is there such a thing?

I was looking at dremels, but they were cutting like 0.5mm sheet steel.
Baby stuff...

See.... sure an angle grinder could... but what about tight corners and round shapes... (like the mounting flanges for carb to manifold matting surfaces?


Or am i really just limited to taking a template to an engineering shop?

(oxy cutters and torches sound exy... then having to rent the gas from BOC and stuff.... Be nice if there was some other easy alternative.)

Note that 5mm is not what i'm cutting... but it would be at most that gauge...

probably jsut 3 mm...

But someting besides drilling a hole and spending 3 months with a hacksaw blade :P. Even that really doesn't do corners...

get it cut to size at the place your buying it from much easier

hand file you sissy

Best to go to an engineering shop that can process the material in-house. There are Profile companies that specialise in this sort of thing. Main cost is in the material no so much the cutting. Do yourself a favour though and provide a dimensioned drawing rather than sample. Hand drawings are fine. For smaller jobs like these you're better off offering cash or a case of beer to be worthwhile.

For the thinner material you'd be dealing with, find someone with a high def plasma, it'll be cheaper than a laser.

Nick

haha, but how do i do a circular cut out say 50mm diameter through 5mm plate before i even get a chance to file it flush :P?

or even a 25mm x 75mm oval?

Maybe i should just get it cut bfore i buy.

(retorical question shapes... but kinda the thing i wanna be capable of)

holesaw

yep but with the steel, keep the holesaw well oiled while drilling, and go to an automotive tool shop and get one there, not a bunnings special or you will be there all year

4 inch grinder with a 1.5 mm cutting disc i have had very good jobs with there
,and the old discs that are small now work well on odd jobs

Just buy a plasma cutter

How good is that!

Thanks Mick. i typed it in youtube and its EXACTLY what i want:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkiFkAM-Ok0 

(Demo with 50 amp plasma cutter, cuts 2.5mm and 10mm thick steel).

Ebay has a heap below $500..

We have 2 plasma cutters at work we use to build truck bodys,they make the job look easy

Hey chris, plasma cutters are getting cheaper all the time. The main thing to watch out for with plasma cutters is a) you have a good enough air compressor to run it and b) the plasma cutter you buy has replacement tips available, as some of the dodgy import asian ones are really hard to get parts for, and plasma cutters have a habit of going through a few tips. Just so you know : )

thanks for the help guys!

And thanks Tim on the tips info mate i'll definitely keep that in mind. Will definitely be in the market soon.

Pity there's hardly any room for it though :P... nor even a workbench. will have to start working out on the drive way haha.

Will take an hr to tidy... only fits a single car.

Talk about a mess.... and its not even my house

eekk...

Well at least a small plasma cutter is only the size of a portable mig welder, so it can just get jammed in a corner somewhere : )

p.s. I think you should give that floorpan to me : )

don;t let that bloke get hold of your floor pan !!!
i want it

BTW my shed is a whole lot messier than yours!!

don't ya just love a tidy workshop makes mine look untidy

If you don't have a lot of holes to do, you can drill a series of small holes (say 3mm) as close together as possible around the inside of the shape (like join the dots), then angle the drill backwards and forewards in each hole along the direction of the row of holes. You should be able to pretty much 'cut' the piece out , then clean the hole up with a file. Only costs are time and drill bits (you often break a few).

hahaha, none of yas can have my floorplan!

Unless its an exceedingly rediculous offer lol. its been 95% completely rebuild, raised, seam welded front beam, manual converted, diskbrake front, type 3 rear drum, new gr2 gas shocks on front, oil on rear etc. etc. urethane bushes all round (but two :P), kombi 3 rib box, adjustable shift rod, quick shift kit, stainless steel efi 6mm and 8mm fuel lines, list goes on!.

Thanks for making me feel betta about this garage . its suppose to be a double...

Jeff... your right! thats another way. i have done it in the past. I am very impatient though.... and it is more time consuming. but compared to me waiting to have a bit of cash saved to nab a plasma cutter in the next month, i will probably be too impatient to wait for it to come and will take the time to do that...

Just gotta nab a dellorto and sc12 prior! I figured... why set it up n/a for the moment, when i will have to fork out cash to set it up n/a, then have to fork more to convert later for the supercharge conversion. Then when it comes,I'll be putting the couple hundred $ worth n/a components to a side for the next decade, when that money could have been spent going straight to the desired target.

ummm... where is the body, and what does it look like?

how much oxy does a cheap plasma that buy you?

you'll find plenty more uses for oxy as well. all those rusty nuts n bolts. steel you want bent. stuck bearings you want removed. heating up your dizzy drive gear to drop it on your crank. cooking your toast and/or marshmallows.

I like oxy too, and use it a lot, but don't like the huge rent on the two bottles, not to mention getting them refilled. Much dearer to maintain than a plasma and dearer to set up. Having said that, if you want to do the things mentioned above then go with what amazeer said : ) mmmmm.....marshmallows.......

I have my account with BOC for my bottles. My mig is only an E size bottle and costs about $150 or so to rent per year whether I use it or not and $90 to fill (exchange).