"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
news
On 1/18/2017 8:39 AM, Howard Beel wrote:
I bought a hand held nibbler that has a 1/4" capacity (mild steel)
on ebay
back in the day when they were cheap. I made an adaptor to attach a
couple
of 1" linear bearings to the nibbler, kinda looks like a radial arm
saw
setup
but for steel. I get nice cuts that with little edge distortion. I
can zip
thru
8 foot of 1/4" plate in a few minutes. Takes up a lot less room
than a
wysong shear, less noisy to. When not in use it breaks down for
easy
storage and takes up little room.

Best Regards
Tom.

I have a nibbler that won't get anywhere near 1/4". Just to be sure
that it's the same thing - a "nibbler" cuts by punching
crescent-shaped chips, yes?

Your setup sounds interesting - any chance of your putting up some
pictures? I thought that I had the idea until you mentioned the 8'
sheet & I don't see how that would work.

Bob

I have two air-powered nibblers that can cut large sheets - I sliced
an old metal swimming pool into manageable pieces with one.

This one makes the needle-sharp crescent chips. It's better for tight
freehand curves.
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/air-nibbler

This curls the cut strip into coils. It's easier to control on
straight cuts and doesn't require thorough cleanup with a magnet
afterwards.
http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-air-shears.html

The steel of the uprights and top rail from the pool is a good balance
between stiffness and workability and the coating stands up pretty
well to a planishing hammer. The wall is thinner and easier to bend
with hand tools.

-jsw