Tips & Techniques

Cutting sheet steel

Issue 26

I live in a small town in southern Colorado. Less than 20 miles from my house the average snowfall is a whopping 500 in., so metal roofs are very popular around here. The snow will slide off them before it gets a chance to pile up. Most of the roofs I install are made of sheet steel, with a baked-enamel finish. I have tried numerous ways of cutting this material, but the best way I have found is to use an old circular sawblade mounted backwards on the saw’s arbor. This arrangement makes a fast, accurate cut. Be sure to wear safety goggles and ear plugs. This is a very noisy operation.

Grover Hathorn, South Fork, CO

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