Anyone make a bar shear for shop press

AGCB97

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Seams like it wouldn't be too difficult to make a shear for small bar stock to fit a 20 ton HF press. Anyone have or seen one?
Thanks
Aaron
 
I don't see why you couldn't, but on a manual one it would be a time factor issue, but with
an air over hydraulic jack I could see no issue, hell just make one and see.................................... :grin:
 
Yes, I converted to air over hydraulic.
I was hoping to see pictures for ideas.
Thanks
Aaron
 
How big a bar do you want to shear? Rounds, flats?
 
Mainly flats. I use a lot of 1/8 & 1/4" CRS seldom over 2" wide, mostly 1". I don't know what kind of tonnage is required for shearing. I've got a bunch of punch press die sets also so a 1/4 & 5/16" single round punch would be handy.
Just trying to make my shop press more useful. I've made a 18" press brake for it with 3 sizes of female dies, 1/4, 1-1/4 and 3-1/2".
 
Mainly flats. I use a lot of 1/8 & 1/4" CRS seldom over 2" wide, mostly 1". I don't know what kind of tonnage is required for shearing. I've got a bunch of punch press die sets also so a 1/4 & 5/16" single round punch would be handy.
Just trying to make my shop press more useful. I've made a 18" press brake for it with 3 sizes of female dies, 1/4, 1-1/4 and 3-1/2".

I have a mechanical shear, Rock River Mfg., Janesville, WI. that has a 1/2" x 4" capacity that's just sitting idle and I would be willing to sell. I has approximately 4:1 gearing and judging from the from the heft of it can do some serious work. I believe you can get an idea of the tonnage required from the shear strength of the material and the length of the shear x the thickness of the material. I have some books on punch/die making that I could check. From another source, a 1" diameter hole in 1/4" mild steel will require 20 tons.
 
These may give you some ideas, for purchase, or copy. They would handle the 1/8". I have the 8" grizzly one, and use it quite often to cut 1/2" bolts, And plenty of 2" wide CRS, approaching the 1/4", and it takes it. The PO added about a 3 foot extension to the handle, and mounted to the back of a 3 foot by 1 foot wide table. With more leverage, or somehow adapted to a press, it could take more. I don't know how long the PO had it, but I have not been easy on it the 8 or so years I have owned it, and the blades do not show any signs of wear, and definitely no nicks.




 
I own a press shear. It's in storage along with most of my other tools while I build my shop. It's about 12x12" and weighs about 150 lbs. Cuts a range of bar, along with angle iron and flat bar. I'd call it a poor man's shopsmith. I have not used it much, I usually use an abrasive saw and now the band saw is my favorite. If I was going to build a wrought fence or something, the shear would be the tool I'd pick.

Edit:

It looks like this one for a real production press, only larger and with more die holes for different stock.
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Thanks. That's what I was looking for. I may try to build a prototype before spending too much money. I guess this would be a poor mans iron worker.
Aaron
 
I have a mechanical shear, Rock River Mfg., Janesville, WI. that has a 1/2" x 4" capacity

Hey you wouldn’t happen to have a picture of that thing would you? I’m curious as heck!

A few years ago I bought an old Whitney No.38 bench shear from eBay and mounted it to my bench. It’s come in handy lots of times. Sometimes you just don’t want the noise and dust of the grinder!
 
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