The Importance of Choosing the Right Sheet Metal Snips

By Anna Lockhart.  

With the vast variety of snips available, it can be confusing to know which kind to use on certain projects. John Sheridan shares the basics on how to pick the right snips.  

In the latest episode of his ongoing YouTube tutorial series, John Sheridan, owner of Sheridan Metal Resources, shares his knowledge of all things sheet metal snips — from identifying features to the proper uses of each. 

John Sheridan began this series as a way to share his years of experience and training with beginners and those looking to expand their general knowledge of metal roofing and cladding tools. John opens the video with his goal for sharing this information, “One of the things I wanted to do when I started our website was to put together information that describes the tools and to eventually do training videos and how to use the tools in specific situations.” In this particular installment in the YouTube series, he details the need-to-know facts about essential sheet metal snips and their uses — one such detail being that the shape of the head will determine the primary use of the snips.  

There are three main kinds of snips: straight, left and right cut snips. Straight snips have blades that are straighter and wider in shape, and are best for cutting (you guessed it!) straight cuts where as a left snip is used to cut at a tight curve to the left. Curious to know the difference between European snips and domestic snips? “Euro” snips are made of a much higher grade of steel and thus stay sharper longer than traditional “Midwest” or “Milwaukee” snips. The more you know!  

This video series episode offers a wealth of helpful information and tips to viewers about sheet metal snips and how to best determine which snips are right for you. John hopes to continue providing helpful and relevant video content each week about the tools that Sheridan Metal Resources provides for those in the roofing and cladding industry.  

To watch the full snips guide, check out the video on the Sheridan Metal Resources’ YouTube channel! 

Learn more about Sheridan Metal Resources on their Coffee Shop Directory or visit sheridantools.com.