DIY roller knife for sheet metal

A do-it-yourself roller knife for sheet metal is a homemade tool, the demand for which is growing every day, which is explained by the productive speed of operation of such a device and its simple design. The mechanical basis is extremely simple, and is based on two metal knives rotating in opposite directions, pressing into the steel plane of the workpiece, which leads to its cutting.

The classic design involves the installation of rotating disks at the top and bottom, classified according to the material of manufacture:

Parallel roller knives are used for cutting steel sheets into strips, while maintaining good quality of the workpiece.
Roller knives with one inclined edge - this design, in addition to slicing, allows you to cut workpieces with rounded shapes.
Roller knives with multiple inclined edges - maintaining a small radius, helps to produce parts with curved lines and rounded shapes.

How to make roller shears for cutting sheet metal with your own hands

Metal cutting is one of the most popular and widespread methods of processing such material.
In this case, it is mandatory to use special tools that provide the ability to cut sheet metal, since it is unrealistic to do this without the use of additional devices. Cutting technology consists in the fact that a workpiece made of a particular material is exposed to the cutting edge of a tool. The sharp cutting edge of the tool moves along the surface of the metal, cutting it. During this process, the cut layer undergoes plastic deformation.

Instructions on how to make roller shears from bearings with your own hands

As already mentioned, there are many options for making a homemade roller cutting tool, but which one to choose for yourself depends not only on the capabilities, but also on the availability of the necessary consumables. If you need a simple homemade roller knife, you can make it from bearings. The manufacturing principle is simple, and first let’s figure out what tools and materials will be needed to make it:

Two bearings 204 or 205. You can use other bearings that are available. They don't have to be the same size
Corner 50-60 mm up to 30 cm long
Threaded connectors, washers, nuts and other small consumables
Steel tube from which to make a handle for roller shears
The tools you will need are a welding machine, as well as a drill and grinder

When all the necessary materials are ready for work, you can get down to business. Instructions for making a roller knife yourself are as follows:

First you need to prepare the corner, since it will act as a housing on which additional elements will be placed. We grind the edge of the bearings. Moreover, this must be done in such a way that the resulting edge has an acute angle. It is necessary to “remove” the edge on both bearings, since the possibility of using the roller shears for their intended purpose depends on this. Next, you need to drill a hole in the corner and secure one bearing to it. A bolt with a countersunk head is used for fastening. A washer is also used to secure the bearing, which will ensure reliable pressure against the wall of the angle

The bearing is attached so that its outer race protrudes 1-2 mm from the top edge of the angle

It is important to provide for the possibility of adjusting its contact with the second bearing by placing washers on the inside. On the reverse side, when securing the bearing, it is necessary to ensure that the head of the fastening bolt is recessed into the base of the angle. This is necessary so that the homemade tool can move freely along the edge of the workbench

If you can’t drown the hat, you can make a groove for it in the workbench design, which is also quite appropriate when using homemade scissors

The first part of the work at this stage is considered completed, so you should proceed to the manufacture of the second part. This is a handle, a second bearing, and also a sheet bender. Using a similar angle that is 2 times shorter, you need to attach the second bearing to it. First, using a grinder, you need to cut the corner into the shape shown in the photo below.

It is necessary to attach the bearing to the end part of the resulting workpiece by first drilling a hole

Weld the corner piece to the main part as shown in the photo. It is important to take into account that the upper bearing must be in close contact with the lower bearing, and its outer race must be located at a distance of up to 1 mm from the base of the angle

Finally, you need to attach the handle to the resulting installation so that it is convenient to work

The result is a homemade cutting tool for cutting metal sheets up to 0.5 mm thick. When using the device, it must be taken into account that it is intended exclusively for working with sheet materials. During operation, the edge of the bearings will wear out, so it is advisable to provide during manufacturing the possibility of adjusting the contact of the bearings. All the details of the manufacture and use of such a tool are in the video below.

In conclusion, as an example, it is worth giving an example of how much a factory roller blade costs, as well as what technical parameters it has. For example, consider a Trim Cutter 3017 brand machine and its technical parameters:

Maximum sheet metal thickness - 0.7 mm
The weight of the device is 4 kg
Overall dimensions - 220x180x260 mm
Cost from 25,000 rubles

Based on the above, it can be noted that making roller shears for cutting thin sheet metal with your own hands is not at all difficult. This does not require a lot of effort and consumables. With just 3-4 hours of free time, you can make a highly effective cutting tool at home. With roller shears, you don’t need to think about how to cut a metal sheet when installing window slopes or how to cut galvanized sheets into strips, since with it any similar work is carried out easily, quickly and efficiently.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cjuvih9Wu2I%3F

Metal cutting at home

The main tools for cutting at home are cutters, discs, and drills. The use of such tools makes it possible to give the part the required shape, polish the metal surface, bringing it to the required dimensions.

