If you work on cars, you will eventually have to make a bracket, gauge panel, or other useful item out of sheet metal or aluminum. If you're like us, layout procedures and all of those time-saving fabricator tips that the professionals know somehow got by us during our automotive experience—so we've decided to get educated. There's a lifetime of learning in this area, but with the proliferation of affordable sheet metal tools and MIG welders, we've begun our metalworking immersion. What we've discovered is a gold mine of basic, inexpensive tools that can really make this learning experience much less frustrating. So let's get to it!
Sheet Metal Tools
Description PN Source Price 6-inch dial caliper 66541 Harbor Freight $18.99 6-piece measuring set 94447 Harbor Freight 8.99 12-inch combination square 92471 Harbor Freight 6.99 Transfer punch set 3577 Harbor Freight 9.99 Knock-out punch set 91201 Harbor Freight 24.99 Steel square 69099 Harbor Freight 8.99 Center punch 621 Harbor Freight 3.19 Pad locking pliers 6002 Harbor Freight 14.99 Deburring tool 12-00700 Aircraft Spruce 21.80 Transfer screw set, 3/8x16 6752416 MSDiscount.com 14.10 10-hole rivet spacing tool 12-00184 Aircraft Spruce 24.75 Cleco fastener kit 91004001 Speedway Motors 19.99
This is a collection of just some of the sheet metal tools we’ve accumulated over the years for doing simple metalworking. Besides the obvious dial calipers, there are straightedges, center punches, a budget measuring set, transfer screws, a knock-out punch set, and tools for gripping and locating your work.
Harbor Freight makes a very affordable knock-out punch set with 1⁄2-, 3⁄4-, 1-, and 11⁄4-inch-diameter punches. The 3⁄4-inch hole we made in this aluminum is much cleaner than if we’d used a hole saw. Greenlee punches are what the pros use but are much more expensive. For occasional use, this Harbor Freight kit is really attractive at $25.
Aluminum is easy to cut, especially with a fine-tooth jigsaw blade, but the aluminum will quickly load up on the blade. Coat the blade with WD-40 or other lubricant and this will keep it free to cut long slices of aluminum plate.
Whether you punch or drill a hole, the usual result is a sharp edge. This is a typical deburring tool with a swivel end that makes quick work of small burrs or rough edges.
Need to find the exact center of a round bar stock? An inexpensive combination square from Harbor Freight includes this tool that quickly positions two or more scribe lines that intersect to position the exact center. Then we used a Harbor Freight center punch to mark the hole for drilling. The spring-loaded punch allows you to use one hand to position the work while you snap the mark with the other.
Cleco pins are reusable pins that snap into place and temporarily hold your work together until final riveting. The Clecos are installed with a dedicated set of Cleco pliers. This an inexpensive kit from Speedway Motors that includes this cool little spring-loaded C-clamp that uses the same Cleco tool.
Want to find the exact center of a work piece that may not be square? Straight across may be an odd number like 47⁄32 inch that is cumbersome to determine the exact mid-point. A machinist showed us a much simpler technique. Lay the straight edge at an angle with the length set to a round number, like 8 inches. Halfway is 4 inches—mark that point. Move to the other end of the work piece and establish an angle with say 10 inches across and mark the center at 5 inches. Those two marks now position the exact center of the piece. Simple, yes?
Let’s say you need to drill three holes to mount a bracket on the end of a cylinder head. The simple solution is to use these Heimann transfer screws. We placed three screws in the head with the point protruding slightly from the head. Next, we positioned the bracket over the head and lightly tapped the aluminum with a rubber hammer for precise marks. After drilling, all three holes were perfectly aligned over the end of the head. End
Let’s say you need to drill three holes to mount a bracket on the end of a cylinder head. The simple solution is to use these Heimann transfer screws. We placed three screws in the head with the point protruding slightly from the head. Next, we positioned the bracket over the head and lightly tapped the aluminum with a rubber hammer for precise marks. After drilling, all three holes were perfectly aligned over the end of the head. End
Measuring and laying out perfect rivet spacing is time-consuming. We found this rivet spacing tool on the Aircraft Spruce website. It expands to the width you need and automatically spaces the rivets an equal distance apart. The guy who created this tool is a genius.
