metal power shear

[toplessHO]

I need to cut some sheetmetal,more than I want to cut with tin snips.
I have a throatless shear but it wont fit where I need to cut.
2 things come to mind.
electric double cut
nibbler that uses a drill for power
suggestions?

 

[slowtwitch73]

Angle grinder?

 

[The Cobbler]

yea, angle grinder with cut off wheel could give good results if you use a straightedge

 

[toplessHO]

a shear will do this 10x faster with no mess

 

[toplessHO]

looking at the Malco TS1
Its cheap enough and I can use battery impacts to power it.

Malco TS1 Turbo Shear 20 Gauge Sheet Metal Cutting Attachment

TS1 MALCO TURBO SHEAR METAL

supplyonline.com

 

[The Cobbler]

Malco is a decent name in sheet metal tools

 

[toplessHO]

yep made in USA too

 

[rsanter]

How much do,you need to cut?
How thick of material?
How often will,you need to cut sheetmetal?

Options
Circular saw for metal
Power shear (can be a HF or better quality)
Nibbler

 

[toplessHO]

22 ga
current project about 200ft

 

[MongoTA]

I have a Dewalt DCS494, it's a double cut. Works well. I'm somewhat heavy in the Dewalt battery group so as a bare tool on sale in one of the fall sales, it was an easy pickup for me.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

22 ga
current project about 200ft

I'd be inclined to use a 7.25" skill saw with a metal blade. I have used regular 40 tooth carbide blades in a pinch but the teeth like to fly off. Wear gloves and a full face shield in either case.

 

[neophyte]

Type of metal, ?
Gauge of metal, ?
Hardened, cold rolled, hot rolled, stainless?
Straight cut, gently curved cut, intricately curved cut, ?
Is the metal flat, slightly not flat, very not flat, ?
Hot clean does the edge need to be?
Are sparks an issue?
Is dust an issue?
Are little chips of metal an issue?
Preferred cost?

There are tons of way to cut metal.
Single and double cut shears from manufacturers like Fein, Trumpf, Draco, Kett, etc. are pleasant to use but can be expensive.
Kett is probably the most affordable.
If you don’t mind spending the extra money, it’s probably best to purchase the 14gauge version, since it will allow you to cut heavier gauge metal in future if necessary.

Nibblers are great for complex shapes, but the chunks of metal they shoot out destroy shoe and boot soles.
The cheap nibbler attachments seem to work, but I don’t know how great they are for extensive work.

A decent jigsaw with metal blades can cut metal quickly, and fairly cheaply, and is versatile for other stuff.

 

[tyyost]

I am a fan of my Kett shears, but if the Malco ones get the job done then go for it. As shared above their is a lot of similarities between doublecut shears these days, so buying a cheap air one or a cordless one in the color of your choice probably wouldn’t be a bad investment. Malco makes a doublecut model too, I remember reading about it in Fine Homebuilding back when it came out, a bit more spendy.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Now would be a good time to invest in a metal cutting circular saw, not a wood cutting one. Use the metal cutting blade, the teeth have a zero set and gives a nice cut. We use them all the time, have a few different ones (Milwaukee, jancy, morse) and they all work well and give a clean, fast cut, I’ve cut up to 1/4” with no problems.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Perfect opportunity to buy a gobbler.

Modern Gobbler SN-41

 

[rustyjames]

200' of cut? I'd be using the electric shears.

 

[toplessHO]

Perfect opportunity to buy a gobbler.

Modern Gobbler SN-41

wow talk about overkill

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

wow talk about overkill

Well, that GJ...

 

[GeoBruin]

Shears work great. I have pneumatic shears, none of them expensive, and I can't complain. I would probably pickup a cordless electric shear if I found a deal.

I haven't tried the shear attachments that fit in a drill but I have tried the similar nibbler attachments and they are kind of fiddly. I see Milwaukee is about to release an m12 nibbler and I'll likely pick one up.

I have the big bad Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw and if I was cutting a straight line, that's where I would probably start but for 22 gauge, a double cut shear would work well and is cheap and easy to obtain.

 

[Firebrick43]

I have one of the drill powered nibblers and the makita 10 gauge nibbler that is around 550 dollars. The drill powered one works ok for complicated cuts in thinner metal. It will cut what hand snips will but much faster. Also if odd shapes or on corrugated metal it works better than most shears. Shines for cutting outlet into R panels.

The big makita nibbler is a beast, not the insane thing list above but it will eat very fast. Its not very good at complex shapes as its turning radius is limited. But straight line or cutting square notches and such in the side of sheets its insane. In 12 gauge metal its at least 10 times as fast as a cut off blade on an air or electric grinder.

 

[danski0224]

I need to cut some sheetmetal,more than I want to cut with tin snips.
I have a throatless shear but it wont fit where I need to cut.
2 things come to mind.
electric double cut
nibbler that uses a drill for power
suggestions?

A nibbler makes a mess and it may be difficult to set up a guide for a straight cut. These typically make a distortion free cut.

Malco Turbo Shears are nice, but because it is a drill attachment, sometimes 2 hands are needed.

There are corded/cordless shears that cut in the same manner as the Malco shear, but the tool can be operated with one hand.

