DIY roller knife for sheet metal

What can knives be made from?

In the case of making such a tool yourself, the main problem is to choose the appropriate material that will cut metal workpieces.
So, if it is necessary to cut not the most durable sheet metal - aluminum, galvanized steel, etc., a good solution would be to use ordinary bearings, the ends of which must first be sharpened.

To cut such knives into metal, one of the rollers, the drive one, must be installed on a handle with which you can press the knives to the material. After this, all that remains is to pull the metal, holding the handle of the homemade machine pressed to the base.

Thus, now you can find many designs of homemade roller cutting shears. The most difficult thing is to find parts that can be used as knives. To make it more convenient to use a do-it-yourself machine, it can be additionally equipped with guides that will allow you to cut the workpiece smoothly.

In this case, the finished tool, if necessary, can be installed on any metalworking equipment, for example, on a sheet bending machine.

Necessary materials

A machine for cutting sheet metal, constructed with your own hands at home, requires knives, the range of materials for which is very wide, and the choice of one of them mainly depends on the type and thickness of the material that will need to be cut. If you have to work with not the most durable, thin sheet steel, such as aluminum, then the simplest bearings will be the ideal option. But for the required functionality of a roller knife, they lack sharpening, which should be carried out independently along the entire end of the future tool.

The main roller knife is installed on a movable part of the structure with a pressure handle, which, when pressed, clamps the workpiece between two cutting surfaces. The diameter of the bearings directly affects the speed of work performed. That is, the larger the bearing diameter, the higher the production speed on the machine.

Making a roller knife for metal with your own hands

To simplify the work with the tool and make it more convenient, it would be nice to equip the sheet cutter with a guide plane.

The manufacture and installation of this part is not very difficult, and in return it will greatly simplify the entire process. The result is a universal machine with roller knives, which can interact with other metalworking equipment, which can also be easily constructed at home.

How to make roller shears for cutting sheet metal with your own hands

Metal cutting is one of the most popular and widespread methods of processing such material. In this case, it is mandatory to use special tools that provide the ability to cut sheet metal, since it is unrealistic to do this without the use of additional devices.

Cutting technology consists in the fact that a workpiece made of a particular material is exposed to the cutting edge of a tool. The sharp cutting edge of the tool moves along the surface of the metal, cutting it. During this process, the cut layer undergoes plastic deformation.

Features of metal cutting at home

Circular knives are an excellent replacement for metal shears, having a number of advantages:

• Small dimensions and dimensions.
• Simplicity of design.
• Easy adjustment.
• Convenience and ability to work with a wide range of materials.

Cutting metal with a roller knife

Do-it-yourself sheet metal cutting at home is usually done with cutters or drills. Of course, this approach helps to give the part the desired shape, and at the same time polish the surface. However, it would be much more practical to construct a machine with roller knives with your own hands once (unless, of course, we are talking about cutting scrap metal, since accuracy is not so important there), thereby reducing both the time allotted for processing and minimizing the amount of debris and defects that may occur when using hand tools. To put it simply, circular knives are an excellent replacement for metal shears and even an industrial guillotine.

Description, principle of operation

A roller cutter for metal is a device designed to separate sheet metal into two parts. The principle of operation is based on the destruction of the strength bonds of the processed material in a local area.

The force on the metal is carried out along two parallel planes. The force vectors are directed towards each other. Example: household scissors or industrial guillotine.

In roller shears, the power parts are made in the form of two disks. The internal (facing each other) cutting surfaces are in the same plane. The edges of the rollers extend (displaced) a small distance in a perpendicular plane. When moving (rotating), the device slides onto the metal sheet.

A sheet sandwiched between two disks experiences two forces at the point of contact. Shear deformation and separation of the material occurs. The discs, performing a translational-rotational movement, shift the point of contact in the direction of the cut. In this way, the process of continuous processing of sheet iron is carried out.

Design

According to the type of cut line created, the device is divided into:

1. Parallel arrangement of cutting planes. Allows you to create an even, straight cutting line. Used to produce strips of metal.
2. One inclined plane. Two lines are made - straight and curved.
3. Two inclined planes. Create curved and circular cutting lines.

The last two options are used to create shaped semi-finished metal products. The first option is the most common due to its simple design and configuration.

A roller blade is rarely used on its own. To create straight cutting lines and the ability to work with dimensional products, you must have reference points. Therefore, the cutting tool acts as a technical addition to any stationary machine. For example, a sheet bender.

Compound

A device for cutting metal consists of:

• bed with guides (supporting surfaces);
• fixation of the processed material;
• disk knife.

