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2476-20 M12 Nibbler for old barn tin?
- Thread starter autobon7
- Start date
micromind
Well-known member
I've found that an air hammer and a muffler splitter works well with barn tin.
Extremely loud though.......
Extremely loud though.......
Hard since some of that old galv is sometimes a heavier gauge and can be a bit more resilient too. But I’ll throw this out for consideration. Nibblers have there place but it’s really difficult to get a good clean line with them. If you’re looking for a straight quality cut, I’d suggest a shear.
Bad Habit
Well-known member
Not sure how much you have to cut but one of these may be the ticket. No it's not Milwaukee, no it's not cordless, yes it's Harbor Freight. Got one for some sheet metal work and have been very happy with it.
For now just 2 cuts for a project. May consider the shears.Not sure how much you have to cut but one of these may be the ticket. No it's not Milwaukee, no it's not cordless, yes it's Harbor Freight. Got one for some sheet metal work and have been very happy with it.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Abrasive blade on a circular saw. A nibbler will drive you nuts by the end of the day. They really work well on flat stock, not so much on corrugated tin.
bigredcornhead
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2011
- Messages
- 443
Spent a couple days helping re-tin sides and roof of a lean too, fastest method was the circ saw mention above. Do yourself a favor, safety glasses, gloves, and long sleeves. Those little metal cut bits get everywhere smack pretty good lol.
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
Another vote for this. Those little shavings/chips are terrible. Especially if you have any amount of body hair exposed.Spent a couple days helping re-tin sides and roof of a lean too, fastest method was the circ saw mention above. Do yourself a favor, safety glasses, gloves, and long sleeves. Those little metal cut bits get everywhere smack pretty good lol.
I have and love the m12 nibbler, and it's a nice tool to have in general. It will work for what you want to do, but will be a little tedious. It really excels for tight curves and tough to access locations. If you're looking to add one to your quiver, and you're using this project to justify the purchase (no judgment, we all do it) I say go for it.
I also have both electric and pneumatic shears, and I agree that is probably a better tool for this particular job if the profile of your decking is the wavy kind vs trapezoidal. If you don't have a shear, and you want one, they don't make one in m12, but they certainly do make them in m18, and of course there are lots of corded options.
All that said, if you're just cutting straight lines, I agree the circular saw approach is probably best, with a caveat. Metal cutting circular saws blades are awesome! There are lots of debates about whether it's safe/advisable to put a TCT metal cutting blade on a normal (wood cutting) curc saw, since they typically spin faster than dedicated metal cutting saws. If you've only got a couple cuts to make, are willing to risk smoking the blade, and are willing to disregard the inevitable warnings that are sure to come, you can probably use a TCT blade in your existing circ saw and make quick work of this job.
If you are in the mood to buy a new tool, I can't recommend a dedicated metal cutting circ saw enough. Milwaukee does have a smaller (5-3/8" blade) metal saw (2782-20), but it's got some limitations. The cut depth might just barely handle corrugated, it will throw chips everywhere, and you will be limited in the thickness of metal you can cut (not an issue for this project but maybe down the road).
If you can swing the cash, I recommend the big 8 inch saw, the 2982-20. It's a beast. It has tons of power, a "chip catcher" shroud/tank that actually works pretty well, and an overload warning/prevention system for when you really want to cut some thick metal. And I'm talking tube, pipe, decking, rebar, and even plate. I've probably pushed this saw harder than was intended, but it's never let me down.
Good luck!
I also have both electric and pneumatic shears, and I agree that is probably a better tool for this particular job if the profile of your decking is the wavy kind vs trapezoidal. If you don't have a shear, and you want one, they don't make one in m12, but they certainly do make them in m18, and of course there are lots of corded options.
All that said, if you're just cutting straight lines, I agree the circular saw approach is probably best, with a caveat. Metal cutting circular saws blades are awesome! There are lots of debates about whether it's safe/advisable to put a TCT metal cutting blade on a normal (wood cutting) curc saw, since they typically spin faster than dedicated metal cutting saws. If you've only got a couple cuts to make, are willing to risk smoking the blade, and are willing to disregard the inevitable warnings that are sure to come, you can probably use a TCT blade in your existing circ saw and make quick work of this job.
If you are in the mood to buy a new tool, I can't recommend a dedicated metal cutting circ saw enough. Milwaukee does have a smaller (5-3/8" blade) metal saw (2782-20), but it's got some limitations. The cut depth might just barely handle corrugated, it will throw chips everywhere, and you will be limited in the thickness of metal you can cut (not an issue for this project but maybe down the road).
If you can swing the cash, I recommend the big 8 inch saw, the 2982-20. It's a beast. It has tons of power, a "chip catcher" shroud/tank that actually works pretty well, and an overload warning/prevention system for when you really want to cut some thick metal. And I'm talking tube, pipe, decking, rebar, and even plate. I've probably pushed this saw harder than was intended, but it's never let me down.
Good luck!
I picked the nibbler up last year when it was on sale and couldn't pass it up. Have used it sparingly but really like what it's done for me so far. Just didn't know if I would ruin the die by trying this. Shears may be the way to go.I have and love the m12 nibbler, and it's a nice tool to have in general. It will work for what you want to do, but will be a little tedious. It really excels for tight curves and tough to access locations. If you're looking to add one to your quiver, and you're using this project to justify the purchase (no judgment, we all do it) I say go for it.
Gotcha. Are you concerned because of the corrugations? The gauge should be well within the capacity of the nibbler.I picked the nibbler up last year when it was on sale and couldn't pass it up. Have used it sparingly but really like what it's done for me so far. Just didn't know if I would ruin the die by trying this. Shears may be the way to go.
Since its old tin I wasn't sure about the metal itself. The gauge seems to fall well within the 16g limit but seems way harder than current stuff.Gotcha. Are you concerned because of the corrugations? The gauge should be well within the capacity of the nibbler.