When using such methods, a knife or other machine acts on the surface of the metal. In this case, it is very important that its cutter has a higher hardness than the workpiece, otherwise no cutting will occur.

The most common method of cutting metal in a home workshop is mechanical cutting. This method of processing the material is quite economical and can provide a very smooth edge to the workpiece. Its only drawback is that it usually only allows for straight-line cutting of metal.

Roller knives for metal

Very often in the modern metalworking industry, roller knives are used for cutting sheet metal. The operation of such a tool consists of the work of its two main elements - cutting discs. Rotating in different directions, these roller discs are pressed into the material, cutting it. Due to the friction of the metal and the knives among themselves, the workpiece moves along the tool.

The most common are roller knives for metal, which consist of two rollers. This tool has two rotating disks - lower and upper. Nowadays there are three types of knives:

with parallel position;
with one inclined;
with several slopes.

The first group of such cutting tools is mainly intended for cutting material into strips.

The second group is intended for cutting metal into strips, as well as for round and ring workpieces.

The third group is mainly used for cutting annular, round and curved workpieces with a small radius.

All of these knives are well suited for quickly cutting sheet metal. In this case, the cut edge of the material does not require any additional processing.

Roller shears and sheet metal cutting features

In the metalworking industry, roller shears or knives are used to process sheet material. This tool is called knives because its operation is based on the use of two cutting discs. The cutting process is based on the fact that rollers are pressed into the sheet material from two sides - top and bottom. In this case, it is cut without the use of any sharp knives. The role of cutting and sharp knives is played by rollers, which touch the walls to each other on both sides.

Rollers not only cut sheet material, but also facilitate the process of moving the tool along the surface of the sheet. This means that cutting with a roller knife is not only convenient, but also effective. If we compare the operation of the device with hand scissors, the following advantages should be noted:

Speed - cutting a sheet of steel with roller shears can be done in a matter of seconds, but using scissors requires a lot of time, which depends on the length of the material being cut
Cut quality - the roller knife cuts not only quickly, but also with high quality. There are no chips, bends, bends, etc. at the site of the cut
Physical fatigue - cutting with hand scissors requires physical effort, while using a roller tool eliminates this need. To cut, you only need to move the roller shears along the guides, thereby cutting the steel sheet

Roller shears are classified according to the types of knives into three types:

They are located in parallel. The most popular type of cutting tool, which is intended exclusively for cutting material into strips, that is, cutting is performed in a straight direction
They have one slope. They are intended for cutting not only even strips of sheet material, but also for cutting round and ring-type workpieces
With several slopes. Such roller devices are intended directly for cutting workpieces of various shapes - ring, round, curved, etc.

After cutting, the edge of the material does not need additional processing, as it turns out smooth, without chips or burrs.

Homemade roller knives

The cost of even the simplest models of roller knives is now very high. Therefore, it makes sense to purchase such a tool only if such processing of sheet metal will be carried out very often. Otherwise, for one-time or periodic use, such a purchase will not justify itself from a financial point of view.

In such a case, the more correct solution would be to try to make such a tool with your own hands.

There can be a lot of designs of roller knives, so making a knife yourself will not be difficult. But the main part of the tool - the cutting knives - must be made of the highest quality and durable alloy, the strength of which exceeds the material being cut. Otherwise, the quality of the cut edge will be very low and additional processing will be required.

Usually, even in factory models of roller knives, the resource is within 25 km of sheet metal 0.5 millimeters thick. If you cut sheet metal with greater thickness, then the service life of the tool will decrease. But after this, the rollers can be sharpened, as a result of which the tool will be ready for use again.

As for the service life of homemade roller knives, it directly depends on the quality of the material from which the cutting parts of the machine are made.

Features of making a tool yourself

If you are tired of cutting sheet metal with scissors or a grinder, then a roller cutter is an excellent alternative to replace these tools. The advantages of this device include quiet operation and lack of energy consumption. In addition, having such a device in your home arsenal, you can even make money when your neighbors need to cut sheet metal material.

The purchase of a tool is justified only in one case, when it is necessary to perform work in large quantities. And even in this case, you can make the device yourself to use it for professional purposes. There are many designs for the devices in question, so making a device yourself is not at all difficult if you understand the principle of operation of the device.

When making a homemade tool, the following properties must be taken into account:

Cutting knives - there should be two of them, one located on top and the other on the bottom. Knives must be made of high-quality alloy, which has a strength higher than the materials being cut. Bearings that fully meet the described requirements are used as knives.
Base - simultaneously acts as a surface on which the steel sheet is located, as well as a guide for moving the roller shears when cutting the sheet or cutting strips
Body of the device - for manufacturing, a steel angle with a thickness of 3 mm and a wall size of 40-60 mm is usually used
Auxiliary tools - they are designed to secure the sheet material to the table surface while cutting it

Read also: Why is the eye bolt called that?

