Hello, Recently on the HGTV show called Modern Masters they featured
a silversmith using a power rool called a Bosch Metal Shear. A
pretty nifty thing I had never seen before. Nice silversmithing too!
When I looked up the tool specifications on the Bosch web site they
give the tools cutting capability for stainless steel, mild steel &
aluminum. If it can cut 20 g. stainless, 16 g. mild steel & 14 g.
aluminum does anyone have an idea of how it would handle copper? I
want to be able to cut up to 16 g. copper. Just guessing I would say
it shouldn’t be a problem but I don’t know much about technical
differences in cutting ferrous vs. non-ferrous.
Thank you for any help you can give,
Karen in Northern Illinois
If it can cut 20 g. stainless, 16 g. mild steel & 14 g. aluminum
does anyone have an idea of how it would handle copper?
If it’ll cut the materials mentioned, you shouldn’t have any problem
with copper. Since copper can sometimes be gummy, it might help to
put a little lub on your finger & rub it on the copper where it’ll
be cut.
Hello, Recently on the HGTV show called Modern Masters they
featured a silversmith using a power rool called a Bosch Metal
Shear. A pretty nifty thing I had never seen before. Nice
silversmithing too!
Karen, don’t go there. This is a nibbler, not a true shear. It is
a great tool for construction work, but I wouldn’t suggest it for
jewelry. It will do two things that will drive you nuts. First, it
works exactly like a pair of tin snips, only powered. It will leave
a ragged edge and will curl the work. Secondly, you can’t use it
for small pieces. I wouldn’t want my fingers anywhere near the
blades.
A true sheet metal shear is one that the blades are long enough to
cut the metal on one movement. They are nearly parallel to each
other so they don’t deform the metal very much. A lot like a
guillotine with the blades parallel. They will leave both sides of
the cut flat, with only a small distortion right on the edge where
the blade compressed the metal. A good shear will make the cut and
both pieces will lay flat on a table after the cut. None of the
nibblers will do this. For silver work, there are a few nice small
bench shears. All will handle at least a 6" wide piece. Take a
look at the shears on page 235 of the Rio Grande 2001 catalog for an
example. You can find other shears that are less expensive and
smaller.
Now if you are cutting out patterns, I would suggest that you use a
jewelers saw. Again, when you are finished with the cut, both the
piece and the cut-off will lay flat. Eliminating a lot of unusable
scrap.
Bosch Metal Shear...anyone have an idea of how it would
handle copper?
I used one of these about 20 years ago and it was wonderful. I was
cutting 18 ga copper sheet into 4" x 4" to 12" x"12 squares. The one
I was using was a cylindar like a flashlight ending in a duckbill
cutting affair. It could do gentle curves. The only drawback is that
there was a waste strip about 1/4" from each cut. I cut up a couple
of 4 foot square copper sheets this way. It should be able to do 16
ga. as well. Donna in VA
Karen, Having used non-power shears to cut both ferrous and
non-ferrous, I’d say with certainty that if it can cut 16g mild
steel, it shouldn’t have a problem at all with 16g copper, which is
significantly “softer” to cut.
Thanks Donna, I should have made it clear that I am doing larger
scale enameled wall pieces. Individual sheets of copper can be up to
14" wide. That is why I am looking for a jewelers saw alternative. I
have not been able to cut down on the chatter enough on my scroll saw
to eliminate snapping blades.
The teapot makers (The Banners) were using the Bosch metal shears to
cut teapot shapes. I am wondering how clean the edges were.