The design of the roller knife includes:

• body with built-in or overhead handle;
• cutting discs;
• adjustment device (tuning) - designed to adjust the gaps and the disks themselves along several planes.

The knife elements (except for the discs) are quite simple geometric shapes. They are made from semi-finished steel, sheet, angle, channel or other metal profile.

The cutting element is made of durable tool steel. Factory models have a resource of 25-30 km when processing sheets 0.5 mm thick.

The adjustment system is a combination of oval holes, metal spacers and set bolts.

For a craftsman who has the skills to process metal parts, making such a device will not be difficult. Using the example of specialists who created a roller knife on their own, the time costs were within 5-10 days, including adjustment and configuration.

Features of making a tool yourself

If you are tired of cutting sheet metal with scissors or a grinder, then a roller cutter is an excellent alternative to replace these tools. The advantages of this device include quiet operation and lack of energy consumption. In addition, having such a device in your home arsenal, you can even make money when your neighbors need to cut sheet metal material.

The purchase of a tool is justified only in one case, when it is necessary to perform work in large quantities. And even in this case, you can make the device yourself to use it for professional purposes. There are many designs for the devices in question, so making a device yourself is not at all difficult if you understand the principle of operation of the device.

When making a homemade tool, the following properties must be taken into account:

1. Cutting knives - there should be two of them, one located on top and the other on the bottom. Knives must be made of high-quality alloy, which has a strength higher than the materials being cut. Bearings that fully meet the described requirements are used as knives.
2. Base - simultaneously acts as a surface on which the steel sheet is located, as well as a guide for moving the roller shears when cutting the sheet or cutting strips
3. Body of the device - for manufacturing, a steel angle with a thickness of 3 mm and a wall size of 40-60 mm is usually used
4. Auxiliary tools - they are designed to secure the sheet material to the table surface while cutting it

This is interesting!
The service life of homemade roller knives is quite high, and is almost equal to that of factory models.
The service life of factory devices is at least 25 km, but provided that the thickness of the cut steel does not exceed 0.5 mm. The thicker the steel, the shorter the service life of the tool. The service life of a homemade device is influenced by such an indicator as the quality of its manufacture. Moreover, this even applies to the quality of bearings, so if you get down to business, you will need an appropriate approach.

Homemade roller knives

With all its undoubted advantages, even the simplest model of a roller knife has quite a decent price. This is the reason why it is inappropriate to purchase it for one-time work or periodic use. However, the optimal solution from a financial point of view still exists - a roller knife can be made with your own hands at home.

The design of such a device can be very different. The most common variations are presented below (photo, photo 2). But in any case, the main part remains unchanged - the cutting knife. It should be made from the most durable and reliable steel alloy, the strength parameters of which must necessarily exceed those of the material being cut. If this condition is not met, the quality of the cut will be low, which will require additional processing of the cut edges.

Practice shows that the working life of factory-produced knives is about 25 km of sheet steel, provided that its thickness is 0.5 mm. With greater thickness, the resource will be correspondingly lower. However, the tool can be sharpened without any problems and continue to function effectively.

If we talk about the service life of homemade knives, then it is directly dependent on the material from which the cutting parts of the unit are made.

How to cut sheet metal at home

In industry, roller shears are used to cut factory-produced sheet metal. Their distinctive features are high accuracy, long service life, and the absence of the need to make them yourself. Often in the household there is a need to obtain even strips of sheet steel, which are used for various purposes. If you need one strip, then there is no need to buy or make such a device, since you can use ordinary metal scissors. If you need to cut the entire sheet or carry out cutting work regularly, then it is imperative to acquire a roller knife.

There is no justifiable sense in buying such a factory-made device, since the price ranges from 15 thousand rubles or more, which depends on the design, size and quality of the device. Roller shears for cutting sheet metal can be made with your own hands at home, using available consumables for manufacturing. Although this method requires time, it allows you to save money, resulting in a universal cutting tool for cutting sheets of stainless steel, galvanized steel, etc.

This is interesting!
It should be noted that roller shears are only suitable for cutting flat sheets, and they cannot be used to cut sheets with protrusions and recesses, for example, corrugated sheets in the transverse direction.

Manufacturing instructions

Factory models of cutters sold in stores, even in standard configuration, will cost a large amount. The price of models offered on the market starts from 20,000 rubles. Such conditions are not beneficial for purchasing a tool for home use or a small workshop, and it will be used extremely rarely.