The service life of a homemade device is influenced by such an indicator as the quality of its manufacture. Moreover, this even applies to the quality of bearings, so if you get down to business, you will need an appropriate approach.

What can knives be made from?

In the case of making such a tool yourself, the main problem is to choose the appropriate material that will cut metal workpieces.

So, if it is necessary to cut not the most durable sheet metal - aluminum, galvanized steel, etc., a good solution would be to use ordinary bearings, the ends of which must first be sharpened.

To cut such knives into metal, one of the rollers, the drive one, must be installed on a handle with which you can press the knives to the material. After this, all that remains is to pull the metal, holding the handle of the homemade machine pressed to the base.

The larger the diameter of the bearings, the higher the cutting speed of such a hand tool.

Thus, now you can find many designs of homemade roller cutting shears. The most difficult thing is to find parts that can be used as knives. To make it more convenient to use a do-it-yourself machine, it can be additionally equipped with guides that will allow you to cut the workpiece smoothly.

What to make a roller knife from

There are no difficulties with purchasing roller shears, since such a machine can be found in an online store and ordered. The only difficulty is that you will have to shell out a considerable amount of money to purchase it, which will not pay off soon if you do not use such equipment often. Making your own will not require any costs, but the biggest difficulty is choosing the necessary materials and assembling full-fledged roller shears from them.

Using a homemade machine allows you to cut the following types of materials:

Cink Steel
Stainless steel
Aluminum
Steel sheets up to 0.5 mm thick, for example, window slopes of metal-plastic windows

Bearings are used to make cutting knives. The diameter of these bearings depends on the size of the roller blade housing, but 20-30mm ball bearings are commonly used. In order for the bearings to ensure cutting of material, it is necessary to grind off their end faces, making them strictly at an angle of 90 degrees. The effectiveness of the tool depends on this.

Before you make a roller-type cutting tool, you need to understand its principle of use. The application is based on the fact that a homemade knife moves along guides. The corner part of a workbench or table is used as such guides. The sheet to be cut is placed on the surface of the table, and in order for the cut to be smooth and neat, it should be fixed in a stationary position. This can be done using two clamps and a wooden block of appropriate length. A block is placed on the sheet, and then it is fixed on both sides with clamps, thereby ensuring immobility during processing.

DIY roller knife for sheet metal

The classic design involves the installation of rotating disks at the top and bottom, classified according to the material of manufacture:

Parallel roller knives are used for cutting steel sheets into strips, while maintaining good quality of the workpiece.
Roller knives with one inclined edge - this design, in addition to slicing, allows you to cut workpieces with rounded shapes.
Roller knives with multiple inclined edges - maintaining a small radius, helps to produce parts with curved lines and rounded shapes.

Description of scissors

The task of dividing a sheet of metal into parts is solved by destroying the strength bonds on a local segment.

The power part consists of two cutting roller discs with multidirectional rotation. Their cutting edges lie in the same plane. When rotating, the rollers are pressed into the surface and cutting occurs due to shear deformation. The sheet metal is fed to the tool by friction of the knives against the metal.

The design of the cutting mechanism includes two rotating rollers located one above the other. Depending on the design of the cutting part, roller knives are distinguished:

With one inclined edge for straight longitudinal cutting and cutting out round and ring workpieces.
With parallel position of knives, cutting material in strips with high quality. They occur most often.
With several inclined edges for convenient cutting of curved, round and ring-shaped workpieces with a small radius.

All types of scissors provide cutting of sheet material with high quality, without the need for subsequent cleaning of the cut edge.

To increase productivity and obtain an even cut, the housing with roller knives is installed on a stationary machine.

The cutting equipment includes a bed with supporting surfaces, equipment for fixing the material and a roller knife. The latter contains a body made of steel gauge, an overhead handle, cutting rollers, and a mechanism for adjusting gaps in several planes.

The material for cutting discs is tool steel.

The manufacturer sets an average service life of 25 km to cut sheet metal with a thickness of 0.5 mm. With increasing thickness, the service life decreases proportionally. The cutting element is subject to regrinding, which significantly increases the service life.

Design

Roller metal shears, assembled at home with your own hands, have a common essence that remains unchanged - the presence of a cutting knife. It is made from steel alloys with a maximum strength threshold and other characteristics that should be higher compared to similar parameters for steel that will be processed on a cutting machine.

Roller knife device

In practice, it is known that roller knives produced at the factory for cutting metal have a service life of about 30 km of steel sheets, with a caveat to the maximum sheet thickness, which will not exceed 0.5 mm.

