Chicago Pneumatic Air Cutting Tools
Eight pneumatic cutting tools that divide the sheet-metal problem three ways: abrasive cut-off wheels for bolts, clamps, and exhaust; reciprocating saws for panels and profiles; shears and nibblers when the cut must stay clean, cold, and reusable.
The short version
Pick by what the cut has to look like afterward. Sparks acceptable, speed matters → cut-off tools. Following a line through panel or tube → air saws. Clean cold edge, no distortion, panel stays usable → shears and nibblers. All eight live in the cutting tools category; replacement wheels and blades are in abrasives. Not sure → 1-888-883-5144.
Air Cut-Off Tools
3 in. abrasive wheels at 20,000+ rpm — bolts, clamps, exhaust, and anything else that just needs to be in two pieces.
Abrasive wheels, fast cuts
The CP874 is the default body-shop cut-off tool at $105; the CP861 adds a heavier motor for continuous fabrication duty. The extended-reach CP9116 gets the wheel into deep and awkward positions — composite, fiberglass, sheet steel, and clamps in places the standard tools cannot reach.
Cut-Off Tool · 3 in.
22,000 rpm · 3 in. wheel
Bolts, clamps, and exhaust — the default body-shop cut-off tool.
Wheel
Cut-Off Tool · Heavy Duty
20,000 rpm · 3 in. wheel
Heavier-duty cut-off tool for continuous fabrication work.
Wheel
Cut-Off Tool · Extended Reach
Extended reach · 3 in. wheel
Composite, fiberglass, sheet steel and clamps in deep or awkward positions.
Power Source
Reciprocating Air Saws
Air-powered reciprocating blades for body panels, tube, and HVAC duct — cuts that curve and corners a wheel cannot turn.
Following the line
An air saw follows a scribed line through panel and profile where a cut-off wheel would wander. The CP7900 covers collision and general sheet work at 6 CFM; the CP7901 adds stroke for thicker sections; the CP881 runs 9,500 strokes per minute for production cutting.
Air Saw
6 CFM · reciprocating blade
Panel and body cutting where a wheel cannot follow the line.
Uncertainty vibration-(ft/s sq)
Air Saw · Long Stroke
6 CFM · blade kit option
Longer stroke for thicker sections and HVAC ducting.
Configuration
Air Saw · Production
9,500 spm · industrial build
Production cutting duty in fabrication and maintenance shops.
Stroke per minute
Air Shears & Nibblers
Scissor and punch cutting for sheet that has to stay flat, cool, and reusable — no sparks, no heat line, no dressing.
Clean, cold, distortion-free
Shears slice sheet in a continuous cold cut; nibblers punch a narrow kerf that lets you steer curves and start from a drilled hole mid-panel. Both leave edges you can hem or weld without dressing — the difference from every abrasive cut on this page.
Shears
15 CFM · continuous cold cut
Straight, clean cuts in sheet without heat distortion or sparks.
Cutting capacity aluminum
Nibbler
17 CFM · punch cutting
Curves and cut-outs in sheet metal with no edge distortion.
Cutting capacity steel
Air Cutting Tools — Common Questions
Cut-off tool, air saw, or shear — which one for sheet metal?
Decide by the edge you need. A cut-off wheel is fastest but throws sparks and leaves a hot, hardened edge. An air saw follows curves and cuts profiles, with a finer edge than a wheel. Shears and nibblers cut cold with zero distortion, so the panel and the offcut both stay usable — that is why panel replacement work is shear-and-nibbler territory.
What is the difference between a shear and a nibbler?
A shear cuts like scissors — fast, continuous, best for straight lines and gentle curves from the sheet edge. A nibbler punches out a small kerf many times a second: slower, but it turns tight curves, and it can start from a drilled hole in the middle of a panel. Sheet fabricators usually end up owning both.
What can the CP835 nibbler actually cut?
Rated 0.06 in. (16 gauge) mild steel and 0.10 in. aluminum. Within that, it handles duct, body panels, enclosures, and roofing sheet, and steers curves that no shear or wheel can follow. Push it past its gauge rating and punches wear fast — step up to plasma or a heavier shear for plate.
How thick can the air saws cut?
Air saws are sheet and profile tools — body panels, tube, duct, and trim in the couple-of-millimeter class, with blade choice setting the finish. They are not demolition saws: thick plate belongs to the cut-off wheel or the plasma table. The CP7901 blade-kit version ships ready for mixed panel work.
Do you stock cut-off wheels and saw blades?
Yes — 3 in. cut-off wheels and abrasives in abrasives, and saw blades through the parts lookup by model number. Wheels are consumables: buy the box, not the single. For grinding after the cut, see air grinders.
Need Help Picking a Cutting Tool?
Tell us the material, thickness, and what the edge needs to look like — we will point at the right tool. Stocked in Denver.