lots of long straight cutting on 18ga steel

[Lis2323]

My vote would be to make a cut list and pay someone to cut it with a shear.

My vote also. I wouldn’t even consider the alternatives if you’re cutting up three sheets to make a tool chest.

[Ries]

this made me smile. Ill just say I’m older than your snips you bought in ‘78. Not much mind you but just. my hands are not in good enough of condition to use hand snips.

I’m really leaning towards that guard for the grinder. I found somewhere that someone adapted it to fit a different angle grinder and put some sort of slide on it. Either way I think that or the saw blade for my circ saw is the way I will go.

I will be 65 next month. I still use the wiss snips technique, I just go slow.
I have cut a fair amount of 16 gage stainless (too thick for the snips) with a grinder and a cut disc- and I can tell you, guard or no guard, its gonna be messy, and not a nice finished cut. I suppose you could sand it straight and flat again, with a belt sander, but that sounds like a lot of work.

I own a bosch electric hand shear, a few air powered hand shears, a nibbler and 8 or 10 small grinders, and I still would pick the straight snips (not aviations snips, which are serrated and leave a courugated, curled edge) every time.

Old school sheet metal techniques work, thats been known for 200 years or so. They dont require amazing strength- most of the master sheet metal craftsmen I have met over the years kept working til they were dead. Slow and low, that is the tempo, to quote the Beastie Boys, whose first album is almost as old as my snips.

[C1ph3r]

I will be 65 next month. I still use the wiss snips technique, I just go slow.
I have cut a fair amount of 16 gage stainless (too thick for the snips) with a grinder and a cut disc- and I can tell you, guard or no guard, its gonna be messy, and not a nice finished cut. I suppose you could sand it straight and flat again, with a belt sander, but that sounds like a lot of work.

I own a bosch electric hand shear, a few air powered hand shears, a nibbler and 8 or 10 small grinders, and I still would pick the straight snips (not aviations snips, which are serrated and leave a courugated, curled edge) every time.

Old school sheet metal techniques work, thats been known for 200 years or so. They dont require amazing strength- most of the master sheet metal craftsmen I have met over the years kept working til they were dead. Slow and low, that is the tempo, to quote the Beastie Boys, whose first album is almost as old as my snips.

You do have a few years on me. And I know that album very well. :-) I like slow and low.

As for just buying a tool box, yes I could have done that. But I wanted a project and I like making stuff. It will take me a while and probably won’t be as nice, but I will learn a lot in the process.

This could all turn into a lesson in futility. I learn those a lot. Or I should say they are taught to me but I never really learn. But it’ll be an experience either way.

Thanks again everyone for the suggestions I will take all into consideration.