Sheet metal bench shear

[Andy StopfordParticipant @andystopford50521]

Does anyone know anything about this sheet metal shear – It’s well made, and works well, but it’s curiously awkward to use.

If you are standing with the jaws facing you (which is how you’d expect to use it) then the handle has to be lifted to cut, which is hardly what you’d want. If you stand with the jaws facing away then the handle works in the correct sense, but it’s very difficult to guide the workpiece by pulling it into the jaws.

The part attached underneath by a bolt appears to be intended to be clamped in a vice.

Am I being stupid* and missing something here?

*Likely, I know.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Use sideways  or with handle pointing downwards which would be safer as its weight cannon close the jaws unexpectedly.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

I can’t see any branding on that one, but it appears similar to a Hills “Hilshear”.

Hilshear

You might want to find the fast forward button for some of this

Bill

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

As mentioned by Bazyle the reason for the “lift to cut” action is safety. You do’t want the weight of the handle to suddenly close the  jaws .

Robert.

[Andy StopfordParticipant @andystopford50521]

If it’s a safety measure, I’m afraid it’s a dismally ill-conceived one. The trouble is the awkwardness of using the thing – you can get a hint of this near the end of the video Bill has linked to (admittedly the guy is giving it a bit of a hammering). Not obvious is that if the handle goes past the 12 o-clock position away from you it will still tend to drop and close the jaws, whilst also swinging out of reach.

Another thing which makes it awkward to use is the that the moving jaw is to the left of the device, so your left hand holding the material sheet is on the other side from the jaw – this, I suppose might make it slightly less likely to catch a finger in it, but it also makes it unexpectedly difficult to guide the material accurately.

The gear sector driven by the handle can also very easily run out of mesh if you’re not very careful to limit the arc you move the handle through.

In contrast this throatless shear, though greatly inferior in build quality, is far easier to use. The handle moves in the expected direction, and when parked past the 12 o-clock position stays there. The moving blade is to the right of the cutting line so you can easily and accurately manoeuvre the material. To me this ease of use makes it far safer than the Hilshear, which I must admit, I find rather frightening to use.

It’s a shame, because it actually cuts well – it’s also very compact, and I wonder if that’s behind the slightly strange design choices made by Mr. Hill.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Perhaps it was intended that the apprentoid wagged the handle whilst the skilled chap held the sheet.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

The gear engagement arcs on the Hillshear just don’t look right. Apparently far too many teeth running upwards on the arm and barely enough to engage at the bottom. Unless the intention is to make it possible to disengage things completely so it the handle can be parked alongside the shear.

But I’ve nob experience beyond a “Nope, don’t fancy buying that” drive by.

Clive

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Think about if you could use it with the handle coming forward and down. It is absolutely certain that 90% of the cuts you would be 1/4″ from completion as the sodding handle hits the metal sheet being cut because the world likes to piss you off.

[duncan webster 1]

On duncan webster 1 Said:

Perhaps it was intended that the apprentoid wagged the handle whilst the skilled chap held the sheet.

That’s actually about the only way it makes sense, with the apprentoid on the other side pulling the handle towards him.

Clive – yes I think the idea is to allow the handle to fold down alongside the body of the thing.

Bazyle – Oh, absolutely, I think it’s designed with the aim of aiding the world in this project.

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