Accordingly, if the thickness of the material is higher, then the durability of the tool is reduced. However, nothing prevents you from sharpening the tool and thereby extending its service life.

Necessary materials

A machine for cutting sheet metal, constructed with your own hands at home, requires knives, the range of materials for which is very wide, and the choice of one of them mainly depends on the type and thickness of the material that will need to be cut. If you have to work with not the most durable, thin sheet steel, such as aluminum, then the simplest bearings will be the ideal option. But for the required functionality of a roller knife, they lack sharpening, which should be carried out independently along the entire end of the future tool.

The main roller knife is installed on a movable part of the structure with a pressure handle, which, when pressed, clamps the workpiece between two cutting surfaces. The diameter of the bearings directly affects the speed of work performed. That is, the larger the bearing diameter, the higher the production speed on the machine.

Making a roller knife for metal with your own hands

To simplify the work with the tool and make it more convenient, it would be nice to equip the sheet cutter with a guide plane.

The manufacture and installation of this part is not very difficult, and in return it will greatly simplify the entire process. The result is a universal machine with roller knives, which can interact with other metalworking equipment, which can also be easily constructed at home.

Manufacturing instructions

Factory models of cutters sold in stores, even in standard configuration, will cost a large amount. The price of models offered on the market starts from 20,000 rubles. Such conditions are not beneficial for purchasing a tool for home use or a small workshop, and it will be used extremely rarely.

To begin with, the main body of the instrument is designed, which everyone chooses for themselves. The main attribute of the machine is manufactured - a roller knife for sheet metal. The material from which the part is made directly affects the durability and performance of the unit. As mentioned above, the strength characteristics should be significantly higher than the similar characteristics of the material being cut. Otherwise, the minimum problem will be a low-quality cut, forcing the craftsman to clean and process the edges of each cut piece.

Scheme for assembling a roller knife

Do-it-yourself roller metal shears are mostly made from bearings. Sharpening the ends of the part forms the cutting surfaces. The main roller, connected to the drive, is attached directly to the handle. The lower one is installed on the fixed lower part of the machine. If you have skills in processing iron alloys, manufacturing such a device will take a maximum of a little more than a week, including setting up the unit.

Features of metal cutting at home

Circular knives are an excellent replacement for metal shears, having a number of advantages:

Small dimensions and dimensions.
Simplicity of design.
Easy adjustment.
Convenience and ability to work with a wide range of materials.

Cutting metal with a roller knife

Do-it-yourself sheet metal cutting at home is usually done with cutters or drills. Of course, this approach helps to give the part the desired shape, and at the same time polish the surface. However, it would be much more practical to construct a machine with roller knives with your own hands once (unless, of course, we are talking about cutting scrap metal, since accuracy is not so important there), thereby reducing both the time allotted for processing and minimizing the amount of debris and defects that may occur when using hand tools. To put it simply, circular knives are an excellent replacement for metal shears and even an industrial guillotine.

Making roller tools

To work you will need:

two ball bearings (204 or 205, or others), the same size - an optional condition;
steel pipe for the handle;
corner (40-60 mm, approximate length - 300-400 mm);
fasteners - bolts, nuts, washers, etc.;
tools: grinder, drill, welding machine.

The whole process looks like this:

A part of the required dimensions is cut out from the corner. On both ball bearings, the edge is ground off at an acute angle.
A hole is drilled in the corner piece to secure the bearing. To fix it, use a bolt with a countersunk head and a washer, which provides the required pressure to the corner shelf.
The future knife is attached so that its edge protrudes beyond the edge of the corner by one or two millimeters. To be able to adjust, the washer is placed on the inside. The bolt head is recessed into the base of the profile. If this is not possible, then the groove is made in a workbench.
The second element is cut off from the profile; it is half as long as the first, on which the bearing is already attached. Using a grinder, a piece is cut out of it, pointed on one side. At its end part, after drilling a hole, fix the second future knife.
The new workpiece is welded to the large element so that the upper and lower bearings are in close contact, and the distance from the outer race to the base flange is about 1 mm.
The last stage is welding the handle, which is pre-bent in a way that is convenient for the master.

The produced cutting tool will be able to cut metal sheets whose thickness is a maximum of 0.5 mm. Since wear of the edge of ball bearings is an inevitable evil during operation, it is necessary to provide a device for their convenient, precise adjustment.

A do-it-yourself roller knife for sheet metal is a good way to significantly simplify work, reduce time for processing material, minimize the number of defects, the amount of debris, and also avoid lengthy physical “exercises.” Therefore, the described mechanism, made independently, is not only beneficial in terms of economy, it is an ideal replacement for both metal shears and an industrial guillotine.

