Cutting steel roof panels

[Yellowtail]

31 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Do please post on how you get on with the cutting as I haven't had the opportunity to try mine yet.

Nibblers are generally great for contour cutting but suck for keeping a straight line.  

[sometimewoodworker]

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Nibblers are generally great for contour cutting but suck for keeping a straight line.  

That was generally why I was asking for a report!

[gunderhill]

On 5/23/2019 at 7:44 AM, sometimewoodworker said:

That was generally why I was asking for a report!

Report is, cutter  works  fine, straight  lines are  no  problem and it zips thru the corrugations, roof  half  on will be finished  Sunday morning sometime.

Update on Bluescope, they are clueless, dont  know what the foam  fillers are, thats if you can get thru to them,  they dont answer their "contact us" e  mail address  either, total waste of space.

The company  supplying us are the same useless.stupid/careless dragging the sheets  around, still got some scratches on some pieces but fairly  minor, pretty appalled with  the service all round...but "normal"

Bought a Bosch gsr 18 li drill to  run the bolts  in, fine for the first day then it decides to keep  cutting off after 16  bolts, seems it has some  cut out in for the battery or something, useless  thing really, shuts off continually and its  not  like Im putting in thousands of  bolts, did 16  this afternoon before it started playing up, another pile of  junk Ill take back when Im done.

[sometimewoodworker]

 

14 hours ago, gunderhill said:

Bought a Bosch gsr 18 li drill to  run the bolts  in

I'm not sure if that is an impact driver, if it isn't then it is probably the wrong tool for the job

[steven100]

This is the tool for cutting metal roof sheeting ....  a jigsaw

[steven100]

as for the overhang ....  cut the sheet where you want the curve to start,  then place the cut curve sheet under the long straight sheet, set it at your desired length then screw and fix in place.

[wayned]

48 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

 

I'm not sure if that is an impact driver, if it isn't then it is probably the wrong tool for the job

The drill is a standard drill with variable torque selectable settings, it does not have an impact function.  It is the type of drill that you would want to properly drive the self threading screws.  II don't understand why you think that the screws should be set with an impact driver.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, wayned said:

The drill is a standard drill with variable torque selectable settings, it does not have an impact function.  It is the type of drill that you would want to properly drive the self threading screws.  II don't understand why you think that the screws should be set with an impact driver.

A good impact driver, specifically the Hitachi WH18DDL, Makita DTD148 Makita DTD154  and Milwaukee M18 FID all have a self Tap mode specially designed for setting self drilling screws. The way they work is with an initial high speed that then slows down once through the support metal. 

 

I have the DT154 and for sure it will not be cutting out as your Bosch is. So the drill you have is either faulty or not the best tool to use for that job. 

 

Until I got the DT154 I also thought that a drill/driver was the bees knees, not any more.

[Fruit Trader]

17 hours ago, gunderhill said:

Bought a Bosch gsr 18 li drill to  run the bolts  in, fine for the first day then it decides to keep  cutting off after 16  bolts, seems it has some  cut out in for the battery or something,

Lithium power tool batteries have electronic protection circuits with some being more sensitive to high ambient temperature during work than others. If a battery can't dissipate load heat due to high ambient temperature the protection circuit will kick in. Be sure to keep the drill out of direct sunlight when not in use.

[gunderhill]

29 minutes ago, Fruit Trader said:

Lithium power tool batteries have electronic protection circuits with some being more sensitive to high ambient temperature during work than others. If a battery can't dissipate load heat due to high ambient temperature the protection circuit will kick in. Be sure to keep the drill out of direct sunlight when not in use.

In thinking it was  heat related I stuck it in the fridge for an hour, it came out cold, 16 bolts  later started  cutting out, swapped  battery and it worked, then stopped again, pulled  battery off and on it worked again then stopped  again, it also doesnt seem to  like using the torque  setting, ie  drill at highish but  not  full speed then once the screw  has  bitten swap to a low torque  setting and it  will stop again. As  soon as  I'm done with the roof Im taking it back.

It is  better in the early  morning at 30c but come the afternoon at 36+ thats when its useless so I reckon its a rather sensitive heat setting.

