Which side should I cut stainless steel from?

[kingandy2nd]

I’ve got to cut the stainless steel on my cooker hood because of a low ceiling.

I’ve read up on the forums and understand that a thin (1mm) metal cutting disc for my angle grinder should do the trick.

Which side of the stainless steel should I cut from? I.e. should I have the visible side of the hood facing up or facing down?

Thanks

 

[simonpage69]

Tricky one as the heat from the grinder can discolour the steel no matter which side you cut from...
Not sure what everyone else thinks but a thought would be to mask off the "good side" of the cut and do it in short stints to minimise heating...

 

[Hitachimad]

Id imagine its almost impossible to cut from the inside?

These things are normally pretty thin, so heat from the disc isnt a problem. Thats one of the reasons for the 1mm disc, they will cut so fast, theres virtually no heat discoloration.

Peel back the plastic coating an inch or two at the cut though.

 

[crazycanuck]

if you use a grinder have a mate with a squirt bottle to cool the metal as you go.
you might think jig saw.

 

[Hitachimad]

Use a thin disc and it wont need any cooling from a squirt bottle.

 

[RF Lighting]

Tin snips anyone?

 

[daytona]

do what RF said,thats the only sensible way.

your going to get blueing from the grinder and any kind of saw will give a rough cut.

EDIT:

you could try taking it to a sheet metal place,bet they will have some sort of guillotine to cut it

 

[Hitachimad]

I tried

 

[imamartian]

Why dont you get a few dozen steels, a big drill and a massive crane.... drill lots of holes, stick all the steels through and get the crane to lift up the top part of your house, and then add an extra bit of wall so your ceiling is at the right height for your cooker hood?

much easier than trying to cut that awkward stainless steel !!!

 

[daytona]

PMSL

 

[coolhandluke]

Metal cutting jigsaw blade on low speed has worked for me in the past and clean up with a fine metal file. Lay the metal on a wodden bench to stop wobble. Good luck and mark ot line with fine felt pen (OHP) or masking tape.

 

[kingandy2nd]

Thanks for all your thoughts. I’ve not done the cutting yet, but will be doing it at the weekend.

Thankfully my ceiling is rather low so there is a fair length of the stainless steel to be chopped – so I can have a few practice runs. I’ve invested in a few 1.2mm metal cutting discs, and I already have some metal cutting jigsaw blades and a pair of tin snips.

I will test all the methods suggested above (that don’t involve a crane!) and feed back to what works the best.

Watch this space…

 

[ali68]

Cutting disc with a straight edge sounds like the answer for this job.

Working with stainless daily, helps pays my mortgage

 

[Chud]

Tin snips anyone?

I'd go with this if the steel is thin enough to get away with using the 'non distorting' snips

something like this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monodex-Major-Sheet-Metal-Cutter/dp/B0001P0EYG

 

[mikric]

Just a thought how about marking out and cutting the plasterboard ceiling with a jab saw and if your lucky there will be no joists above ,if not you have still gained 20mm or so, your cut need not be so accurate, then a bit of flexible caulking around it and the job looks perfect, did this on my own chimney and worked a treat.I also used angle grinder with thin blade and virtually no heat marks.