How to mark out, cut, shape and finish

Marking Out For straight lines use a ‘scriber’ and an ‘engineers square’

Marking Out For arcs, or circles use a ‘dot punch’ and ‘dividers’ The ‘dot punch’ helps prevent the point of the dividers from slipping. Dot Punch

Marking out When drilling a hole, you need to mark the centre of the hole with a centre punch

Marking Out For marking a parallel line to an edge use ‘odd leg callipers‘ The ‘odd leg’ runs along the edge of the material, while the point marks the line

Cutting metal bars and rods After you’ve marked-out where to cut, you are ready to cut

Cutting metal bars and rods Hold the bar or rod securely in an engineers vice

Cutting metal bars and rods Use a Junior Hacksaw or Hacksaw depending on the thickness of the metal

Cutting sheet metal Sheet metal can be cut using a ‘Bench Shear’

Finishing After cutting metal, there will be a ‘burr’ The ‘burr’ can be removed using a file

Filing Start with cross filing

Filing Finish with draw filing

Bending For bending sheet metal, use a ‘Sheet Metal Bender’. Mark out with a pencil or marker as you will be able to see the marking out (unlike when you cut)

Bending Metals can be bent in a vice The material is marked where it is to be bent, and clamped to the line in the vice To prevent damaging the material as you hit it with the mallet, place a piece of wood next to it and hit that instead.

Bending Metals can be bent in a vice or in folding bars. The material is marked where it is to be bent, and clamped to the line in the vice or folding bars. To prevent damaging the material as you hit it with the mallet, place a piece of wood next to it and hit that instead.

Bending Bending thicker metal bar and rod is easier with a ‘Bar Bender’