Drill powered nibblers – buying advice sought.

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

I want to make some curved cuts in 1.5mm mild steel sheet. It looks like a nibbler might be the tool of choice, but I don't want to pay £££s for a dedicated machine, so I've been looking at drill powered devices.

At the bottom end I found a TOOGOO machine for £12, which does seem too good to be true. At the top end there is the Australian-made CaNibble at £50. In between there are many offerings including one from Axminster at £36.

With the exception of the CaNibble all these tools look the same – I know that you gets what you pays for, but on the other hand I also know that identical items are marketed at widely different prices on Amazon and elsewhere.

Does anyone have any experience with these tools?

Robin,

Edited By Robin Graham on 31/07/2021 23:51:14

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

As you say, "you gets what you pay for" but all should come with some kind of warranty and if it does not work, send it back and get a refund. Check the return policy, some are free and some you have to pay postage. (Ebay and Paypal have return money policies. May take some time but you should get it back)

Paul.

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Hi Robin, what radius cuts do you need to make? I cut a 90mm diameter hole the other day in some 3mm steel plate with a jigsaw and filed to finished size.

Ed.

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

I had a Makita 110v nibbler some years ago. Brilliant . Gave it away to a friend through not using it. But very good quality.

Steve.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

**LINK**

Uses one from RDG.

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

I purchased the Axminster version a couple of years ago and I am very pleased with it, I have used it quite a lot for cutting up 18g sheet steel and it performs very well, it is powered by a Parkside cordless drill. For occasional use it seems to be very good value.

[Bob WorsleyParticipant @bobworsley31976]

Awful things, I bought a Bosch one, flog it to you if you want.

What is wrong? Well, they use a circular punch and die to cut in any direction so the swarf consists of millions of horseshoe shaped bits of metal, which get in the soles of your shoes.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Do you have a compressor? If so, a pneumatic nibbler might be an option?

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Nicholas Wheeler 1 on 01/08/2021 10:01:33:

I'm with Bob – don't do it. The swarf is horrible to deal with, the tool is bloody noisy, your drill will hate you and the cut edge will still need smoothing even if you do manage to cut along your line. An air powered nibbler adds the ghastly racket of the compressor.

Clamp some scrap plywood across the cut on both sides of the material and use a jigsaw.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

+1 for Johns link on improving the tool. The length of the assembly when fitted in the chuck makes them hard to handle as does the relative rotational freedom. A solid strap between the drill and nibbler handles may make a worthwhile improvement in rigidity.

Next I use mine I shall figure out a solid strap between the drill handle and the nibbler handle to keep things more stable. Rather like the system used by the DeWalt shear attachment :- **LINK**.

https://www.dewalt.com/products/power-tools/polishers-shears-and-nibblers/18ga-shear-attachment/dwashrir

But stronger. That DeWalt device is a bit of a disappointment. Works but not nice to use due to lack of rigidity in the coupling.

But its five years since I used my nibbler so the matter is hardly urgent!

Plan B was to strip an old cordless drill to make a battery powered all in one. Even less urgent.

My experience is that even the uber-cheap ones will work OK. For a while at least so its really a matter of estimating how much use it will get.

Chip control has to be taken really seriously. Big bag in a stand with something to hold the mouth open underneath coupled to disciplined clearing at regular intervals is essential. Catches half to two thirds of the things.

Thats why mine is a last resort tool.

Clive

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

1.5mm mild steel, I'd use a piercing saw, medium to fine teeth lubricate blade with a candle

Fret saw if piercing saw is too small in the throat

Roy

[Terry BParticipant @terryb]

For anything upto that thickness I use a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. No distortion, make sure you use eye protection as the odd metal chip can fly up.

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Terry B on 01/08/2021 12:23:51:

For anything up to that thickness I use a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. No distortion, make sure you use eye protection as the odd metal chip can fly up.

Interesting, as 1.5mm thick is about the thinnest I'd use a jigsaw on. And would prefer some support along the cut as I suggested above.

Thinner than 1.5mm I use snips and some ibuprofen….

[HacksawParticipant @hacksaw]

I've got one too. Yes , noisy . Yes , very messy sharp bits , ( I clear up best i can with a welding magnet if it's steel ) I often have a dog in the workshop, who loves getting arc eye , metal splinters in his paws , and the vice tommy bar whacking him on the head !

Unless it's a more substantial one than mine , it'll struggle on 1.5mm steel . Needs plenty of practice to cut curves accurately .. the steel needs lubricating on the cut line . Forever jamming , and they dislike being pulled back in a cut for a second go ..

I've often thought if it was mounted upside down on a table so it was rigid like a router table , It could work better . But then the bits would be firing straight at your face ..?

[egaParticipant @ega]

The OP's CaNibble link shows the tool mounted upside down with the [female] operator using gloves but no eye protection.

Incidentally, the Monodex type shear, which produces a c 3mm wide waste strip, works well for shallow curves in thin material.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I bought one similar to the Axminster one, I forget the name, the spare parts make it better value. A line of oil should be run along the cut line, or the parts will wear quickly. You can rotate the heads and lock them quickly to make the direction of feed easier.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

As mentioned above, noisy, messy, more messy, difficult to control, messy. Bought one used it a couple of times threw it away. Best thing I did was throw it away. I would rather bite my way through metal than use one of those.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

As others have said, messy – I have one somewhere, used it once, went back to the Monodex type.

Rob

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Grindstone Cowboy on 01/08/2021 21:43:01:

As others have said, messy – I have one somewhere, used it once, went back to the Monodex type.

Rob

I have, use and like those. But not on 1.5mm thick steel.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Trumpf This has to be the ultimate nibbler, the template section of our tool room was revolutionised when they got a CNC nibbler.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 01/08/2021 23:14:58

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Thanks for replies. Perhaps I should have said that that my project is to make a sort of bbq/smoker thingy out of oil drums and scrap sheet metal, so I need to cut holes for vents, tubes etc in both the curved surfaces of the drums and the flat ends. I didn't frame the question as 'what's the best way from here to there' because I wanted opinions specifically about nibbling tools. Generally, when I buy a new tool for a particular job I have an eye on its usefulness for other things.

I have piercing saws, which are great for what they do, but wouldn't work here because of the geometry. I also have a jigsaw, but it's my second most hated tool (first is the angle grinder*) – cutting anything thin without support, which would be difficult in this case, doesn't work well.

I'm encouraged to go ahead and try a cheapy after following John Haine's link to mikesworkshop.

A lot of the negative comments both here and elsewhere concern the pesky crescents. I don't think that would be a problem for me because I have a scarily powerful vacuum machine which would whisk them away.

Thanks again for replies,

Robin.

*Angle grinder phobia – I have a groove in my left kneecap thanks to a momentary lapse of concentration. A&E, much blood, and a new pair of trousers ruined. Not only in the knee area.

R.

 

 

Edited By Robin Graham on 02/08/2021 01:19:15

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

You will have to tidy up after your ears recover, and you have swept up all the crescent moon bits of swarf.

In which case, why not mark out, and chain drill?

You will still have the filing, and clearing to do just as if you had used a nibbler.

Depending on the size, would a hole saw do the job?

Howard

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

With regard to nibblers specifically and having repaired several Makita's in my day job, I wouldn't choose to buy one myself. The motor ingests the crescents and there goes the motor.

The replacement parts are also very expensive, at least for Makita. Registering for a longer warranty, if available, is definitely a recommendation.

Ed.

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