| Author | Message | ||
     Lazeyjack (Lazeyjack) Senior Member Username: Lazeyjack Post Number: 86 Registered: 04-2012 |
use a fine tooth band saw, if you have one OR if you use a drop saw lay the metal u down there is a chance that it,ll grab thin stuff, be careful Never start a cut on the edge of the metal, you will have spaghetti on your hands in seconds I would use a thin cut off wheel no teeth in an angle grinder a 4 inch one that you can use without guard holding in one hand and the metal in other best rgds Stuart | ||
| Old_school (Old_school) Senior Member Username: Old_school Post Number: 1019 Registered: 01-2009 |
Branden, is that 2 cents in Bahamian money or U. S. ? You just can't stay away eh? How are things down there for you? | ||
| Branden_wilson (Branden_wilson) Senior Member Username: Branden_wilson Post Number: 128 Registered: 03-2008  |
heres my 2 cents Nick; as far as cutting, i have seen miter saws used on copper gutter before but never tried it myself. my feeling is that the cut edge would need to either be recut or at least cleaned up anyway. i use two sets of snips, right and left or green and red. i make about a 1 inch wide cut using one set of snips on each side of the cut. this is a bit time consuming but done right , leaves you with a straight cut and a clean edge. try to use a factory edge on another piece of gutter as a template for tracing the line(s) you plan to cut. three inches is a pretty big overlap. i usually cut away part of the bead thats on the inside of the overlap. i cut it on an angle, ending the cut at the end of the joint. i highly recommend using hand irons for soldering. i personally cannot solder near as good using any other method. soldering half round is not easy the first time. id practice on some scrap first. but pre-tinning and clamps help a lot. i have a video ill post soon showing how we solder half round gutters using hand irons here in the bahamas. thats my 2 cents. most guys here have far more experience than me so keep searching. youre in the right place though. be sure to share pics when youre done. have fun! REAL SLATER | ||
| Nick (Nick) New member Username: Nick Post Number: 5 Registered: 03-2007 |
I am installing 16oz half round copper gutters on my wrap-around porch using the basic Berger Bros gutter system - 4 inch single bead gutter and hanger circle with clips. The hangers are all installed and now I am ready to install the gutters themselves. I am looking for advice to the following questions: 1. How to cutting the gutter: My gutters are in 20 foot lengths and I need to cut them into roughly 10 foot sections. Can I use a wood miter saw to cut them? I was told by a local metal supply yard that I need to use a low RPM metal saw otherwise I could ruin the copper. Is this true? Can I use a regular wood cutting miter saw or do I need to use a low RPM metal saw? Also, what kind of blade is recommended? A sales person at Home Depot told me to try a regular wood cutting blade but put it on backwards. Has anyone ever tried this on copper with any success? 2. Joining the gutter sections: When joining two sections of single-bead gutter, is it common practice to insert the bead of one gutter piece into that of another? A friend told me I need about 2 to 3 inches of overlap so I'm thinking I will try to "open" up the diameter of the bead at the end of one gutter piece and "tighten" up the diameter of the bead at the end of the gutter to be joined. If I do this for say 3 inches at the mating ends of each section, I would expect the two pieces to fit together easily. Especially given that the sections are around 10 feet in length each, I am hoping to just slide them together rather than have to twist them together. Once fitted together, I would "crimp" down on the assembled joint and then solder, thus achieving a strong joint with a good amount of overlap. Is this just wishful thinking? Am I headed for trouble? 3. Soldering: I am thinking of purchasing the American Beauty 300 Watt iron, since I don't trust myself with a torch. Does the 300 Watt have enough power? Some forums say that a torch is the only way to go, but I would feel safer without a flame. I won't be soldering anything by the half round system, nothing else. Any advice on any of the above would be greatly appreciated. |
