Tell me the best way to cut Hardware cloth!

[nickie]

Quote:
My snips were so dull I don't think I could have cut a stick of butter with them. I'm sure they work perfectly if they ate Sharp.

 

[BunnyMomma]

Hi, My Hubby uses a 4 inch rotary type angle grinder that has a metal blade. You can buy the grinder from Harbor Freight for about 19.00. It makes a few sparks, but he can cut the hardware cloth quickly with this tool. We use it all the time. I have several chicken coops and a lot of rabbit houses that he has built for me. Cutting the wire by hand would be really time consuming. Also, It makes a very clean cut that is not as sharp on the edges.
I hope this helps!

 

[zazouse]

Tin snips here also.

 

[cybercat 2]

Quote:
We use cut-off grinders all the time too, BunnyMomma! And thumbs up for Harbor Freight!

 

[wood&feathers]

If you aren't making complex cuts you can use a stout utility knife. As already mentioned, weigh the mesh down. Then use either a metal ruler or 1/2" board straight edge. Score the wire hard a couple times along the straight edge. Pick up one end of the mesh and tear along the dotted line!

Throw away the cutter blade and replace or the next person to use it will be unhappy. Those blades are cheap, use and discard.

 

[gryeyes]

Well, after struggling with a roll of it and feeling like the roll was winning, I learned to unroll it and place it down flat on the ground against the curl, then weighting it down with bricks. If it gets away from you, it won't wrap around you like it did me.

Heavy leather gloves and tin snips, here.

And then there are those little sharp cut snags to get'cha. Luckily, any window portion can be framed with wood strips which cover those sharp ends. Until then, however, it will bite you every chance it gets.

What I won't do for my chickens.....

 

[RoosterRanch]

Quote:
Agree TIN SNIPS are the way to go here. My coup has 8' tall 1/2" hardware cloth and tin snips did it all, WEAR GLOVES while using them as the ends are sharp.

 

[maizy'smom]

I made a special trip to my dad's house to ask the huge favor of borrowing his father's 12" long, 1.5lb, heavy, black, forged steel tin snips. It was like borrowing the ruby slippers from Dorothy. And, they worked just as magically! Like the saying goes; it's the right tool for the job. And, as someone has already mentioned, flattening out the roll of cloth helps too. I also found that wearing good leather garden gloves made handling the edges easier too.

mm

 

[BlazeJester]

I have little scars all over my forearms from the scratches I got cutting all the hardware cloth for my first run (8'x3') with a pair of wire cutters, attaching the hardware cloth with a low-power electric stapler. Fortunately a pneumatic stapler was lent to me for the cause once a friend realized I was doing it by hand. I had two other people help me with that run.

I built the second run, which is nearly three times the size (8'x8'), all by myself with a pair of tin snips, hammer, nails, screws and cable ties and the thing is absolutely impenetrable.

Having the right tools for the job makes life a LOT easier.

Edited to add: As mentioned, leather gloves are key when working with hardware cloth. I found the cable ties to be a surprisingly quick and effective means of attachment, and it has been very secure. I used 14" outdoor cable ties for the 2"x4"s, 11" outdoor cable ties for the 2"x3"s and 8" outdoor cable ties for the 2"x2"s.

 

[welasharon]

Seriously?!! No one is going to mention the requisite cussing both needed and caused by said hardware cloth???