Since what is written with a pen does not always allow a thorough understanding of all stages of work, it is quite difficult to present a clear picture without an auxiliary video. It is this that describes the whole process that is located here:

DIY roller knife

How to make a roller cutter for sheet metal with your own hands. What can you make a homemade roller knife from?

Cutting metal at home is a rather tedious process. And its quality often leaves much to be desired, forcing additional processing of the resulting edges. The situation can be corrected in many ways by using special devices, including those made by yourself. We will talk about one of these devices, namely the roller knife, today.

Application of roller shears

Their purpose is to cut metal whose sheet thickness is 0.5-1 mm. In industry, roller knives are used to produce semi-finished products used for the production of various profiles. Such equipment is a necessary tool for body work in auto repair shops, where blanks intended for furniture assembly are made.

They have several advantages over electric tools and metal guillotines:

light weight, compact;
ease of setup, adjustment and operation;
versatility: the tool qualitatively cuts sheets of aluminum, tin, roofing iron, copper, steel;
ideal edges of semi-finished products obtained at home, far from industrial ones.

It is even incorrect to compare them with manual metal shears, since the roller mechanism processes the material without bends or burrs, and the ease of work is another advantage. Since the cost of this tool is quite high, it makes sense to purchase a model in a store if the need for such work arises very often. Otherwise, the purchase will not justify itself.

A do-it-yourself roller knife for sheet metal is a logical solution if you want to do the work quickly but efficiently. Quite a lot of such homemade models have been invented; the process of creating scissors for cutting cannot be called extremely complicated either.

Roller knives for metal

The roller knife is gaining more and more demand and popularity today. This is due not only to the high productivity of such a device, but also to its fairly simple design. The principle of operation of the mechanism is simple - two cutting disc rollers rotate in different directions, pressing into the surface of the metal and thus cutting it. Friction between the metal and the knives ensures unhindered movement of the workpiece along the tool.

In the vast majority of cases, roller knives for cutting sheet metal include two rotating rollers - an upper and a lower one. Depending on the variation of the cutting element used, such tools can be classified as follows:

Parallel position knives - used for cutting metal into strips, while providing very acceptable quality;
Edges with one inclined - this group allows not only longitudinal cutting of material, but also cutting out ring and round workpieces;

It is worth noting that all of the above variations cope perfectly with cutting sheet steel, while the cut edges do not require additional attention and subsequent processing.

Classification of cutting machines

Disc metal cutting machines are divided according to various factors. The main division is based on the number of working parts of the tools (cutting discs). These include:

Installations with one cutting disc. They are characterized by low power and low efficiency. Used for cutting metal profiles, pipes, fittings, and other elements. Expensive models are equipped with a regulator for changing the position of the cutting part relative to the workpiece at angles.
Units with two cutting discs. They are distinguished by high performance indicators. One working part is stationary, the second is fixed on guides for movement. Used at large enterprises for high-speed execution of technological processes.

Another option for classifying cutting machines is the option of feeding the working part. Among them are:

Front feed.
Bottom feed.
Mechanisms with a pendulum stroke of the disk.

Depending on how the circular saw is fed, the design of the entire unit changes, and features of its control appear.

Homemade roller knives

With all its undoubted advantages, even the simplest model of a roller knife has quite a decent price. This is the reason why it is inappropriate to purchase it for one-time work or periodic use. However, the optimal solution from a financial point of view still exists - a roller knife can be made with your own hands at home.

The design of such a device can be very different. The most common variations are presented below (photo, photo 2). But in any case, the main part remains unchanged - the cutting knife. It should be made from the most durable and reliable steel alloy, the strength parameters of which must necessarily exceed those of the material being cut. If this condition is not met, the quality of the cut will be low, which will require additional processing of the cut edges.

Practice shows that the working life of factory-produced knives is about 25 km of sheet steel, provided that its thickness is 0.5 mm. With greater thickness, the resource will be correspondingly lower. However, the tool can be sharpened without any problems and continue to function effectively.

If we talk about the service life of homemade knives, then it is directly dependent on the material from which the cutting parts of the unit are made.

We make roller shears ourselves from bearings

Various cutting tools, both manual and electric, are used to cut sheet steel. To cut a straight sheet of galvanized or stainless steel, you can take hand-held metal scissors, a grinder or a jigsaw.

But all these devices are not always convenient to use for cutting sheet steel. For such purposes, roller shears for cutting metal are also produced.

To avoid having to buy such a tool, you can make it yourself.

Roller shears and sheet metal cutting features

In the metalworking industry, roller shears or knives are used to process sheet material. This tool is called knives because its operation is based on the use of two cutting discs.

The cutting process is based on the fact that rollers are pressed into the sheet material from two sides - top and bottom. In this case, it is cut without the use of any sharp knives.

