Professed Words of a Canadian Living in Virginia

When working on his or her next project, the metal fabricator has at hand a large variety of tools, all of which together are capable of producing just about anything.

The basic operations are cutting, joining, shaping and casting. Casting requires the use of a crucible to melt metals, and a sand packed flask to serve as a mold. The mold is made from a pattern first carved from wood or other material, thus allowing the creation of very complicated shapes from a simple metal pour. Shaping operations are performed using various bends and brakes. These tools are designed to exert strong pressures at minimum user input at strategic locations, bending sheet metal and rods into sharp angles or smooth bends. There are even those custom fabricators who use a hammer and anvil to make custom sheet metal shapes.

Cutting operations are separated into shear, milling/drilling operations, and heat based cutting methods. Shear methods are the same principle as a pair of scissors, only with enough pressure to cut sheet metals. Thicker metals are handled with heat based methods, such as gas or arc based torches. When the cuts are part of the operation, milling/drilling methods are used. Drills cut cylindrical holes to house screws, bolts, or to allow flow from one side of the metal to the other. Milling machines are capable of very complicated cuts, creating complex shapes for metal fabricator.

The metal fabricator has a variety of methods available to him or her to make their project from design into reality.