Hello OMG. Good after noon.
Thank you for the information.
OMG: Commercial shears do indeed work with a slight gap between the blades (as do punches etc). As I recall, about 10% of the thickness of the material being cut is the rule-of-thumb.
DC: When possible I will try to use your recipe and give account of the results in the forum.
OMG: I have a 12 "shear/roll/bender and it has adjustment screws to set the blade clearance. And if adjustment screws are provided, presumably they are intended to be used. You didn't mention it, Dias, but does your 8" machine have the adjustment screws?
DC: Yes it has. But I did not dare to change its position. I simply push the blade strongly against them and pressed strongly screws retaining plate.
OMG: It's possible, if the machine is only made for very thin material, that they simply don't bother with the blade clearance but thicker sheets are likely to give rather high loads.
DC: As I wrote above this is not the case.
OMG: That said, it can be pretty fiddly to get an optimal setting on these little machines (also depends a bit on how hard/soft the material is).
DC: Yes, I think you're right and I will surely have a lot to learn by practice wishing, however, not to make big mistakes that ruin the blades prematurely.
Thank you
Dias Costa