How Would You As A TBNer Cut A Metal Coffee Can?

[MossRoad]

A little cut off wheel on a dremel or die grinder would work.

How about a nibbler?

 

[Big Barn]

Maybe make a wooden plug to slip inside the can and chuck it in a lathe like others have mentioned. Then use a small pipe cutter wheel in the tool rest to part it.

 

[Diggin It]

Is this a standard can with crimped bottom and top ?
I use a can opener for my metal cans when need some thin metal.

Typical coffee can, standard bottom and a rolled rim for the top with a foil vacuum seal. Bottom is still in thinking it might help stabilize it for cutting. I think I have a cutoff wheel for a RotoZip with a flex shaft.



So, no Lasers or high pressure plasma streams? ;-)

 

[Big Barn]

How about a nibbler?

I like this idea and would be quick. I looked all through my shop but couldn’t find a coffee can to try.

Just bags these days

 

[Sebculb]

Rube Goldberg style: put the marble in the trough which rolls down to ring a bell, startling the rat in the hamster wheel. The hamster wheel winds up a string which tips the teeter totter, pouring water from the pitcher to fill the glass of water. The monkey picks up the glass of water to take a sip, and the glass is tied to a string which pulls a light switch up, closing the circuit that my angle grinder is plugged into so I can cut the coffee can in half.

Angle grinder. Or maybe a Dremel tool if it's ornate.

 

[Ritothebull]

Put a baggie full of water in it and freeze it solid then stick it in the bandsaw.

 

[CobyRupert]

Put a baggie full of water in it and freeze it solid then stick it in the bandsaw.

I give this a 9.8 for creativity & innovation. Really impressive that a Floridian thinks of using ice!

 

[/pine]

Thin cutoff wheel or band saw are by far the simplest and fastest but another option might be a chain type tubing cutter...

or find a can that is already the right depth and use a regular can opener to cut the ends out...!

 

[MossRoad]

I'm just surprised you found a metal coffee can. Everything is plastic these days.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Some of the off brands still use them. Aldis does for a couple of grinds.


I went old school though and used a fine tooth jigsaw blade. No snagging or tearing, but I did have to run the edge over a grinder to deburr it.