Guillotine cuts how accurate?

[fizzy]

I am about to buy 2x sheets aluminium 8x4. 3mm thick.
I miscalculated very slightly building my trailer.
I need 6mm taken off the 4 foot edge and 1 or 2mm taken off the long edge.
Will a guillotine do this ok or are they too small a cut?
Do suppliers do such cutting free?

 

[highseas]

I know mine will cut a down to about 4mm on 2mm sheet if I put it in backwards so the 4mm is coming in from the back and suported by the table/bottom shear if that makes sense? Any less and it just chews up and make me swear..

 

[Gareth J]

I guess it'll depend on the machine and how new/solid/sharp it is. I've folded over an edge instead of a neat trim when going too slim on the stockist's machine and felt a bit sheepish about the weird noise. No one seemed to care but doubt it does the machine any favours. So ask at wherever you're getting it trimmed, or try on your own one and see how it goes?

I'd guess that thinner than the thickness of the metal would be beyond the limit.

 

[Munkul]

My ancient old Edwards will cut a strip of the material thickness as minimum. I'd get away with cutting 3mm strip off 3mm material. It's still very close to making a mess though.
1 to 2 I'd be tempted to mark it and use flap discs to take it down.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I'd be tempted to clamp a bar of steel to it and run a plasma cutter down it. Steel suppliers will almost certainly charge, and charge a lot too.

 

[bourbon]

just flap disc it to size. I guess that it's dropping into some angle section so it's not that crtical?

 

[roofman]

clamp steel flat bar and run a 1mm disk down it

 

[SierraV6]

just flap disc it to size. I guess that it's dropping into some angle section so it's not that crtical?

You could finish it with a hand file if needs be (don’t let the file clog though!).

 

[MattF]

clamp steel flat bar and run a 1mm disk down it

That's the option I'd go with. Quick, simple, effective.

 

[8ob]

My small circular saw with a TCT blade does a fair job of ripping ali sheets down, a bit noisy but very quick and accurate.

Bob

 

[julianf]

You could do it by hand. Just depends on the level of perfection required.

A hand held belt sander will clean up the cut.