I cut brass sheet on a scrollsaw sandwiched between 2 bits of 3 – 5 mm plywood, using 35 TPI pinless blades.

I'm normally cutting to a profile, but if you need to cut precision straight lines you'd need to rig up some sort of rip fence.

A 1.2mm cutting disc in a 4.5" grinder will do it ! Let the disc cut at it's own speed do not force it, clamp a piece of 3mm steel on it to give a straight guide. Noel.

**LINK**

I think I'm surprised that no one has mentioned a Jeweller's saw yet.

With just a little practice you can cut very near to a scribed line with one and the 'experts' (and I'm certainly not one) can cut pretty much on it. Either way very little cleaning up is usually needed and there will no distortion. Of course if you need a quantity all the same it could be time consuming

Regards,

IanT

Hand or bench shears? With thin brass sheet, and sharp blades there should be no problem

Yes Bo'sun – I'm not sure if there is a clear distinction but I tend to think of a "Jewellers" saw as an adjustable frame type of piercing saw (as opposed to a fixed frame one) but they certainly both use 'piercing' blades.

I have both types of frame but find the adjustable form easier to use on small work – my fixed frame one (having a deeper throat) only comes out very occasionally.

Regards,

IanT

Both Chronos and Axminster Tools sell the various Proxxon saws and blades .

This is the sort of thing you can make from 0,9 or 1mm brass/copper with a scrollsaw. If you're after accurate square or rectangular work you'll need to make a fence.

You can anneal brass to soften it. Some, if not all, brasses both work and age harden like copper. Once softened they should be easier to get flat in a suitable press/vice.

Just to show my age, I remember one of the Blue Peter presenters (probably John Noakes) going to the Royal Mint to do a piece on its work. Every time they did some work on the cupro-nickel they were using they had to anneal it, then clean it ready for the next process. I think it went through about 5 of these cycles before they were finished.

Martin C

In the first editions of Gerald Wingroves superb and unique book; 'The complete Car Modeller' there is detailed a very clever little tool made from a piece of industrial hacksaw blade and shaped like a backward facing tooth! I can attest that it works extremely well when run across thin sheet against a straight edge.

For cutting thin sheet accurately I sometimes also use a small cutting disc on a Dremel…..clamp the workpiece to a piece of plywood and make sure to use eye protection. This method is excellent when making small detail cuts in thin workpieces.

lastly, I cut thin discs for clock wheels by using a specially made trammel adjusted to the exact diameter,…this basically cuts thru the brass when revolved by means of a 'knife tool'. I sometimes use the same basic method on a square piece mounted on an arbour in the lathe to cut out wheels.

Finally (?!)…there is an Eclipse sheet saw which works very well,..it looks like a small panel saw but has a hacksaw blade built into the edge, thus allowing any depth of sheet to be cut.

Interestingly, I don't any longer use a scroll saw to cut thin brass as I did not like that method, although many people do use it quite successfully.