I'm building a wood shed....I need some help

FTG-05 · Jan 10, 2016

General Lee said:
Hey guys, got the metal roof on except the last piece, which needs to be cut length wise. I could have finished but I don't have anything decent to cut the 26ga steel with. Tin snips will be to sloppy. The cut edge will be hanging off the roof so I would like it to look decent. Is there a metal cutting blade I can put on my skil saw ?

Why do you have to cut it lengthwise?

I one of my metal roof pieces was too wide. I just overlapped it with the 2nd-to-last roof section and screwed it down. I think it only ended up being one section that overlapped. Hopefully, there's no reason for not doing this...?

tbrooks26 · Jan 10, 2016

I either use a utility knife, or diamond blade on my skill saw. Depends on sheet length, and where the cut needs to be, as to how well the utility knife will work. Basically you score and bend back and forth. Diamond blade is somewhat quieter, safer, cleaner than carbide or backwards blade. I hate the carbide, they send chunks everywhere.

EddieWalker · Jan 10, 2016

General Lee said:
Hey guys, got the metal roof on except the last piece, which needs to be cut length wise. I could have finished but I don't have anything decent to cut the 26ga steel with. Tin snips will be to sloppy. The cut edge will be hanging off the roof so I would like it to look decent. Is there a metal cutting blade I can put on my skil saw ?

Yes, you can buy a metal cutting blade. You can also use an old blade on backwards. I've done both and they will get the job done, but it's unbelievably noisy with tons of sparks flying everywhere.

I prefer using my 4 1/2 inch grinder with a thin metal cut off wheel. It's still noisy, but not nearly as bad. The results are also cleaner looking.

Is there any way that you can overlap the metal? You really want that ridge at the end of your roof so water will run down it and not go over the side. If I ended up with a roof that wasn't within an inch or so of lining up with the metal, I would extend the roof a little to get it to line up with a ridge at the end.

General Lee · Jan 10, 2016

Hey guys,

I thought about over lapping the metal, but ultimately didn't. This last piece will be 16'' wide and 16 foot long. Basically I'm just ripping a whole sheet to 16'' wide. I will have a couple inches of overhang on the side of the roof. The cut side will be the side over hanging so I wanted it to look decent. If I were to over lap the last full piece now, I'd have a lot of screws to remove so the piece could lay flat. And being new to installing this roof material, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to it.

Eddie - I assume you use a straight edge of some sort with the 4 1/2 inch grinder, in order to achieve a straight line? Or is your hand that steady? lol

newbury · Jan 10, 2016

Or even better yet do it outside and get a Hypertherm Powermax 125 plasma cutter! It's on sale for only $6,500.00!
(But Honey, I needed something to cut that metal)

Looking4new · Jan 10, 2016

newbury said:
Or even better yet do it outside and get a Hypertherm Powermax 125 plasma cutter! It's on sale for only $6,500.00!
(But Honey, I needed something to cut that metal)

Best excuse yet for a plasma cutter!:thumbsup:

KennyG · Jan 10, 2016

I bought an Irwin metal cutting blade for my circular saw. It wasn't cheap - about $50 if I recall, but I think it will last me a lifetime. I think regular blades will work OK but I put a 42" lower section in contrasting color on my building and therefore, had to get 84" sections and cut all in half, so a lot of cuts.

The metal cutting blade goes through with very little heating of the metal, which is why you have cut and not grind. Any heating of the metal will damage the coating.

General Lee · Jan 10, 2016

Kenny - Can this Irwin metal cutting blade be found at Lowes or the like? I don't mind paying 50 bucks for good results.

I have both my Kubotas under the shed right now. Even though my wood will fill a lot of it in the future, I can keep the machines out of the weather. Just have a 16'' section of the roof to be completed then I'll add more bracing and slowly work on the sides. A back injury is going to set me back a bit.