Metal cutting

[caretaker]

Just got a thin peace of metal, it was a wall plack to say how well my firm is doing and I would like to make a jig for drilling but need to cut it in to a circle with a saw and would like to know if a scroll saw will do the job.
Metal is none magnet so may be alloy, thickness is 1/8 inch in old money.
I have not got a band saw but do have a hand jig saw.
Any help or idears?

 

[Gill]

Hi Reg

You should be able to cut 1/8" non-ferrous metal if you fit a metal cutting blade to your jigsaw. You can also cut it with a metal cutting blade in a scroll saw.

Cutting circles manually is something I try to avoid because it's so easy for inaccuracies to creep in. We discussed the subject recently here. If you do use a jig saw, it might be worth fixing it to a trammel which can pivot around the centre of your workpiece.

Gill