Figure 13-18.—Throatless shears.
Hand Bench Shears
The hand bench shears operate similar to a paper
cutter. They have one fixed blade and a movable
blade, hinged at the back. They are similar to the
throatless shears except the blades are straight and
used only for straight cutting. Some bench shears
have a punching attachment on the end of the frame
opposite the shearing blades. This attachment is used
to punch holes in metal sheets.
To cut stock that is narrower in width than the
length of the blades, the lever of the shears can be
pulled all the way down. When you are cutting larger
pieces, a series of short bites should be made.
NOTE: Complete closing of the blade tends
to tear the sheet at the end of each cut.
Unishear
Unishear is a trade name for a type of portable
power shears. It is used for cutting curves and notches
as well as straight-line cutting.
This tool might be called power-operated,
combination snips.
It has two short blades. The
lower blade is held in a fixed position. The upper
blade moves up and down in short strokes at a high
rate of speed. Its chewing motion is the basis for the
widely used nickname of this power tool—"nibbles."
Figure 13-19 shows an 18-gauge Unishear.
The cutting blades are easily removed for
sharpening and replacement. The machine will cut as
fast as it can be fed, up to 15 feet per minute. This is
a ruggedly constructed machine; but for satisfactory
performance, you must give it the best of care. It
should be kept cleaned and oiled at all times.
Figure 13-19.—18-guage Unishear.
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