[Wirejerker]

The driver drill is the wrong tool for the job. Get off the roof and get an Impact Driver. Your hands and wrists will thank you, your knees will thank you, the roof will thank you and it will be a professional job.


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[gunderhill]

3 hours ago, Wirejerker said:

The driver drill is the wrong tool for the job. Get off the roof and get an Impact Driver. Your hands and wrists will thank you, your knees will thank you, the roof will thank you and it will be a professional job.


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too  late am  in  the  hospital  with  broken  hands  knees  and  feet

[Wirejerker]

too  late am  in  the  hospital  with  broken  hands  knees  and  feet

Please I hope you are just pulling my chain


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[Crossy]

45 minutes ago, Wirejerker said:

Please I hope you are just pulling my chain

 

So do I.

 

I agree 100% on the impact driver, the only tool I now use for putting in (and taking out) screws and bolts (with a socket adaptor).

 

Probably the best tool I've bought in years.

 

[wayned]

11 hours ago, Wirejerker said:

The driver drill is the wrong tool for the job. Get off the roof and get an Impact Driver. Your hands and wrists will thank you, your knees will thank you, the roof will thank you and it will be a professional job.


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I would have to disagree.  The DTH154 that sometimes woodworker described earlier that actually has a self tapping setting that starts out fast and once the screw is through the metal seems like the proper tool.  Although he said that it is an impact driver I doubt that the Hammer function is engaged is this mode as once the screw is through the metal the self tapping function needs to be slow and steady speed to correctly tap the threads in the softer steel.  Any hammering would tend to ruin the threads as they are tapped.  My opinion from using hundreds of self tapping crews in the two houses that I have built here.    Most of the time I drilled piolet holes to make the setting of the screw easier.

[wayned]

23 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

So do I.

 

I agree 100% on the impact driver, the only tool I now use for putting in (and taking out) screws and bolts (with a socket adaptor).

 

Probably the best tool I've bought in years.

 

Do you use it for setting self tapping screws in metal without drilling a pilot hole first.  I can see that it's good for driving screws and bpolts in holes that sre  already threaded but not for statring and driving self tapping screws in metal with no pilot holes,  The point of the screw must penetrate the metal ausually at a faster speed than the tapping of the hole using the threads on the screw.  I have air impact wrenches but have never tried using them to drive self tapping screws.  Guess it's time for a test to prove myself wrong!

[Crossy]

7 minutes ago, wayned said:

Do you use it for setting self tapping screws in metal without drilling a pilot hole first.

 

For self-drilling screws that is. Works like a dream.

 

These chaps.

 

We've put literally hundreds in our outhouse roofs straight into the steel structure.

 

Regular self-tappers need a pilot hole of course.

 

This is the chap I have, De-Walt DCF-815, runs fast like a drill whilst the hole is drilled, goes to impact mode when the threads start to bite.

 

 

[wayned]

6 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

For self-drilling screws that is. Works like a dream.

 

These chaps.

 

We've put literally hundreds in our outhouse roofs straight into the steel structure.

 

Regular self-tappers need a pilot hole of course.

 

Seems like when I got to a crossroad in this thread I went left and should have gone right.  I seem to have gotten off the beaten path confusing self  tapping with self threading.  I have never really used many of the screws in your picture as my roof are held on the "old fashion" way with L shaped 1/4 " bolts with nuts on the outside of the roof.  I only have used these to replace broken panels and have always drilled pilot holes.  Time to experiment as I have some of these in the shop and small pieces of 4" "C" section after I replace the faucet in the kitchen, do the laundry and clean the house among other things.

[Crossy]

The self-drillers are available in many formats and sizes, probably the best way to screw into metal. Correct size hole drilled every time.

 

I've got some that cut a "real" thread that you can put a regular bolt into if you wish as well as the coarse things in my photo.

 

And a handy-dandy comparison of self-tapping, self-drilling and self-piercing screws.

 

https://www.allpointsfasteners.com/FAQ.html

 

Of course all three types are often called "self-tapping", just to confuse.

[Crossy]

IMPORTANT NOTE An impact driver does not apply an in-out hammering action like a hammer drill does.

 

It provides a rotating impact force which helps drive the screw with almost no torque fed back to the user (relying on the inertia of the tool). Great for those getting older who don't have the wrist strength they had in the past, and of course those inserting a lot of screws.

