by the Professional Power Tools Guide Crew
If you were to do a quick search for nibblers online, chances are you’d find information about cutlery or a character on the show Futurama. While they may share the same name, they are not at all like the metal nibblers we’ll be discussing here.
So what are nibblers then, and how can they be used for your projects? Well, a nibbler is essentially used like a common office hole punch. It just works on a larger scale and in a different manner. Here we’ll explore the exact function of this tool and what it can be used for.
A nibbler is a pneumatically powered tool that can be used to cut half-moon shaped holes in a piece of metal without using a linear cut first. It indeed works like a hole-punch for metal in the sense that it cuts holes in an area without having to get a line going there. It’s fairly easy to understand what nibblers are after you use them because they don’t really work like other power tools. You basically put a nibbler against a piece of metal and allow it to “nibble” away a hole for you. It does this by cutting tiny holes in the metal to perforate it until everything is cut fully.
So what are nibblers used for? Well, a lot of things really. A good example would be for a car stereo where a simple hole needs to be cut in the door to allow the wiring to pass through. You can cut virtually any metal with a nibbler, though steel is the most common one used. They can work for metals valued between 14 and 24 gauge, though certain models are more restrictive than that. It would be wise to know what you’ll use the nibbler for so that you can buy one strong enough to cut through the metal you typically work with.
Now that you know what nibblers are and how they can be used, you need to think about your safety when you use one. All metal working tools can be dangerous in their own way. Nibblers are no different. There isn’t really a way to get your finger caught in a nibbler, but on the off chance that you might get stuck there, wear gloves on the job. That way the tool will start nibbling on your glove before it gets to you. Of course, wear safety goggles at all times and put on protective shoes. The nibbled pieces can get rather sharp around the edges, so you don’t want to step on them and hurt yourself. Other than that, you should be all set to use the tool. Have fun!
