Cutting Sheet Stock

[Carlos B]

Nice refinement Rick. There you go improving on older ideas again. I have been a fan of your work since I first saw your version of D. Gingery's shaper, many years ago. You have done some nice refinements to some of his work, since he got the ball rolling back in 1980. I (and many others I'm sure) have been using a disc grinder and a metal straight edge for cutting thin sheet material for a long time. I offset my angle or flat bar from the marked line a little more than the thickness of the disc and get decent results. By using trepanning methods I have cut material as thick as 1/2". Cut 2/3 of the depth with the grinder and then work the joint back and forth till it severs. This requires more cleanup of the trepanned edge but still requires less disc than attempting to cut all the way through. For thinner work, your method certainly improves accuracy on long thin cuts.