The role of cutting and sharp knives is played by rollers, which touch the walls to each other on both sides.

Speed - cutting a sheet of steel with roller shears can be done in a matter of seconds, but using scissors requires a lot of time, which depends on the length of the material being cut
Cut quality - the roller knife cuts not only quickly, but also with high quality. There are no chips, bends, bends, etc. at the site of the cut
Physical fatigue - cutting with hand scissors requires physical effort, while using a roller tool eliminates this need. To cut, you only need to move the roller shears along the guides, thereby cutting the steel sheet

Roller shears are classified according to the types of knives into three types:

They are located in parallel. The most popular type of cutting tool, which is intended exclusively for cutting material into strips, that is, cutting is performed in a straight direction
They have one slope. They are intended for cutting not only even strips of sheet material, but also for cutting round and ring-type workpieces
With several slopes. Such roller devices are intended directly for cutting workpieces of various shapes - ring, round, curved, etc.

After cutting, the edge of the material does not need additional processing, as it turns out smooth, without chips or burrs.

How to cut sheet metal at home

In industry, roller shears are used to cut factory-produced sheet metal. Their distinctive features are high accuracy, long service life, and the absence of the need to make them yourself.

Often in the household there is a need to obtain even strips of sheet steel, which are used for various purposes. If you need one strip, then there is no need to buy or make such a device, since you can use ordinary metal scissors.

If you need to cut the entire sheet or carry out cutting work regularly, then it is imperative to acquire a roller knife.

There is no justifiable sense in buying such a factory-made device, since the price ranges from 15 thousand rubles or more, which depends on the design, size and quality of the device.

Roller shears for cutting sheet metal can be made with your own hands at home, using available consumables for manufacturing.

Although this method requires time, it allows you to save money, resulting in a universal cutting tool for cutting sheets of stainless steel, galvanized steel, etc.

Features of making a tool yourself

If you are tired of cutting sheet metal with scissors or a grinder, then a roller cutter is an excellent alternative to replace these tools.

The advantages of this device include quiet operation and lack of energy consumption.

In addition, having such a device in your home arsenal, you can even make money when your neighbors need to cut sheet metal material.

The purchase of a tool is justified only in one case, when it is necessary to perform work in large quantities. And even in this case, you can make the device yourself to use it for professional purposes. There are many designs for the devices in question, so making a device yourself is not at all difficult if you understand the principle of operation of the device.

When making a homemade tool, the following properties must be taken into account:

Cutting knives - there should be two of them, one located on top and the other on the bottom. Knives must be made of high-quality alloy, which has a strength higher than the materials being cut. Bearings that fully meet the described requirements are used as knives.
Base - simultaneously acts as a surface on which the steel sheet is located, as well as a guide for moving the roller shears when cutting the sheet or cutting strips
Body of the device - for manufacturing, a steel angle with a thickness of 3 mm and a wall size of 40-60 mm is usually used
Auxiliary tools - they are designed to secure the sheet material to the table surface while cutting it

What to make a roller knife from

There are no difficulties with purchasing roller shears, since such a machine can be found in an online store and ordered.

The only difficulty is that you will have to shell out a considerable amount of money to purchase it, which will not pay off soon if you do not use such equipment often.

Making your own will not require any costs, but the biggest difficulty is choosing the necessary materials and assembling full-fledged roller shears from them.

Using a homemade machine allows you to cut the following types of materials:

Cink Steel
Stainless steel
Aluminum
Steel sheets up to 0.5 mm thick, for example, window slopes of metal-plastic windows

!
The diameter of the bearings affects the cutting speed.
The larger the size of the bearings, the correspondingly higher the cutting speed. Before you make a roller-type cutting tool, you need to understand its principle of use. The application is based on the fact that a homemade knife moves along guides. The corner part of a workbench or table is used as such guides.

The sheet to be cut is placed on the surface of the table, and in order for the cut to be smooth and neat, it should be fixed in a stationary position. This can be done using two clamps and a wooden block of appropriate length.

A block is placed on the sheet, and then it is fixed on both sides with clamps, thereby ensuring immobility during processing.

Instructions on how to make roller shears from bearings with your own hands

If you need a simple homemade roller knife, you can make it from bearings.

