is done in the marked places, and the rest is knocked out of the metal letter with a hammer. With this option, a jagged edge remains inside the hole, you can remove the yaky with a file or an angle grinder.