There is a Unishear cutter too.

Most of the above can cut curves.

Double cuts typically make a distortion free cut. Most cannot cut anything but a gentle curve. Some can, however they use special blades.

A metal cutting circular saw would make quick work of straight line cutting. Any of the 5" or so cordless models will work. A dedicated metal cutting saw has a fully enclosed guard system. Lots of small and hot chips, and it's quite loud.

 

[K13]

I use the Princess Auto equivalent of this to cut 18 gauge steel on a fairly regular basis and it works great.

3.5 Amp, 18 gauge Metal Shears

Amazing deals on this 3.5Amp, 18 Gauge Metal Shears at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[toplessHO]

I use the Princess Auto equivalent of this to cut 18 gauge steel on a fairly regular basis and it works great.

3.5 Amp, 18 gauge Metal Shears

Amazing deals on this 3.5Amp, 18 Gauge Metal Shears at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I have a better version of that made in Germany but the foot is too large to get where I need to cut.
I ll try the Malco and report back

 

[Jswain]

The little air nibblers on amazon might be easier on the hands to use, assuming you can use them with a straight edge and have access to air? Only bringing it up because they are about the same price as the malco so might be worth watching some YouTube videos to see how they compare

 

[toplessHO]

Malco TS1 worked fine once I got the proper approach at cutting this.
I only did about 15 ft but it went pretty quick once I got going.
Seems to be made well and blades are sharp

 

[metaldad]

I use the Princess Auto equivalent of this to cut 18 gauge steel on a fairly regular basis and it works great.

3.5 Amp, 18 gauge Metal Shears

Amazing deals on this 3.5Amp, 18 Gauge Metal Shears at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

milwaukee used to make one of those.
i think i bought the last 'new' one on ebay
have a much older milwaukee. needs blades, not available

 

[neophyte]

milwaukee used to make one of those.
i think i bought the last 'new' one on ebay
have a much older milwaukee. needs blades, not available

Cutters for those shears may be available from a different manufacturer.
Shears like that are expensive, and usually last for years, if not decades.
A bunch of manufacturers also get there cutting heads from the same manufacturers.

For instance, in the USA, a huge number of shears used hand drill type motors, and had cutting heads that looked like those made by Kett.
In all likelihood, Kett made the cutting heads and blades, although I’m not sure about some of the manufacturers now that production of a number of shears has switched to China.

In Germany, a lot of manufacturers use cutting heads made by Trumpf, with Draco manufacturing a smaller number if others.

Bosch nay make their own, although Bosch has used Trumpf cutting heads for a few machine models.
You might check Bosch though for compatible cutters though.
Bosch purchased Stanley’s power tool division in the early 1970s or late 1980s, and it included the Stanley Unishear line.
The Milwaukee heavy gauge nibbler used cutting dies that looked similar to the ones used by the same gauge Bosch nibbler.
It’s possible the Milwaukee shear may use one of the Stanley die sets as well, unless it’s the German made shear, in which case the cutters are almost certainly Trumpf cutters.

 

[Feralghoul88]

wow talk about overkill

buy once, cry once.

 

[toplessHO]

buy once, cry once.

does it come with a crane to hold it in place,while cutting something hortizontail ?

 

[toplessHO]

The brand of shear I have is AEG made in Germany.
the wear items are getting hard to come by

Heres a video of tear down of the same model

 

[JRC3]

I'm big on BOCO, but I bought this last fall for $42 to cut a bunch of flashing.

WEN 4 Amp 18-Gauge Variable Speed Swivel Head Electric Metal Shear 3650

Glide through 20-Gauge stainless steel or 18-Gauge sheet metal with the WEN Variable Speed Electric Metal Shear. The lightweight 4.7 lbs. design limits fatigue during operation while the powerful 4 Amp

www.homedepot.com

 

[metaldad]

i do have a pair of swivel double cut shears (milwaukee) jrc has shown. i usually reach for the single cut nibbler

 

[neophyte]

The brand of shear I have is AEG made in Germany.
the wear items are getting hard to come by

Heres a video of tear down of the same model

The front half of that shear was made by Trumpf.
That, and a slightly later version of that shear were also sold in the US under the Milwaukee brand, although it was before Milwaukee and AEG became part of the same corporation.

 

[toplessHO]

The front half of that shear was made by Trumpf.
That, and a slightly later version of that shear were also sold in the US under the Milwaukee brand, although it was before Milwaukee and AEG became part of the same corporation.

does that mean I can buy Milwaukee dies and set screws that will fit my AEG?
the dies are 4 sided so swapping sides helps when they get dull but the screws take a beating
and thats what Ive had to replace the most

 

[neophyte]

does that mean I can buy Milwaukee dies and set screws that will fit my AEG?
the dies are 4 sided so swapping sides helps when they get dull but the screws take a beating
and thats what Ive had to replace the most

Possibly, however the Milwaukee 6810 shears( I think that is the model) has been discontinued for a while, and wasn’t really sold for very long compared to the slightly later US made 6815 model, so I don’t know how easy it would be getting the parts, unless the 6815 was made using the Trumpf specs, which might be possible. I’ve never actually checked.