Working with sheet metal
Finishing and smoothing sheet edges
o do this, screw or clamp the sheet between two particle boards in the sandwich principle, ensure that the uneven, rough sheet edge only protrudes 2–3mm over the particle boards. This is an extremely effective, reliable way to prevent flutter, twisting, and scratching the sheet. Clamp this sandwich pack vertically in front of the work bench (ideally using alfer®-Multi-clamp), and guide the orbital sander at high speed uniformly over the projecting sheet.
For grinding a very rough sheet edge, we recommend first a very coarse grained abrasive paper with high removing effect. Grind until your sheet has the clean edge that you desire.
For the last grinding stage, remove the sheet from the 'sandwich pack' and clamp it without particle boards. Then move the orbital sander with finely grained abrasive paper over the sheet edge again at a flat angle.
Here you can see the perfectly smooth, flush, and deburred sheet.
Attention:
For this grinding work no belt sanders or electric files may be used as the sparks that are generated pose a fire hazard! Only use oscillating sanders!
Tip:
Uneven, rough, or even frayed sheet edges can be easily abraded lengthwise with an electric orbital sander. This applies to aluminium sheets and even to steel sheets.