Shearing question

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JayG
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Shearing question

Post by JayG »

My shop neighbor has an old 10' Niagara 14 Ga steel shear. They use it a lot but, on mostly 18 ga aluminum for outdoor signs. He asked if he could safely shear 4' x 3/16" aluminum sheet. From looking at some shear capacity charts, a shear can handle a bit thicker aluminum than the steel rating, but the 3/16" aluminum is over twice the size of the shear's steel rating. Also, it's only 4' and not the full width.This is a one time thing, not to be done on a regular basis. Can they do this safely and without running risk to their equipment? The sheet is a "soft" aluminum. Thanks.
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acourtjester
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Re: Shearing question

Post by acourtjester »

You may see if you can find a manual for it, to see what the manufacturer list as shorter shearing spect. Have they even checked if 3/16" will even go into it.
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JayG
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Re: Shearing question

Post by JayG »

I'm thinking they haven't checked to see if the 3/16" will even fit! Didn't cross my mind either. I've never had access to a shear that size and know very little about them. I found the original factory manual and charts, but didn't see any shorter shearing info. Thanks for the reply. I didn't even know what to call the "shorter shearing". A little more searching and if I can't find something definitive, I'll tell them "no" and to cut it out on their router ( a big Sabre ) or I'll cut it on my plasma table for them. Thanks again.
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adbuch
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Re: Shearing question

Post by adbuch »

My guess is that 3/16 will fit under the blade, but I would not recommend attempting to shear this. It might work once or twice with a hydraulic shear, but could damage your blade. Better to use a band saw or other means to cut.
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