Home Garden
# Home & Garden >> Building & Remodeling >> Remodeling Tools & Equipment

What Tools Do I Need to Put a Round Metal Duct Together?

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, professionals use both general purpose and specialized tools to assemble round metal duct for main and branch lines. Although prefabricated round duct looks like a solid pipe, it is actually a rolled piece of sheet metal with edges connected by a long, "snap and lock" seam. The average do-it-yourself builder probably owns most of the tools required to connect separate lengths of round duct and install basic fittings. Alternatively, specialty tools for duct fabrication and complex joinery are available through HVAC supply distributors.

  1. Measuring and Layout

    • Essential measuring and layout tools for metal duct include a standard tape measure and a scratch awl. Tape measures have a flexible metal coil marked with both inches and centimeters. Because pencils and markers rarely leave a lasting mark on sheet metal ducting material, HVAC installers often use a scratch awl to layout cut lines and dimensions. The scratch awl consists of a rigid, cylindrical handle and a pointed, skewer-like rod. The scratch awl's sharp tip literally scratches marks into duct materials.

    Cutting Tools

    • HVAC professionals primarily use snips to create on-site cuts through round duct. Snips are essentially the scissors of the metalworking trades. With two handles and wedge-shaped heads, snips roughly resemble household scissors. However, most snips are specially designed to increase mechanical leverage and cut through thin metal. To cut through exceptionally thick round duct, HVAC installers might use power tools, such as handheld grinders or rotary tools. Additionally, installers use utility knives to cut the reinforcing membrane that seals round duct collars to main ducts at branching locations.

    Fastening Tools

    • Most round ducts and fittings connect via screw-fastened slip-joints. HVAC installers insert the crimped end of a round duct into the smooth side of an adjacent duct or fitting and drive sheet metal screws along the perimeter of the joint to join the separate components. Round ducts are typically constructed of thin sheet metal and driving screws through duct joints requires only a standard power drill and driver bits. Notably, many sheet metal screws have hexagonal heads. The bit that drives hexagonal fasteners is called a "nut driver."

    Special HVAC Hand Tools

    • Special HVAC hand tools fabricate specialized cuts, bends and depressions on raw duct material or partially constructed duct. Special hand tools include notchers, crimpers and seamers. In general, the tools' names suggest their functions. Notchers create specially shaped notches that join adjacent ducts, crimpers crimp the ends of ducts to facilitate joinery and seamers bend duct edges to create common "snap-and-lock" seams.

Previous:

Next:

Remodeling Tools & Equipment
  1. What Happens if a Metal Container Is Inadvertently Put in a Microwave Oven?
  2. What Tools Do You Need to Set Up a Woodworking Shop?
  3. What Do I Need to Repair Ceiling Drywall?
  4. What Tools Do I Need to Replace Deadbolts?
  5. What Do I Need to Put a Fence Around My Yard?
  6. What Tools Do Landscapers Need?
  7. How to Put Together Metal Frame Pools
  8. What Do I Need to Roof a 40 X 80 Metal Building?
  9. Sheet Metal Fabrication Tools
  10. What Tools Do You Need to Drill a Hole in Concrete?
  11. Metal Polishing Air Tools
  12. What Tools Do I Need to Put a Mates Bed Together?

Home Garden © https://www.98905.com