Best Way To Cut A Metal Gutter

Cut metal with your circular saw.

Best way to cut a metal gutter.

Beginning where you marked cut all the way down to the bottom side with metal shears. You can cut out the larger hole with a tin snips or you could use an oscillating multi tool equipped with a metal cutting blade. Discard the scrap pieces. In our test it cut through rebar like a hot knife through butter.

Step 2 rest the base of the carpenter s square against the top edge of the metal gutter and align the blade of the square with the pencil mark you placed on the gutter in step 1. Instead of butting parts together and covering the joints with a seam cover as recommended by the manufacturer lap all seams from two to four inches. Proceed to cut down along the side of the aluminum gutter repeat the process to cut down along the other side of the aluminum gutter. It may not be an obvious choice but fitted with the right blade a circular saw is a great metal cutting tool.

Fit the miter saw with a carbide tipped finish blade for cutting through metal but this is the fastest and most efficient tool for cutting through any type of gutter material. Insert the drop outlet in the hole and fasten the new downspout with sheet metal screws. It s much easier to join sections on the ground than to work from the top of a ladder. Or you can cut around to the bottom side stop flip the gutter over and continue cutting from the other side until you meet the other cut in the middle.

Cut from your notch around the downspout with your snips. Cut the front and back sides with tin snips. Miter saws are the most common tool used for cutting gutters especially metal and plastic gutters. Hot metal chips will fly everywhere.

You can bend the gutter slightly to easily make the rest of the cut all the way around to the other side. Cut to the far corner around the other side being sure to hit your other mark and around the back to the far side of the notch. Gutter material also can be cut with a chop saw or sabre saw but be sure to wipe the steel filings from the painted surface. Cut up each corner from your first cut to the next mark with your tin snips.

You can cut mild steel up to about 3 8 in. Pull the tape measure along the length of metal gutter and mark the length you need to cut the gutter with the carpenter s pencil. If the tin snips distorts the profile of the gutter just bend it back into shape with needle nose pliers. Use a square and pencil to mark the gutter length and cut to the line.

Be careful when using metal shears to not cut yourself and hold the gutter steady. Make sure to seal the drop outlet to the gutter with seam sealer.