Cutting C-666 Skirts from Sheet

[bkthomps]

How did you guys cut the two different sliding canopy rear skirts out from the single sheet they come on, I contemplated using snips but it's .032, so I have thought bandsaw but it isn't deep enough to allow the piece

Now I'm thinking jigsaw with a fine blade after attaching it to a piece of backing plywood

[N9331v]

At first I used a band saw and cut fairly close to my line, I then used my hand snips and did my final trimming. Remember not to cut to much at once with the hand snips or you will distort the edge.

In the end after making many I ran up to Lowes and purchased a pneumatic cuter, cuts aluminum fast and acurate.

[rvbuilder2002]

Like Ed said, Make your final cut so that it removes no more than 1/8" to get a nice edge finish.

Also, think of the pattern traced on the aluminum as an approximation of the finished skirt shape. I recommend leaving the skirt over sized by 1/2-5/8" all around, and then trim as needed during finishing.

Another tip that helps a lot... Do not try and fit/drill the skirt pieces with them flat. Spend what ever time you need, to pre-shape the skirt piece (this includes forming a twist into it). try and get the shape such that you can lay it in place and have it fit nearly perfectly without applying any pressure to get it to lay down. If you do this, the rest will be much easier.