The manufacturing principle is simple, and first let’s figure out what tools and materials will be needed to make it:

Two bearings 204 or 205. You can use other bearings that are available. They don't have to be the same size
Corner 50-60 mm up to 30 cm long
Threaded connectors, washers, nuts and other small consumables
Steel tube from which to make a handle for roller shears
The tools you will need are a welding machine, as well as a drill and grinder

When all the necessary materials are ready for work, you can get down to business. Instructions for making a roller knife yourself are as follows:

First you need to prepare a corner, since it will act as a body on which additional elements will be placed
We grind the edge of the bearings. Moreover, this must be done in such a way that the resulting edge has an acute angle. On both bearings it is necessary to “remove” the edge, since the possibility of using the roller shears for their intended purpose depends on this
Next, you need to drill a hole in the corner and attach one bearing to it. A bolt with a countersunk head is used for fastening. A washer is also used to secure the bearing, which will ensure reliable pressure against the wall of the angle
The bearing is attached so that its outer race protrudes 1-2 mm from above the edge of the angle. It is important to provide for the possibility of adjusting its contact with the second bearing by placing washers on the inside
On the reverse side, when securing the bearing, it is necessary to ensure that the head of the fastening bolt is recessed into the base of the angle. This is necessary so that the homemade tool can move freely along the edge of the workbench. If you can’t drown the hat, you can make a groove for it in the workbench design, which is also quite appropriate when using homemade scissors
The first part of the work at this stage is considered completed, so you should proceed to the manufacture of the second part. This is the handle, the second bearing, and also the sheet bender
Using a similar corner that is 2 times shorter in length, you need to attach the second bearing to it. First, using a grinder, you need to cut the corner into the shape shown in the photo below.
It is necessary to attach the bearing to the end part of the resulting workpiece by first drilling a hole
Weld the corner piece to the main part as shown in the photo. It is important to take into account that the upper bearing must be in close contact with the lower bearing, and its outer race must be located at a distance of up to 1 mm from the base of the angle
Finally, you need to attach the handle to the resulting installation so that it is convenient to work

During operation, the edge of the bearings will wear out, so it is advisable to provide during manufacturing the possibility of adjusting the contact of the bearings.

All the details of the manufacture and use of such a tool are in the video below.

!When you rotate one bearing by hand, the second should also rotate, which indicates that the homemade product was manufactured correctly. The greater the distance between the end parts of the bearings, the lower the quality of the tool.

Maximum sheet metal thickness - 0.7 mm
The weight of the device is 4 kg
Overall dimensions - 220x180x260 mm
Cost from 25,000 rubles

Based on the above, it can be noted that making roller shears for cutting thin sheet metal with your own hands is not at all difficult. This does not require a lot of effort and consumables.

With just 3-4 hours of free time, you can make a highly effective cutting tool at home.

With roller shears, you don’t need to think about how to cut a metal sheet when installing window slopes or how to cut galvanized sheets into strips, since with it any similar work is carried out easily, quickly and efficiently.

What can a knife be made from?

The options can be very different; here you need to pay attention to what exactly you plan to cut. So, if it is not the most durable sheet steel in its structure, including aluminum, galvanized metal and other similar materials, the most ordinary bearings will be a completely suitable solution. True, for this you will have to pre-sharpen their ends.

To carry out cutting, one of the rollers, the one that will play the role of a drive, is installed on the handle, due to which the knife will be pressed to the metal. Please note that the larger the diameter of the bearings, the faster the material can be cut.

In order for the cutting process to take place with maximum comfort and accuracy, the device can be additionally equipped with guides - this will not be particularly difficult, but it is guaranteed to serve you well in the future.

The resulting tool is quite versatile and can be used in conjunction with a wide variety of metalworking equipment, including sheet metal bending machines, which can also be made independently at home.

Description, principle of operation

A roller cutter for metal is a device designed to separate sheet metal into two parts. The principle of operation is based on the destruction of the strength bonds of the processed material in a local area.

The force on the metal is carried out along two parallel planes. The force vectors are directed towards each other. Example: household scissors or industrial guillotine.

In roller shears, the power parts are made in the form of two disks. The internal (facing each other) cutting surfaces are in the same plane. The edges of the rollers extend (displaced) a small distance in a perpendicular plane. When moving (rotating), the device slides onto the metal sheet.

A sheet sandwiched between two disks experiences two forces at the point of contact. Shear deformation and separation of the material occurs. The discs, performing a translational-rotational movement, shift the point of contact in the direction of the cut. In this way, the process of continuous processing of sheet iron is carried out.

Design

According to the type of cut line created, the device is divided into:

Parallel arrangement of cutting planes. Allows you to create an even, straight cutting line. Used to produce strips of metal.
One inclined plane. Two lines are made - straight and curved.
Two inclined planes. Create curved and circular cutting lines.

The last two options are used to create shaped semi-finished metal products. The first option is the most common due to its simple design and configuration.

A roller blade is rarely used on its own. To create straight cutting lines and the ability to work with dimensional products, you must have reference points. Therefore, the cutting tool acts as a technical addition to any stationary machine. For example, a sheet bender.

Compound

A device for cutting metal consists of:

bed with guides (supporting surfaces);
fixation of the processed material;
disk knife.

