- Joined
- Sep 13, 2013
- Messages
- 276
Work Shop Talk - 3 in 1 shear brake roller simple mod to make it much more simple to cut squarely.
Agreed 100%, what makes an operator a bad operator is their inability to recognize the tool/machines' limitations and go beyond what was designed for. that 3-in 1 shear/slip roll/ brake is a perfect answer for a small shop or limited work space.The problem with horror stories they often get repeated by folks who have no actual experience with something and our brains are funny. One bad review has more weight that hundreds of good reviews. But there is no doubt there is a percentage of all Chinese machines that have problems. But the trick is understanding what's bad and operator error. My shop is full of used HF machines bought cheap from guys who couldn't get them to work and I fixed them and or modded them to work as intended. YMMV.
Where I worked years ago they had 10 foot long HACO shear with foot operated hydraulic hold down, it gave me the idea of using some type of pneumatic cylinder to replace the plate shear hold down but then I thought it would be an overkill for a 12" shear.also am contemplating some kind of foot power mechanism. It can be a challenge to hold the sheetmetal and then use your hands and keep everything in line.
Does anyone have one of these 3-in-1 machines and find it useful? I like the idea, but have heard some horror stories on the quality of these things...
I think the hardest thing to gauge with all these tools and giving recommendations is what is somebody else going to use it for? Obviously it was just what you needed Jim. Like Ken said, I don't use mine everyday but when I want to make a metal box or housing or sheetmetal mount I can make it look like want it to look like. Not the beat up facsimile I had to settle with for the 40+years before I got the 3n1 by hand forming.I've made hundreds of items with mine.
So I've been around stomp shears and hydraulic brakes and finger breaks but was never able to use them myself. So I'm not familiar with the details. I'm much more a pneumatic than hydraulic guy. I don't need the pressures hydraulic's run at and don't need the complication, mess or the expense. And even a small 1/2" pneumatic cylinder at 120psi can mangle you good if you don't pay attention.I like the idea of a thread related to all the mods on metal forming and shaping tools.
Where I worked years ago they had 10 foot long HACO shear with foot operated hydraulic hold down, it gave me the idea of using some type of pneumatic cylinder to replace the plate shear hold down but then I thought it would be an overkill for a 12" shear.