pneumatic sheetmetal shear

[307startup]

Does anybody know a company that makes a decent, relatively in-expensive pneumatic shear? I don't want a footpedal shear because of my bad knees. If not, does anybody have the faintest idea how to go about converting a footpedal (manual) shear over to a pneumatic shear? I plan on mounting this on the end of a table that is used just for sheetmetal work. It's about 8 feet long and 5 feet wide. I have a beverly shear in the middle, a Magnabend on the left end and a shrinker/stretcher in the middle on the other side. With the pneumatic shear on the right end, I'll still have room for a pipe bender or roller in the middle of the table and an english wheel and planisher just either side of my beverly shear. Table is very solid...prolly weighs 1500 lbs without any equipment. I built it out of I-beam, square tube and 3/8" plate steel.

[wizard]

I'm not sure an air cylinder would be the best way to go. Unless you are very careful with the mechanical design I suspect that you would get a lot of slamming in the mechanics. This due to the compressible nature of air, the air pressure will build up in the cylinder as the sheet is being cut and then suddenly released when the length of the sheet is cut.

As far as a company making such a machine I do not know of any at the moment. Best you cold do is to check the usual sources for such machines.

Dave

That is not to say it couldn't be made to work just that your design needs to take into account the nature of the air cylinder.

[One of Many]

The only method I have seen is an air clutch. The motion of the ram was still motor driven off of a flywheel.

You might be able to convert one of the hand/foot shears to hydraulic activation without much modification. Inevitably, they can present a leakage problem at some time. Another option might be air over oil, but this too presents some issues.

DC

[Kevin Taylor]

Look in Enco and the like some one has a combo shere and press break 50" an the $600 range it's got a gear and rack hand operated could ad a longer lever I asume you are talking about 14ga or less I'v seen air or hydrolic adons on existing stomp shers keep toes out from under the tredel Good Luck Kevin