Recently a few people have said they use a heavy duty paper cutter
for sheet metal. If possible, I’d like to know brand name(s) and
models of cutters would be appropriate. And also, down to what gauge
of metal (silver, copper, brass) can be cut this way? Do you anneal
it before cutting it? Thanks a lot.
And a mighty thanks (I get teary-eyed writing this) to Hanuman & Ton
in Thailand for holding the Ganoksin fort against the deluge. Best
wishes.
Hello,
My paper cutter is a “Tower” and is probably older than I am. It has
a reinforced wood bed (5/8 inch thick) and the metal fittings are
obviously cast iron, with the steel blade set into the iron. It
belonged to my father, who used it to cut photos and other items for
newspaper paste-ups.
I have easily and accurately cut sheet silver up to 28 ga and I have
not annealed the metal. It is more of a struggle to cut 26 ga
sterling, so accuracy is more of an issue… perhaps annealing would
solve that.
Hope this gives you some direction. Judy in Kansas, where it is time
to harvest the leeks and onions… that hard freeze is not too far
away.
Rather than chase a specific model that like mine might be many
years old and not available, consider what is involved.
A paper cutter is a shear. It is sold for paper but it will shear
lots of materials. I use mine to shear silver in small lengths to 18
ga and regularly shear 20 ga. I also shear plastic floor tile an many
other plastic materials. It has a 12" table and is light weight. It
does what I need.
I would go to Home Depot or such and look them over. You need to
check out the shear. Does it have some guts, some thickness and
depth. How large is the table. Is the smallest and cheapest large
enough for your use and still have the heavier shear of the larger
ones.
Lastly, and worth consideration, try one out some where. Perhaps
your church or a school or a friends office. Try light gage to get
the feel and learn what it can easily do.
Ben A Harris
Hi Gang,
I would go to Home Depot or such and look them over. You need to check out the shear. Does it have some guts, some thickness and depth. How large is the table. Is the smallest and cheapest large enough for your use and still have the heavier shear of the larger ones.
You’d probably have better luck finding a paper cutter at an office
supply store like Office Depot, Staples or some local company.
Dave
An addendum to my previous post. Many of the newer paper cutters are
not very sturdy. A heavy duty paper cutter/shear will be more
expensive, but definitely worth it because it will cut heavier gauges
with accuracy.
When rural schools consolidate, many times smaller schools and older
buildings are closed. Keep your eye out for these situations and
find out if there will be a sale of equipment from the old school.
That may be your best chance to get a truly sturdy paper
cutter/shear.
Judy in Kansas
Recently a few people have said they use a heavy duty paper cutter for sheet metal. If possible, I'd like to know brand name(s) and models of cutters would be appropriate.
This is what I use: http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/1eh It’s made by
Hermes manufacturing and the model number is 25-120-00 I suspect
they’re no longer making these; I found mine in the 70’s in a
dumpster behind an engraving shop that went out of business along
with a huge box of brass and aluminum sheet.
you might also try dick blick. in the past, they supplied schools
and had a good variety of paper cutters. you can find them online
and in your community.
jean adkins
Please note that the photo of the engraving shop cutter is not
designed as a paper cutter. It was marketed by New Hermes in 2
versions: one for plastics and one for metals. I believe that the
angle on the blade is the difference between them. That said, we
have an antique heavy duty paper shear that we use for light weight
metal: no heavier than 20 gauge. I have not tried heavier metal. We
picked it up at a garage sale a long time ago for less than $5!
Charles Friedman DDS
Ventura by the Sea
Good advice. I used a paper cutter for a while (after years of using
tin snips or aviation snips, or regular scissors) before I god a 12"
bench shear (no new Di-arcro in my budget then or now, just a humble
Grizzly, which has been chopping steadily for 20 years).
It’s a big, beefy paper cutter, 18’ square table. It was adequate
but not as accurate as I liked. It pulls metal away from the back
stop, making even cuts difficult, and it didn’t leave perfectly flat
strips, but it served it’s purpose until I needed accuracy and speed
and neatness in quantity.
DS
Recently a few people have said they use a heavy duty paper cutter for sheet metal. If possible, I'd like to know brand name(s) and models of cutters would be appropriate.
Ingento Cutter No. 4. A little over 12" X 12". All wood and steel,
except for a little brass strip across the top, fixing the ruler in
place. Wonderful (and probably at least 30 years old).
Judy Bjorkman