cutting stainless steel sheet

I have a 500mm square sheet of 304 stainless steel 2.5mm thick and want to cut it into some smaller pieces. I have made a start with a metal cutting blade fitted to a jigsaw and while it does work it is extremely slow going. I have thought of using a thin metal cutting disk in an angle grinder and would welcome any thoughts from those that have done this with stainless steel. My worry is that the edges might get work hardened and make filing the edges difficult.

Doug

I have used a thin cutting disc in the angle grinder previously. Just cut a bit wide and dress up afterwards.

Depending on what you are making you can clean up with the milling machine or a belt sander or even a file.

Les

A zip disc in an angle grinder for roughing out the sheet, then finish with grinding wheels and sanding drums in a Dremel type tool. That is the best method I have found to work thickish stainless.

One of those cheap 30a plasma cutters will whizz through 2.5mm stainless.

4.5" grinder and a cutting disc 1.5mm DO NOT force the disc or let it bounce, use 2 hands to hold the grinder. Have cut up 8'X 4's up this way - perfect. Just let the disc cut at it's own pace to keep the heat down. Noel.

Note:- There are special cutting discs for Stainless. Use one of the thin discs, they limit the heat affected zone and when you get the angle of the wheel about right (Ie: not at 90 degrees to the plate) the discs last quite a long time.

I use a diamond bladed wet tile saw to cut stainless sheet nice and cleanly. Usually 1mm 316 but have done 3mm on the odd occasion. Saw is nothing special it's a cheap end Plasplugs one about 15 years old and still used for tiling when needed. The water helps to keep it cool and workable though 316 isn't that bad to start with, should be OK for 304 but haven't done any, hate the stuff give me 316 or 303 anytime.

Thanks for the replies, I have a diamond tile cutter and never thought of trying it so will give it a go tomorrow provided I can bear the freezing temperatures outside and in the shed.

Doug

Hi Bezzer, Your comment about you prefer 316 or 303 stainless to 304 interests me because I work mostly from stainless castings to make motorcycle control levers. I try to avoid 316 because it is not fun stuff to tap in small diameter threads, requiring plenty of clearance in the hole size. The whole engineering industry in Australia has largely collapsed due to cheap chinese imports so the only readily available grade for castings here seems to be 304. I thought that 303 was more easily machinable and I don't know why 304 seems so popular out here. Can you please outline the reasons for your preference? Thanks, Chas

+1 for Pete Rimmers plasma cutter - so quick and easy. Second choice discs. Thin ss simply mullers the teeth on saws.

I tried to cut the stainless sheet with my tile cutter and had some success but I think the blade was too worn to work well. I then tried cutting with the hacksaw using a new 32 tpi bimetal blade (good quality Swedish Bahco one ) and was surprised at how well it worked. One cut was too long for the hacksaw so had to finish that cut with the other blade holder shown in the photo. On checking the blade after the cuts it was still in pretty good condition. So there we are then, the humble hacksaw won the day.

Doug

I

It's just I find 304 worse to machine compared to 303 and wouldn't use it unless welding was involved. Easier to get a good finish, doesn't work/heat harden as much as 304 and polishes up to a mirror finish pretty easily. 316 is purely for sheet stock, nice, bright and easy to work.

If you have a 4 1/2" grinder better still a battery one this is probably the industry standard now for jobbing shops and site contract work for steels, cast iron pipe, stainless steel pipe, and sheet use a stainless steel or Inox grade for all as this is a good general purpose grade, grind with a gentle forward and back motion a bit like a surface grinder light pressure dont dwell in one spot or heat will build up causing wheel to glaze this method will fly through 2.5mm sheet, we regularly cut 3mm stainless sheet or pipe up to 6 - 800 mm long.

Yes Colin you are probably right, the only thing is I don't like using the angle grinder in the shed with all the sparks and bits of grit flying about and the weather outside was miserable when I wanted to do the job. I was quite surprised just how well the hacksaw worked. It was not as fast as an angle grinder but kept me warm in the workshop and was quite therapeutic.

Doug

My go to tool for this job is the 4.5" angle grinder, but beware I find it raises a very sharp burr. One time I'd taken all the precautions I could think of, safety boots, stand on the sheet to stop it moving about, gloves, goggles. Cut fine no problems, take off gloves to pick up the bits, go to A&E to have finger mended. Blood everywhere, GP wouldn't even look at it

At this point Duncan goes out and buys the invaluable NOGA deburring tool and wishes he had done so earlier ! The perfect tool for removing burrs on most things and SO simple. Noel

Plus one on that. I quite often do the same, having a no-grinding, no-torches policy inside the shed full of leaky old motorbikes. But it is often just more pleasant to hacksaw and file quietly rather than fire up angle grinder and belt sanders and the like. And for you, central heating of the most central type!

Hi, I would in most cases cut stainless plate with a 4-1/2" angle grinder with a thin cutting disc, but it does need to be one with INOX marked on it, especially if you are going to weld it. When I had to cut 30 24mm wide stripes from some 1mm think plates, I clamped six plates at a time in the vice on my milling machine and cut them one by one with a slitting saw, which made sure they were all the same width and no over heat stains on them, and were far easier to hold, as the last two from each plate, would have made holding them difficult.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 23/01/2023 13:18:12

For small work the little Bosch 12V 3" angle grinder is excellent and so much quieter and easy to handle than the 4.5" corded version.