With spring just around the corner, thoughts have turned to outdoor projects. One of which is to cut at least one of those ovalish oil tanks in half longways to make a cover for a settling tank fed by a spring. Maybe even cover the spring head to keep all sorts of leaves and debris from covering it. The holding tank is about 46 inches across by 96 inches in length, so I was thinking of cutting one or both of the oil tanks I have in half and bolting them together for the cover. I would be washing the inside out to remove any surface fuel oil that might remain. So my question is, how would one go about cutting these in half lengthwise?
Thanks! I do have a Dewalt Sawsall but I wasn't sure it would be able to cut those tanks. And thanks for alleviating my concerns about sparking without my asking!
If you want an extra level of redneck safety you could pipe your truck exhaust into the tank to flood it with co2 to negate explosion danger. It's not the liquid so much as the fumes that will combust easily.
You'll probably need at least a couple new metal blades. I've only cut up one of those tanks, but it wasn't too tough.
One tank has somewhere between 5 and 10 gallons of the fuel oil still left in it. But I will drain it into suitable receptacles before I cut. The cutting will be done outside so I'm not too concerned about the smell if there is any. I was considering making one tank into a smoker where I hook an old wood stove I have to it. Then I could almost hang a whole deer in there. The only drawback is I have no knowledge of smoking meats of any kind. (do you light the butt end first? )
I do have quite a few metal blades so I should be good on that end. The ones I have allegedly are better than most. (Bosch 18 TPI)
rule of thumb for TPI, two teeth should be in contact with the material during the cut. You might want some 24 TPI blades. to coarse will tear the edge of the material, to fine clogs easily, no room to clear chips. Sawzall, medium speed, again rule of thumb 60 strokes per minute, steel. actually you might have more control with a jigsaw and good blades. correct speed and TPI, you can cut both tanks with one blade.
I hereby "like" all these posts.... There's a vid of a fellah converting a large propane tank into a smoker..... He filled his with water. I don't think home heating oil offers the same volatility as gas(propane, natural, or gasoline). But- safety first
I'd say a sawzall or an angle grinder would both work well. In any case, put some ear plugs in before you saw/ grind away.
I used a sawsall and it worked great. I think I only went through one blade. Like said above its not thick metal.