The design of the roller knife includes:

body with built-in or overhead handle;
cutting discs;
adjustment device (tuning) - designed to adjust the gaps and the disks themselves along several planes.

The knife elements (except for the discs) are quite simple geometric shapes. They are made from semi-finished steel, sheet, angle, channel or other metal profile.

The cutting element is made of durable tool steel. Factory models have a resource of 25-30 km when processing sheets 0.5 mm thick.

The adjustment system is a combination of oval holes, metal spacers and set bolts.

For a craftsman who has the skills to process metal parts, making such a device will not be difficult. Using the example of specialists who created a roller knife on their own, the time costs were within 5-10 days, including adjustment and configuration.

Features of homemade

A tool that is characterized by the absence of “brutal” noise during operation and does not require electricity can be called ideal. However, it will become such perfection only in one case - if you choose the right materials for its manufacture. Only they will ensure the absence of problems during processing, as well as a long service life, not much different from what their “professional” colleagues have - factory roller knives. No, there is still a difference: at home you can only assemble the mechanism that is designed for straight cutting. But most often home craftsmen need it.

Cutting elements. Two knives, located above and below in the same plane, must be made of a high-quality alloy, whose strength must be higher than that of the sheets being processed. Bearings that meet these requirements act as knives. The larger their diameter, the higher the cutting speed. The ideal material is tool carbon steel.
The base (bed with guides), also the working surface on which the sheet to be cut is located, the roller knives move.
Tool body. The potential material is a steel angle, which has certain characteristics: linear dimensions - from 40 to 60 mm, thickness - 3 mm.
Additional details: for reliable pressing of the material - clamps (for example, handle, handle), devices that regulate the gap between the cutting discs.

The biggest difficulty in preparing for work is selecting decent material for roller shears. For their manufacture, bearings are used, whose diameter depends on the tool body, but parts of 20-30, 50 mm are more often chosen. Their edges are ground exactly at an angle of 90°. Otherwise, it will not be possible to assemble a high-quality, effective product.

Advantages

A disc knife is an alternative to manual metal shears or an industrial guillotine. Compared to them and other devices, it has a number of significant consumer properties:

small overall dimensions and weight;
simple design;
easy setup and adjustment;
ease of use;
ability to work with a wide range of sheet materials: steel, roofing iron, aluminum, copper.

The edges of the processed semi-finished product, after exiting the machine, have a clean cut, without deformation or burrs.

Application

The main purpose of the device is to process sheet metal material with a thickness of no more than 10 mm. For example:

working with roofing iron when constructing a roof or fence;
production of semi-finished products - strips for the production of ventilation from galvanized steel;
cutting stainless steel to create countertops or kitchen cabinets.

The equipment has found application in auto repair shops for the manufacture of body or cabin elements. Factory cabinets and shelving are assembled from cut metal.

Industrial design or own design

Circular knives for cutting metal are produced industrially, but you can make them yourself. To decide whether to create a tool manually, you need to consider a number of factors:

Intensity of equipment operation. For an enterprise that produces goods in serial and medium-sized batches, it is better to purchase an industrial design. Combined with the quality of the workmanship, you will have the ability to fine-tune the instrument. An additional plus is the ergonomic design, which improves ease of use.
Required cut quality. At home, creating a device that provides accuracy of tenths of a millimeter is quite a difficult undertaking.
Economic component. An industrial product costs 20-70 thousand rubles (knife only). The real costs of making your own instrument (except for labor) rarely exceed 5 thousand rubles. Moreover, this amount includes the supporting part (machine).
Time factor. Designing and manufacturing a knife will take up to two weeks. A factory product is purchased in one to two hours. Your own knife will cost less, but there is a proverb that came from abroad: “time is money.”

Hence, solving everyday problems or a small workshop is a tool created on your own. Intensive operation: daily cutting length is more than 20-50 meters - it is necessary to purchase industrial equipment.

To buy or not to buy?

This is not to say that it is now impossible to find and purchase this tool at a very reasonable price, so first it is better to start weighing all the pros and cons.

Frequency of use. If the master plans to use the tool almost every day, then it is better to take a convenient factory model, which also gives the opportunity to fine-tune it.
Cut quality. If accuracy down to tenths of a millimeter is required, then creating such a tool at home will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. And at this point the advantage is not on the side of the homemade roller knife.
Savings are something that can negate all the arguments of purchased tools. All costs when creating your own design will cost a maximum of 5,000 rubles. An industrial product is at least 4-5 times more expensive.
Duration of work. In total, making your own model may take about 2 weeks. This period includes adjustment and adjustment of the roller blade. Anyone who believes that time is money is unlikely to like this option.

An owner who solves small household problems will most likely choose a “man-made” tool. Anyone who deals with sheet metal almost every day will purchase industrial equipment. However, each master solves the selection problem himself.