Cutting 1/2" steel plate - best method for a tidy finish?

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Cutting 1/2" steel plate - best method for a tidy finish?

27 posts & 20 voices | Started 2 years ago by sharkbait | Latest reply from sharkbait

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sharkbait - Member

So the top of the woodburning stove that is best sized for my requirements happens to be too wide for the existing inglenook fireplace by about 5mm

So my choices are to get another one that fits but may not be warm enough, **** around with the fireplace to get it to fit (granite surround so that's not going to happen) or get the stove I want and have someone take 20mm off each side (the top plate overhangs the body of the stove by about 40mm on either side) - then tidy it up with an angle grinder and repaint.

My initial thought is find someone with a plasma cutter to do the cutting but I'm not very knowledgable in this stuff, so what would be the best cutting method (in terms of the final finish - I don't want to spend £1300 on a new stove and have it looking rough)?

Or is there a solution I haven't thought of yet?

Posted 2 years ago #
thisisnotaspoon - Member

Or is there a solution I haven't thought of yet?

phone the manufacturer? They might be able to do that at the factory for less than it'd cost you?

Posted 2 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

Hacksaw and file?

Posted 2 years ago #
hainey - Member

Find a local canal boat yard, boat fitters or something similar.

Posted 2 years ago #
sharkbait - Member

phone the manufacturer? They might be able to do that at the factory for less than it'd cost you?

It's certainly an option (although they've yet to confirm it can be done) - but would put the installation back by about 4 weeks

Posted 2 years ago #
JonEdwards - Member

Laser cutter. Won't need finishing off then.

We've just has some 10mm thick plates made up at work, and they were lasercut. Very nice tidy edge. From memory, plasma cutting is pretty messy. Angle grinder will be difficult to get a straight edge.

Or as others have said, get it done at the factory. Worth a try!

Posted 2 years ago #
brant - Member

I am no expert, but isn't there meant to be a quite considerable minimum clearance around these things?

Posted 2 years ago #
steviep - Member

Plasma cutting can be very neat and tidy, I use one a lot for cutting stainless steel up to 10mm thick. Am not sure whether you can plasma cast steel though. You could use an angle grinder with 1mm slitting disc and just clamp a straight edge to the plate and cut down that.

Posted 2 years ago #
pjt201 - Member

brant - Member
I am no expert, but isn't there meant to be a quite considerable minimum clearance around these things?

i do find it so frustrating when internet know it alls post information that they have no way of know is correct or not on forums (forii?)

Posted 2 years ago #
skidartist - Member

If its a straight cut then the metal cutting circular saws (made by evolution commonly but a few others make them) will be just up to the job. As simple, straight and accurate as cutting plywood with a regular circular saw. No heat/sparks/dust and a beautiful clean, straight, square cut with a lovely almost crystaline finish to it.

A tool hire shop should be able to hook you up with one, the biggest / powerfullest of the Evolution models (1750w) will cut 12mm mild steel plate

Posted 2 years ago #
brant - Member

Some advice here, though it's american. Though their houses are built out of similar things to ours. I guess.

http://nasdonline.org/document/1254/d001052/wood-stove-installation-and-operation.html

brant - shedfire.

Posted 2 years ago #
iDave - Member

brant's right, a stove should have clearance around it

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Yup - I suggest you check building regs very carefully. a quick google gave

A minimum clearance of 80mm around the sides and back of the stove is recommended to allow for air movement and heat from the stove to enter the room.

http://greymetal.co.uk/installation.php

Posted 2 years ago #
bedmaker - Member

just done one myself.

page 126 is probably most relevant

scottish regs butI'dthink English woul be similar.

Posted 2 years ago #
LoCo - Member

The manufacturer will/should have specs. on the stove for minimum distance around the stove. Did with my Morso.
And laser cutting great!

Posted 2 years ago #
dropoff - Member

9" grinder - sorted

Posted 2 years ago #
sharkbait - Member

Thanks to those who supplied cutting suggestions, I didn't know about laser cutting - I'll be ringing some metalworkers to see what they can do if the factory cannot help.
For those that offered advice on a subject other than that in the title - I do know about the building regs involved, I don't know about cutting plate metal. If I had wanted to know something about the building regs I would have asked. Had you had been bothered to ask before making your comments, you would have found that 80% of the stove is actually going to be sitting in front of the inglenook because of the tightish fit. The only reason part of it is going inside the recess is to maintain the 30cm distance between the front of the stove and the edge of the hearth.
Oh, and once past the granite surround the inglenook opens up to allow 80mm clearance around the stove anyway.

Some advice here, though it's american. Though their houses are built out of similar things to ours. I guess

Not quite........ overall they make much more use of wood and less brick

Posted 2 years ago #
Daffy - Member

50000Psi of directed water.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear - Member

are you sure it is just a steel plate, some stoves are cast iron as steel would buckle with the heat.

Posted 2 years ago #
wwaswas - Member

For those that offered advice on a subject other than that in the title ... If I had wanted to know something about the building regs I would have asked.

Are you new here?

re: the American building materials thing, I suspect they don't make their fireplaces out of wood.

Posted 2 years ago #
sharkbait - Member

are you sure it is just a steel plate, some stoves are cast iron as steel would buckle with the heat.

Clearview - defo steel. More stoves are being made of steel rather than cast now.

Posted 2 years ago #
Milkie - Member

Laser cutting is pretty tidy, Waterjet cutting is even more tidy.

Posted 2 years ago #
BigJohn - Member

Why don't you just lick it with your sharp tongue then?

Posted 2 years ago #
coffeeking - Member

If you can take the "lid" off easily enough, any metal workshop will be able to saw/mill the edge off with ease. For DIY I'd go with a decent large-diam cutting disc and a straight edge, but for the time and cost and effort of DIY I suspect the machine shop would be a better solution. They would be even happier to cut "corners" out of the rear so the front maintains width if you prefer.

Posted 2 years ago #
sharkbait - Member

but for the time and cost and effort of DIY I suspect the machine shop would be a better solution

I agree. Although I 'could' do it I think this one is best left to someone who cuts metal for a lving.
AFAIK the 'lid' is welded on

Clearview have just said that it could take them half a day to change the laser cutter program to make different cuts. Although this sounds a little excessive I can see they're not that keen to do it.
Upon remeasurement, if I put the stove entirely in front one the recess (so no cutting) I'll have 24cm between the front of the stove and the edge of the hearth - I may just go with that instead.

Posted 2 years ago #
coffeeking - Member

With a laser cutter its fairly easy to do a one-off but if you're in the middle of a production run it's going to give some down-time. With the lid welded on a machineshop won't be able to get it into the majority of cutting gear so you're falling back to a cutting disc im afraid! I think I'd do the same as you and just be careful with the ashes/sparks on the carpet!

Posted 2 years ago #
sharkbait - Member

Clearview just rang to say they use robot welders for the stove construction and they use the edge of the 'lid' as a reference point, so if the changed they width of the lid the robot would get all upset (in a digital way).
They have confirmed that we've got enough clearance at the front anyway so that's that

Posted 2 years ago #

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