Each material requires specific tools to help us carry out our DIY projects. In the case of metal, there are many tools and machines used to work it, but what kind of tasks can I do with them? What tools are the basics to make industrial-style furniture? This practical guide to types of metalworking tools will clear all your doubts.
Metal is a very resistant and durable material that is commonly used in the construction of structures and in the manufacture of industrial style furniture. In fact, all you need are hairpin legs, a metal cabinet or table to add an industrial touch to your home décor.
You can make a wide variety of furniture and accessories with steel, aluminium, copper or zinc sheets with a perforated, brushed or raw finish. In order for working with this material to become a less complicated task and to obtain the best results, it will be necessary to have the tools that allow you to do cutting, drilling, shaping and welding tasks.
Metal bending and bending tools
A metal press brake or press brake, is specially manufactured to mold and bend sheets, plates or metal parts. It will be useful when making sheet metal tables, legs for your furniture or accessories such as planters and lamps.
The choice of the type of press brake will depend mainly on the application and the accuracy of the work that we are going to carry out. For this, there are four types of bending machines depending on the mechanism used to bend the metal:
- Manual folder. It is ideal for beginners as it is easy to use and its small size makes it easy to handle, although it is only suitable for very thin sheets.
- mechanical folding machine It has a flywheel that allows the ascending and descending movement of a clamp. Its use requires experience and necessary safety measures to avoid accidents.
- Hydra-mechanical folding machine. It is similar to the mechanics, but the steering wheel is replaced by a hydraulic pump. With this type of press brakes they can bend metals of great thickness and weight, but with less accuracy.
- Hydraulic press brake. It differs from the hydraulic-mechanical one in that it uses a hydraulic pump and hydraulic cylinders to drive the rammer. It is the type of press brake that provides greater accuracy, speed and efficiency.
On the other hand, one tube bender allows you to bend tubes of different diameters precisely. These are typically used for metal pipe installations, but will also come in handy when building your own hairpin legs.
how to cut metal
To cut this material manually you need some metal shears or shears With which you can cut thin flexible sheets. You can also use a bow saw with a blade to cut metal that will allow you to have a fairly exact control of the cut.
A pipe cutter It is another manual cutting tool that contains blades that adjust to the diameter of the tube. You just have to turn the tool to get a perfect cut and make a table with copper tubes, for example.
On the other hand, for constant cutting work and thicker sheets, it will be necessary to use mechanical tools such as those indicated below:
- keyhole saw. I personally think that the jigsaw is an essential tool for any DIY enthusiast. Using a hacksaw blade for metal will allow you to make both straight and curved cuts on sheet metal.
- saber saw. It has a similar use as the bow saw, but it reduces the effort as it is electric. It is used to cut pipes, metal profiles, etc… It is also ideal for cutting nails from pallets and quickly disassembling them.
- metal band saw. These saws require a coolant to prevent the saw blade from overheating and shortening its life.
- Grinder. It is a very versatile tool that will allow you to cut, polish and roughen different materials depending on the disc used.
- miter saw. It is mainly used to make precise straight and angled cuts of profiles, tubes and rods by means of a specific disc for metallic materials.
Finally, keep in mind that it is essential to hold the pieces you are going to cut with a vise or clamps to achieve a more precise cut and avoid accidents.
metal drilling tools
To pierce the metal, a drill with a special metal bit. The speed that we must use will depend on the hardness of the material to be drilled: if it is soft, the speed will be fast and if it is hard, a slower speed will be necessary.
On the other hand, for repetitive and precise drilling, it is recommended to use a column or table drill. Although this stationary tool was commonly used in small industry and machine shops, it has now been adapted for home use and is affordable for DIYers. In addition, it has different formats according to your needs: for bench, fixed, radial or magnetic.
weld the metal
There are different techniques for welding metals and specific tools for each of them. Between the types of welds most common include:
- Arc welding. Use teams of electric arc welding which allows metals to melt. Within this type of welding, we can highlight both MIG and TIG welding.
- by gas. It is used to join copper or aluminum and you can do it with a gas torch. Its main advantages include low cost and ease of use.
- By laser. This type of welding uses a welding machine that emits a laser beam that melts and recrystallizes the materials to be joined.
An alternative option to welding is to join the metal parts with bolts or using a manual riveter to insert rivets.
All in all, of all the tools mentioned above, the metalworking tools that I consider to be basics to start making your own industrial style furniture are:
- Tube bender and cutter
- Jigsaw with metal blade
- Grinder
- Drill with bit for metals
- manual riveter
With it you can build a wide variety of metal furniture and accessories, but if you want your work to be a little more professional you can also buy a sheet metal bender, a column drill and arc welding equipment.
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