Durston Guillotine Shear

A few weeks ago someone posted a request for feedback on the 12"
Durston Guillotine Shear that is in Rio’s catalog.

I just received mine today and I’m blown away! It’s extremely well
made, solid, heavy and has a blade that is sharp on 4 edges (so the
blade can be flipped if years down the line it gets dull). This shear
cuts mild steel up to 12 gauge thick and non-ferrous metal up to 8
gauge thick like butter. This is a piece of equipment that can be
passed down for generations. I wish I had gotten it years ago.

The only problem is, I will have to fight the urge to chop every
sheet of metal I own into tiny little bits by the end of the week!
Have a great day!

Kate Wolf in beautiful Portland, Maine.

Free tutorials at
http://www.wolfwax.com & http://www.wolftools.biz
http://www.ajm-magazine.com/features/0204/index.php
Workshops at Wolf Designs
http://www.katewolfdesigns.com

Hi Kate,

How well does it keep the non-ferrous metal edges flat, especially
on 18-22 gauges? It’s been my experience with guillotine shears to
curl the edges.

I’m still working in wax and remembering your wax carving classes
from 2 summers ago. Experience of a lifetime. One I highly recommend
to everyone. Kate is a warm and gifted teacher.

Debi Haldiman
Waiting for the sun to break through in Sunny San Diego

How well does it keep the non-ferrous metal edges flat, especially
on 18-22 gauges? It's been my experience with guillotine shears to
curl the edges. 

Hi Debi, Thanks for you kind words about my workshop! The shear does
round the edge slightly, but not as much as bench shears and
guillotine shears I have used.

Have a delightful day!
-Kate Wolf in windy and warm Portland Maine.

Workshops at Wolf Designs http://www.katewolfdesigns.com

All shears round the top edge and leave a burr on the bottom. The
question is how much. Many shears are set up for steel cutting which
means that the gap between the blades is slightly wider than what
you want for non-ferrous metals.When I had new blades put in my foot
shear the tech set the gap at 0.002 inch which leaves very little
bur and minimal rounding. As the blades wear the rounding and burr
will get more pronounced and keeping an eye on this will tell you
when it is time to get them sharpened. While the adjustment of the
gap is fairly easy you can ruin a set of blades in one cut if they
actually touch each other there must be a gap between them so if you
decide to adjust the gap yourself be warned and take care, I ruined
a set of blades on my first bench shear on the first cut by setting
the gap too close and they touched. A set of new blades for my Pexto
36" foot shear cost $750 so I decided to pay the tech the $100 to
install them properly. – Jim Binnion

James Binnion Metal Arts
Phone (360) 756-6550
Toll Free (877) 408 7287
Fax (360) 756-2160

@James_Binnion
Member of the Better Business Bureau