Scrollsaw for metal

[4mycommander]

Looking for advice on which model of saw to buy for cutting out fairly intricate shapes from 4mm zinc. I’m looking for a mid range saw I think, not cheapest or highest end. I have seen great reviews of Olson blades as well but not sure which uk saws they are compatible with. Really appreciate your help!

 

[whatknot]

Scroll saw blades are generally of a standard length, so its a matter of whether you want pinned blades or pinless, I have only ever used pinned for cutting metal and had no problem at all

I would have a word with Axminster tools, they have Pegas metal cutting blades, and I am sure could advise on what saw would suit you

 

[whatknot]

Just to add, in case you are not aware, some machines only take pinned blades, most that take pinless also take pinned

 

[AES]

As the above replies have suggested, the only real criteria is the blade you choose, rather than the machine itself.

Having said that however, having done a fair bit of metal cutting on scroll saws myself, my opinion is STRONGLY in favour of a machine which has variable speed - I find that running at almost the slowest speed available makes the job much easier and the resulting cut much more precise.

Regarding blade choice, IMO it doesn't matter so much if you use pinned or pin less blades, UNLESS you need to cut some tight curves/corners, in which case, just like when cutting wood, pin less blades are generally easier to get tight/small radius curves with.

Some time ago I published a "tutorial" about cutting sheet metal in the General Metalworking section of this Forum. That included at least 1 chart from a manufacturer of scroll saw blades specifically for cutting metal. I don't think it's possible on this Forum to have 2 separate pages open at once so I'll post this now, then come back to this post with a PS in a few moments, once I've found the link to that metal blade chart/s.

Hope that helps (and BTW, not blowing my own trumpet or anything - really - but you may find a read through all of that "Tutorial" helpful if you're going to be doing much sheet metal cutting).

Edit for P.S: here you go, linkies:

1. Scroll Saw Metal Blades Chart: download/file.php?id=65768&mode=view

(Note: This chart is from Pegas, which I like, but there are several other good manufacturers too. The UK agent/distributor for Pegas is Axminster Tools).

2. Start of complete "Hacksaws - How to choose 'em & how to use 'em" Tutorial: hacksaws-how-to-choose-em-how-to-use-em-other-stuff-t109936.html

HTH.

 

[4mycommander]

Thanks for the info, the metal we are looking to cut is 4mm zinc. There are some tight curves as the outlines are fairly intricate so I’m guessing super slow and a pinless blade?

 

[AES]

Yup, that sounds pretty good to me. 4 mm is quite thick, but zinc is pretty soft, so shouldn't be any big problems. As always, I strongly recommend a practice on a piece of similar scrap before starting on the real job.

Good luck

 

[novocaine]

4mm zinc plate, that's an unusual material. thickest I've ever seen is 1.5mm (19zg) and you fold it with wooden battens, more akin to working with copper or lead than an actual metal. cutting speed is irrelevant for such a soft material so any saw will do, a slower moving blade will help a little with the blade gumming up.
I've never seen zinc plate that thick (excluding anodes) and it's soft (cut it with a knife soft) and gauls easily, so a normal metal blade isn't ideal, the gullets will be to small, I'd want something like a number 4 or 5 blade, a wood blade should do it just fine. I haven't got any zinc in to try it for you I'm afraid.

with AES on all of what he said.

 

[AES]

Yeah, I'm with novocaine on this, I'm wondering (pure guess work) if you really do have 4 mm thick zinc, or if it's not "just" zinc plated MS? Interesting, as apart from sacrificial anodes in electro plating shops (which are usually bar or rod) I don't remember ever seeing "pure" zinc sheet/plate that thick.

What's the job? And please let us know how you get on.

Thread drift: At what point (thickness I guess) does sheet metal (any metal) stop being described as "sheet" and become "plate"? I dunno

 

[novocaine]

plate is anything thicker than gauge.

which opens up a whole other kettle of fish as not all materials are measured in gauge and not all gauge is the same (hence 19zg which is more like 15g in steel and aluminium isn't measured in gauge at all.

at what point does sheet become foil?

edit to add, technical 1g is just shy of 8mm, but most would call that plate. so for custom we tend to call it sheet if it's less than about 12g, which is 3mm to us norms and plate above. but I guess if you build tanks all day then eventually 8mm looks like sheet stock.