Stainless buck covers

[Dana Stanley]

So the stainless came in today, and I tried to cut it with my 30 year old HF brake/shear. Well the cast iron table for the shear cracked! I ordered a metal saw from Eastwood! Ill get on it when that comes in.

[frazman]

Yes, s/s can be a tuff metal to work with. Good luck with your project. Hope it all turns out well...

[RAYAR]

So the stainless came in today, and I tried to cut it with my 30 year old HF brake/shear. Well the cast iron table for the shear cracked!

Stainless is a harder metal to shear and it's also a harder metal to bend on a brake press, likely the nickel content.  You have to make different allowances for it compared to regular sheet metal, depending on the type of bends. It tends to bend with a bit larger radius, not as tight as regular sheet metal.

[Crusarius]

when you drill it, DRILL IT SLOW! if it turns red when you are drilling go full throttle and get it done as fast as you can. Once it cools it is quite a bit more challenging to drill. Make sure you have plenty of sharp drill bits on hand. Stainless is a bear to work with in all aspects.

And make sure you wear gloves. It is not very forgiving if you slip.

[VB-Milling]

I'm curious as to whether the DIY covers ever happened.  I see @Dana Stanley hasn't logged on in a while though.

[maple flats]

Use Cobalt drill bits, not cobalt coated. They will work best. I've drilled plenty of SS in the past, until I had Cobalt bits I was lucky to get 1, sometimes 2 holes before the bit needed sharpening and if it had gotten hot, it was junk. 14 ga SS will be a challenge, use good cutting oil and keep it flowing.