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, wayned said:

Do you use it for setting self tapping screws in metal without drilling a pilot hole first.  I can see that it's good for driving screws and bpolts in holes that sre  already threaded but not for statring and driving self tapping screws in metal with no pilot holes,  The point of the screw must penetrate the metal ausually at a faster speed than the tapping of the hole using the threads on the screw.  I have air impact wrenches but have never tried using them to drive self tapping screws.  Guess it's time for a test to prove myself wrong!

An air impact wrench is unlikely to work well.

 

The battery impact wrenches have a far more sophisticated sense system. They spin at high speed to drill the initial hole, slow down for the threading phase (using the impact function if the resistance is enough), then stop before stripping the thread.

 

You can do some or all of that yourself with an air impact but need very good reflexes, practice and concentration something that you can do for a couple of self drillers but probably not for a couple of hundred.

 

From the linked page

Quote

Self-Drilling Screws

 

Similar to sheet metal screws, but they have a drill-shaped point to cut through sheet metal or steel which eliminates the need for drilling a pilot hole. These self-drilling screws are designed for use in soft steel or other metals.Self-drilling screw points are numbered from 1 through 5, the larger the number, the thicker metal it can go through without a pilot hole. A 5 point can drill a 0.5 in (13 mm) of steel, for example.

 

[wayned]

9 minutes ago, Crossy said:

IMPORTANT NOTE An impact driver does not apply an in-out hammering action like a hammer drill does.

 

It provides a rotating impact force which helps drive the screw with almost no torque fed back to the user (relying on the inertia of the tool). Great for those getting older who don't have the wrist strength they had in the past, and of course those inserting a lot of screws.

Yep. it's embarrasing to go into 7-11 and buy a drink in a plastic bottle and have to ask the clerk to open it for yopu because you don't have the grip strength to open it yourself!

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

I've got some that cut a "real" thread that you can put a regular bolt into if you wish as well as the coarse things in my photo.

Do you have self drilling screws screws that do that? 

 

I have some Taptite that have a trilobular thread pattern which forms a thread during insertion. But haven't seen any self drilling thread forming screws.

[Crossy]

56 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Do you have self drilling screws screws that do that? 

I have some Taptite that have a trilobular thread pattern which forms a thread during insertion. But haven't seen any self drilling thread forming screws.

 

Yup. Nut included for illustrative purposes only ????

 

 

 

[gunderhill]

18 hours ago, Wirejerker said:

Please I hope you are just pulling my chain


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Tightly around your neck????

[gunderhill]

Done ,just got to add the front and side pieces, bolted every single  rib, it aint going nowhere as Ive seen the hurricanes that occasionally  happen  here just out of the blue usually  before  a  storm.

Now you can see the correct overhang which i was  after, water runs straight into the middle  of the ditch.

[sometimewoodworker]

On 6/2/2019 at 9:05 AM, Crossy said:

 

Yup. Nut included for illustrative purposes only ????

 

 

 

Did you get that one in Thailand? 

[Brona Tony]

Its look okk there is not a big problem and moreover with this your garage will be safe from sun rays  and your wall be safe from water

[shaemus]

On 5/19/2019 at 8:57 AM, gunderhill said:

Ok anyone know about the FOAM  fillers ive seen go between the edge section where it  joins  the roof matched to the shape of the profile?

hi mate.

 

I hope you bought  a nibbler or power shear or even offset snips to cut your Sheets. Friction Wheels as well as invalidating the warrenty will spray tiny hot fragment all over the sheet and penetrate the top layer and the panel will rust in tiny spots.

 

Roof sheets are fixed on the peak. at suitable centre based on wind loading and structural design. Wall sheet are fixed in the pan.

 

fasteners should be the best you can afford. Thai fasteners are not so good. i used Bremicks.

 

I have a colorbond roof here in Thailand, which i installed myself, My sheets came from Australia, Thicker and nicer colour pallet.

 

I can help you with your barge flashing if you need.

 

Shaemus

[Crossy]

On 6/5/2019 at 2:01 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

Did you get that one in Thailand? 

 

Sorry about the delay responding. Yup that one came from MegaHome but I've found others in HomePro too. 

 

Brand is "CTdecor"

 

Take the photo ????