Just wondering if anyone uses this for general shop cutting. Seems like the
berries, but I could use some opinions of it!
We use mainly 18 mild steel and 62 thou alum.
Johnny

"M D" wrote in message
...
Just wondering if anyone uses this for general shop cutting. Seems like
the berries, but I could use some opinions of it!
We use mainly 18 mild steel and 62 thou alum.
Johnny


i used to have, i think it was a porter cable shear (and a porter cable
nibbler). i think we're talking about the same thing. i didn't like it,
hardly ever used it, sold it on eBay (at a tremendous loss, i think i paid
over $400 for it and sold it for one hundred something). i thought i was
going to be able to cut to a line but it seemed to vibrate and jump around
too much to do that. i don't know what it would be properly used for. i
thought maybe i could use it to chop up sheet stock to take to the scrap
man. maybe it could be used to like hog out a hole and then use another
tool to finish? that is if we're talking about the same tool. i got a
plasma cutter, that's when i sold the shear. i'm not especially happy with
the plasma either (i shoulda gotten one that cuts heavier stock) but i think
it's better than the shear at least, prolly MUCH better.

b.w.


oh, i just noticed you mentioned the model number in your subject line,
visited a couple web pages for a pic.
http://www.mytoolstore.com/bosch/shears1.html yeah, the one i had was
similar to the 1506. i dunno, maybe i was using it wrong, but it sure
seemed like it was not at all easy or even impossible to get it to cut to a
line. starting the cut would bounce and not be able to start the cut on the
line. if it had some kind of "soft start" maybe. but then i doubt if it
would have enough torque to make the cut. that's just my experience, i 'm
not a professional, maybe others have different experience, opinions,
advice. i'd think if you needed to chop off a piece of sheet metal to bring
to another tool to finish, it would be good, but i couldn't get it to do
anywhere near any sort of "precision" work.

"M D" wrote in message
...
Just wondering if anyone uses this for general shop cutting. Seems like
the berries, but I could use some opinions of it!
We use mainly 18 mild steel and 62 thou alum.
Johnny


wow, i was hoping i wasn't going to be the only person to comment on this.
hoping some of you pros out there would comment too.

b.w.

I have had the previous model, which is very slightly different, since
about 1978.

It is good for some things, but not the answer to all your dreams and
problems.

First, they are a bit overrated in terms of capacity. Cutting 16 gage
steel with it is a lot of work, and not very practical. Even 18gage is
gonna be pushing it a lot of the time. I find it works pretty well on
20 gage and below.

Second, because it doesnt remove a strip, like a Kett 3 blade shear,
it gets pretty tough to handle it on anything but short, straight
cuts. The curved offcuts have no place to go, and you have to either
keep stopping and chopping out little bits of steel, or wrestle with
big sharp reluctant parts that are still attached.Then, the finished
pieces are not flat, due to the stresses of the shear pushing one side
up and the other side down.

Third, blade alignment is critical, and fussy. Blade clearance must be
correct for the thickness, and checked pretty often. Blades have 4
sides, and then you need new ones, and they get dull quicker than you
would think.

I would recommend a beverly shear instead- bolted to a bench, it will
do everything this will on a small sheet, and better and easier.
Or else, I just pull out my 16" Wiss Bulldog snips (not aviation
snips) and cut up to 16 ga with em.

For big 4x8 sheets, I almost always use the plasma cutter instead of
this little shear.
Occasionally, on a jobsite or for something oddball, I use it, but I
would skip it if I were you.