To begin with, the main body of the instrument is designed, which everyone chooses for themselves. The main attribute of the machine is manufactured - a roller knife for sheet metal. The material from which the part is made directly affects the durability and performance of the unit. As mentioned above, the strength characteristics should be significantly higher than the similar characteristics of the material being cut. Otherwise, the minimum problem will be a low-quality cut, forcing the craftsman to clean and process the edges of each cut piece.

Scheme for assembling a roller knife

Do-it-yourself roller metal shears are mostly made from bearings. Sharpening the ends of the part forms the cutting surfaces. The main roller, connected to the drive, is attached directly to the handle. The lower one is installed on the fixed lower part of the machine. If you have skills in processing iron alloys, manufacturing such a device will take a maximum of a little more than a week, including setting up the unit.

What to make a roller knife from

There are no difficulties with purchasing roller shears, since such a machine can be found in an online store and ordered. The only difficulty is that you will have to shell out a considerable amount of money to purchase it, which will not pay off soon if you do not use such equipment often. Making your own will not require any costs, but the biggest difficulty is choosing the necessary materials and assembling full-fledged roller shears from them.

Using a homemade machine allows you to cut the following types of materials:

• Cink Steel
• Stainless steel
• Aluminum
• Steel sheets up to 0.5 mm thick, for example, window slopes of metal-plastic windows

Bearings are used to make cutting knives. The diameter of these bearings depends on the size of the roller blade housing, but 20-30mm ball bearings are commonly used. In order for the bearings to ensure cutting of material, it is necessary to grind off their end faces, making them strictly at an angle of 90 degrees. The effectiveness of the tool depends on this.

This is interesting!
The diameter of the bearings affects the cutting speed. The larger the size of the bearings, the correspondingly higher the cutting speed.

Before you make a roller-type cutting tool, you need to understand its principle of use. The application is based on the fact that a homemade knife moves along guides. The corner part of a workbench or table is used as such guides. The sheet to be cut is placed on the surface of the table, and in order for the cut to be smooth and neat, it should be fixed in a stationary position. This can be done using two clamps and a wooden block of appropriate length. A block is placed on the sheet, and then it is fixed on both sides with clamps, thereby ensuring immobility during processing.

Roller knives for metal

The roller knife is gaining more and more demand and popularity today. This is due not only to the high productivity of such a device, but also to its fairly simple design. The principle of operation of the mechanism is simple - two cutting disc rollers rotate in different directions, pressing into the surface of the metal and thus cutting it. Friction between the metal and the knives ensures unhindered movement of the workpiece along the tool.

In the vast majority of cases, roller knives for cutting sheet metal include two rotating rollers - an upper and a lower one. Depending on the variation of the cutting element used, such tools can be classified as follows:

• Parallel position knives - used for cutting metal into strips, while providing very acceptable quality;
• Edges with one inclined - this group allows not only longitudinal cutting of material, but also cutting out ring and round workpieces;
• Knives with several inclined - such devices make it possible to effectively cut round, curved or ring-shaped workpieces with a small radius.

It is worth noting that all of the above variations cope perfectly with cutting sheet steel, while the cut edges do not require additional attention and subsequent processing.

Roller shears and sheet metal cutting features

In the metalworking industry, roller shears or knives are used to process sheet material. This tool is called knives because its operation is based on the use of two cutting discs. The cutting process is based on the fact that rollers are pressed into the sheet material from two sides - top and bottom. In this case, it is cut without the use of any sharp knives. The role of cutting and sharp knives is played by rollers, which touch the walls to each other on both sides.

Rollers not only cut sheet material, but also facilitate the process of moving the tool along the surface of the sheet. This means that cutting with a roller knife is not only convenient, but also effective. If we compare the operation of the device with hand scissors, the following advantages should be noted:

• Speed ​​- cutting a sheet of steel with roller shears can be done in a matter of seconds, but using scissors requires a lot of time, which depends on the length of the material being cut
• Cut quality - the roller knife cuts not only quickly, but also with high quality. There are no chips, bends, bends, etc. at the site of the cut
• Physical fatigue - cutting with hand scissors requires physical effort, while using a roller tool eliminates this need. To cut, you only need to move the roller shears along the guides, thereby cutting the steel sheet

Roller shears are classified according to the types of knives into three types:

1. They are located in parallel. The most popular type of cutting tool, which is intended exclusively for cutting material into strips, that is, cutting is performed in a straight direction
2. They have one slope. They are intended for cutting not only even strips of sheet material, but also for cutting round and ring-type workpieces
3. With several slopes. Such roller devices are intended directly for cutting workpieces of various shapes - ring, round, curved, etc.

After cutting, the edge of the material does not need additional processing, as it turns out smooth, without chips or burrs.