Whatever your next project might be, you want to be prepared with the best, most useful tools for the job. If you are a roofer or have any other reason to work with sheet metal, you will definitely need some high-quality sheet metal cutting tools to help you work with your material and get it to do what you need it to do. Luckily enough, you have quite a few options in this area to choose from so you can purchase the exact ones you need. Each tool has its own capabilities and special purposes, so you should take the time to consider how you need to work with sheet metal first to determine which ones you will benefit from having. To help you decide, here are three different types of sheet metal cutting tools and what you might use each one of them for.
Drill Attachment Shears
Shears are great, inexpensive tools for cutting sheet metal precisely. When you use one as a drill attachment, it gives you much more power and ease of use, making it a highly efficient tool. You do not have to apply pressure from the hand as much and you can work much more quickly using your shears as a drill attachment. Generally, these are pretty useful and versatile tools that can be used on a number of projects. A sheet metal roofer will definitely want one of these on hand while working.
Hand Slitters
Slitters are mainly used to cut through coiled material such as rolled sheet metal. They are useful for cutting down the ends of the coils to create a smaller width of material, so that you can get the measurements you want when it is all rolled out. They make work quick and efficient, leaving behind clean, accurate cuts.
Powered Nibblers
Nibblers are very similar to shears but have one distinct difference. Rather than simply cutting into the metal as shears would, nibblers work by cutting and removing a tiny strip of sheet metal as they go. This is done to preserve the metal you are working with so that the sheet metal does not become wavy or distorted. These sheet metal cutting tools are fairly small and easy to use. If you are after a clean cut and need to keep the metal in good condition, these are the way to go.
Now that you know a little bit more about these sheet metal cutting tools, you might feel more prepared to go ahead and purchase some for yourself. Overall, these handheld tools are easy to carry with you or store in your toolkit, easy to use, and most importantly effective at getting the job done. Choose a high-quality cutting tool and it should last you years with proper care. Just make sure you start with good tools from a reputable name in hand tool supplies. One place you should look at, for example, is stortz.com. They create long-lasting, high-performance hand tools including several great options for sheet metal cutting tools. You might want to see what they have to offer before deciding what you need. Seeing such a large selection of tools could help you to realize what it is you really need in your toolkit.
