• Files are a basic and traditional metal removal tool.three file image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com
  
  From construction demolition to automotive repair, metal removal cutting tools reduce the effort and time required to smooth, grind and chop tough materials. The types and applications of metal removal cutting tools are broad and varied; saws cut corrugated roofing panels to size, grinders chop through metal bars and emery cloth abrades surfaces to a smooth finish. Whether you’re restoring an antique automobile or destroying an old structure, an understanding of the types of tools available allows you to outfit your tool chest with the tools you need to cut and remove metal.
  
  

Hacksaw

• The hacksaw is a basic, hand held metal cutting tool. A pistol-grip handle protrudes from one of the short sides of the hacksaw’s C shaped frame, and sharpened blades attach to and run across the C’s opening. The teeth of a hacksaw blade are fine, or small, relative to the teeth of a wood-cutting saw blade. Whereas large teeth catch and halt on hard metals, small teeth shave away at hard metals, allowing a hacksaw operator to cut with smooth, continuous strokes. Hacksaw blades are classified according to their number of teeth per inch, or TPI. Few teeth per inch cut through soft metals and many teeth per inch through hard metals.
  
  

Circular Saw

• Equipped with the right blade, a hand held circular saw becomes a metal cutting machine. Circular saws are electric power tools, both corded and battery operated. Metal cutting blades for circular saws, also called metal cut-off blades and abrasive blades, attach to the same circular saws commonly used to cut lumber. Abrasive and metal-cut off blades are available in all standard circular saw sizes and appear in grades capable of cutting through both hard metals, such as steel, and soft metals, such as aluminum.
  
  

Angle Grinder

• Like the circular saw, the angle grinder employs a rotating, circular blade to shear through metal. The angle grinder is a handheld power tool with a blade oriented perpendicular to its handle. The position of the handle allows the tool’s operator to cut with a forward, pressing motion, access corners and hard to reach spots.
  
  

Emery Cloth

• Emery cloth is sandpaper for metal. The hard mineral is mined, crushed, ground into bits and adhered to a paper backing. Emery cloth is a common metal removal tool available in grades that vary according to application; plumbers use emery cloth to “clean” copper pipes prior to soldering and metalworkers use emery cloth to smooth surfaces before buffing.
  
  

File

• The file, a traditional metal removal tool, is a bar of metal attached to a metal, plastic or wooden handle. The surface of these rectangular or cylindrical bars is covered with serrations or sharpened scales that abrade and remove metal upon repeated rubbing.