How to Cut Through a Metal Fence
Metal fences are used to protect and provide safety to residential and commercial lots. Metal fence types include chain link with post, tubular or solid sheets. The technique you use to cut through the fence will depend on its thickness and the type of metal it's constructed of. You can cut chain link fence with basic wire or bolt cutters. To cut through the post of the chain link fence or tubular and solid sheets of metal, you'll need to use of a reciprocating saw that's equipped with a metal cutting blade.
Chain Link Fences
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Mark the thicker portions of the metal fence with a marker to indicate where you'll make cuts with a reciprocating saw.
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Equip the reciprocating saw with a cutting blade rated for metal material. Inspect the tool for any defects, such as a damaged electrical cord, bent blade or damaged cutting table, before using it in order to avoid injury.
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Hold the the reciprocating saw's blade along the marked line on the post. Allow the saw's cutting table to rest against the material that you're cutting to prevent the saw from jerking around.
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Squeeze the saw's trigger gently to allow the cutting blade to scribe into the metal material.
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Keeping firm pressure on the back of the reciprocating saw, bring the tool to full power once the blade has a scribed groove to follow. Continue cutting until the cut is completed.
Tubular and Solid Fences
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Mark the chain link fence to indicate where you'll make cuts with the manual cutting tool.
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Slip the chain link fence between the blades of a hand tool, such as wire or bolt cutters.
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Squeeze the handles together to slice through the chain links, using both hands to apply pressure if necessary.
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When cutting horizontally across the chain link fence, wrap or bend the ends of the two links around each other one or two times by grasping them with the cutting tool and twisting in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. This will prevent the links from coming apart after the cuts are made.
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Continue cutting each link of the fence until the task is completed.
References
Warnings
- When cutting through metal, wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying debris and heavy-duty leather gloves to protect your hands from sharp edges.
Writer Bio
Elizabeth Arnold has written for a wide variety of publications and websites. Her experience includes writing travel features for "Recommend" magazine and packaging marketing copy for both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. consumer products. Recently, Arnold was a staff writer for "Special Events" magazine. Arnold studied English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Photo Credits
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