Who cuts steel?

April 5, 2009 4:00 PM

Where can I find someone to cut a hole in the side of a steel metal locker?

I want to have a large hole cut in the side of this steel locker from ikea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00086683

I have neither the knowledge nor the tools to do this on my own, so where I can find the appropriate person to do it for me? It would be quick and easy, so I'd imagine it would be pretty cheap.

Would Home Depot do it for a fee?

I live in Los Angeles.

PS, if you have any suggestions on what to put around the hole so it won't cut someone who sticks their hand inside, it would be appreciated.

posted by wannaknow to sports, hobbies, & recreation (14 comments total)

All you need is a drill and a hole saw. Hole saws are cheap and you can get a cordless drill for 30-50$. It would probably cost that much to have a handyman do it. This way, you get the drill (a generally useful thing!) and the knowledge of how to do it, too.

The thing to put in the hole to protect the edges is called a grommet. You can get them in all shapes and sizes. For larger sizes, you might have to ask at a store that does office furniture, as they use large grommets for the openings that cables go through.
posted by fake at 4:05 PM on April 5 [1 favorite]

It's thin gauge sheet metal. Check with a heating/ventilation/AC (HVAC) contractor or anyone who deals with furnaces and air conditioning ducts.

You can use a variety of things to secure the edges, but the easiest thing to use is a section of thick wall hose, splint lengthwise.
posted by FauxScot at 4:07 PM on April 5

Yeah, any HVAC, Handyman, or DIY inclined neighbor can do it in a couple of minutes. Or you could spring for a drill and a hole saw and ask for advice from one of the above if you have a little desire to tackle this kind of thing on your own.

As for lining the hole, what's going to be going through besides a hand, and how often? Any length of tubing split into a C shape will work, foam tubing is nice and soft, but won't really hold up to a lot of wear and tear. Split hosing will last a long, long time, but isn't super soft.
posted by Science! at 4:18 PM on April 5

Oh, and how big of a hole? Hole saws might get you were you want for reaching a single hand in, or you might need a jigsaw with metal cutting blade, or even tin snips and a lot of patience to cut a hole larger than say 6-8 inches. There are hole saws that cut really big holes, but I haven't seen them stocked at the local home depot type stores.
posted by Science! at 4:22 PM on April 5

also try any place that deals with supplying sheet metal. They might have the cutting tools needed.
posted by Taurid at 4:24 PM on April 5

Great suggestions so far! keep them coming!

Just to answer you questions, I'm trying to turn this into a place to hide my cat's litter box, so he would be jumping in and out of the hole. Don't want him to get cut.

I wasn't aware of tin snips. I have plenty of patience, but I wonder if I have the required strength...
posted by wannaknow at 4:30 PM on April 5

The stuff you need for the edges of the hole is called 'alligator grommet'.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:50 PM on April 5

If we're talking about a cat sized hole, a hole saw might not cut it (pun, ha!). I've never seen a hold saw with a diameter bigger than a few inches. I'd probably try using a Dremel/rotary tool with a cutting wheel. It might take 3-5 wheels to make the entire cut, but they're meant to wear down/break and they usually come in a ten pack.

I think the big advantage of using a rotary tool is that it's easy to cut in a straight line, and a rectangular/triangular hole will be much easier to add protection to so your cat doesn't get cut on the sharp steel.

With straight sides on the opening all you will have to do is buy a piece of hose, the length of which is the perimeter of your opening. Cut it in four/three pieces, and make one long cut down the length of each piece of hose, and the hose should slide right over the sharp edge. You can buy bulk hose by length at your local hardware store.
posted by mintymike at 4:56 PM on April 5

I'd put a fine-tooth metal cutting blade in my jigsaw and go at it. Find someone with a jigsaw, and buy a new blade (or two). Line the edges with a some appropriate, hose-like material.

IMO, a holesaw is a poor choice for sheet metal, and a Dremel would take forever.
posted by jon1270 at 5:18 PM on April 5

If you decide that you don't want to do it yourself I would take it to any local auto body repair shop. You should be able to find one in the yellow pages and any decently equipped shop will be able to do this in under fifteen minutes.

Nthing suggestion of some sort of split hose for the cut edges.
posted by Bango Skank at 7:41 PM on April 5

The jigsaw you'd need for this can be purchased at Lowe's for about $100 and comes with a metal blade that would work. You would also need a drill to actually start the hole, though.
posted by odinsdream at 7:52 PM on April 5

If you're not going to use the jigsaw all that much, I would say you should be able to do considerably better than $100. Here is one for $45 CDN. I bought one a while back, it's a light-duty jigsaw. I wouldn't want to use it for 2 hours a day every day, but for a cut here and there it works fine, and you can get a pack of blades for it with metal cutting blades for $10-$15. To start the cut with a jigsaw though, you will need to have a hole already punched in the metal, for that you'll need a drill.

Here is a video showing pretty much exactly what you want to do and how to do it with a jigsaw.
posted by barc0001 at 8:20 PM on April 5

I don't know if you'd actually need a drill to punch the initial hole if you're using a jigsaw. I can think of lots of things I could make a hole in sheetmetal with, screwdrivers, hammers, knives...
posted by Jawn at 3:50 AM on April 6

On a side note, if your cat doesn't already have an enclosed litter box it may not be very happy with the change to the point where it might find an alternative place to do its business....

As for how to cut the hole, your best bet is probably a handy neighbor.
posted by NormandyJack at 10:38 AM on April 7