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Time for a new shear?

Esracerx46

Plastic
Joined
Dec 22, 2018
So I'm a welding/fabrication job shop and we deal with a wide range sheet/plate. We currently have an old 1947 mechanical Cincinnati shear originally shipped to Sweden when new. It allows me to shear up to 3/8 plate 12' long. I have a plasma table for thicker plate. I may have one guy that needs to shear 3/8" mild steel and then another that needs to shear 063 aluminum right after. It really fills our needs nicely. It looks like we need to build a bigger building and it's the perfect time to upgrade the oldest workhorse in the shop.

I really would like to keep the 12' length with the same 3/8" max thickness. I'd like to know more about hydraulic shears to see if one would fit my needs. I know some you can adjust the rake angle, but not sure what that all entails. Itd be nice to quiet the shop down and to upgrade in general if it makes sense.
 
So I'm a welding/fabrication job shop and we deal with a wide range sheet/plate. We currently have an old 1947 mechanical Cincinnati shear originally shipped to Sweden when new. It allows me to shear up to 3/8 plate 12' long. I have a plasma table for thicker plate. I may have one guy that needs to shear 3/8" mild steel and then another that needs to shear 063 aluminum right after. It really fills our needs nicely. It looks like we need to build a bigger building and it's the perfect time to upgrade the oldest workhorse in the shop.

I really would like to keep the 12' length with the same 3/8" max thickness. I'd like to know more about hydraulic shears to see if one would fit my needs. I know some you can adjust the rake angle, but not sure what that all entails. Itd be nice to quiet the shop down and to upgrade in general if it makes sense.

The "oldest workhorse in the shop" may be waaay less-costly to rebuild than to replace.

At least one PM member as I believe can deal well with the blade?

For-sure you seem to need more than ONE shear, too.
 
Like I said, this shear has served us well and it does everything we need it to. I only need one shear. I was really looking for a newer, possible hydraulic version of what I have now. When cutting 3/8" plate, it shakes the whole building. I just recently had an issue where the flywheel shaft got worn and was flinging oil everywhere from the seal riding on it for 70 years. Was able to sleeve it. Parts are available, but they are extremely expensive, not counting the down time it would take to get parts.

We're looking at building a 10,000 SF shop that's organized and done right. Steel racks galore. As opposed to the 5,000sf we have that was done as we went along and trying to cram what we could where we could just to get by. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade. I probably wouldn't buy a brand new machine, but good used machines aren't cost prohibitive. I just bought a 135k service truck last year to upgrade our old one. Best money I've spent since the plasma table. A 50k shear and selling the current one is doable.
 
Can't help on your shear question but I am also building a building and am doing something along these lines to try to make it quieter inside. A little efort in planning stages will make you life way better every day you are in shop.

Perforated panels mean silence

That's actually pretty cool and makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately in my application I don't think it would work out well. We're a welding fabrication and repair shop. Sparks fly and I'm hesitant to put up batt insulation. I'd have to put liner panels up. My dad has an airplane and they've got Batts there. Just don't think it's for us. We're looking at insulated metal panels. Higher R value and nice exterior look. Our current building is block and man does it suck for insulating. Nature of block. We're actually thinking we might be able to insulate the entire shop area. A guy can dream right?
 
i would look carefully at comparing how long the existing shear would last if rebuilt and a new one you certainly don't want to fork out for badly made shear or one which won't last. but your probably aware of that already.
 
In addition to rake angle adjustment, hydraulic shears will have an easy blade gap adjustment - takes seconds to do. This will really improve the cut quality on thinner stuff, rather than using the same gap you would on 3/8 plate.

Also, I'm assuming you don't have an NC backgauge retrofitted on your old machine. If not, this alone will probably justify a new machine (and retrofits on old machines often bring a price tag that makes a new machine desirable).
 
i would look carefully at comparing how long the existing shear would last if rebuilt and a new one you certainly don't want to fork out for badly made shear or one which won't last. but your probably aware of that already.

There's really nothing to rebuild yet. I'd probably be leaning towards Cincinnati based on my history with this one. The newer ones have some features like the digital backgauge, as well as being quieter with less to maintain (theoretically). Every now and then a guy will engage the flywheel without the machine running. That's always fun. I've had to replace the pneumatic piston that engages the flywheel a few times. By no means am I definitely going through with it. Just looking for opinions from guys that have run what I'm looking at. I'd like to upgrade the shear or the plasma table. The plasma table is 5x10 conventional plasma. And I'd like to go with a 6x12 hydef machine. The shear is half the cost of the hydef table.
 
In addition to rake angle adjustment, hydraulic shears will have an easy blade gap adjustment - takes seconds to do. This will really improve the cut quality on thinner stuff, rather than using the same gap you would on 3/8 plate.

Also, I'm assuming you don't have an NC backgauge retrofitted on your old machine. If not, this alone will probably justify a new machine (and retrofits on old machines often bring a price tag that makes a new machine desirable).

I've got a backgauge. It's not NC and it tends to creep when set. We don't do a ton of piecework, but enough where that is one of the reasons for wanting to go newer. Appreciate answering my questions on rake and blade gap. How is that adjusted in machines like that? I'm used to fixed rake and and adjusting gap with a feeler gauge when I swap blades.
 
I've got a backgauge. It's not NC and it tends to creep when set. We don't do a ton of piecework, but enough where that is one of the reasons for wanting to go newer. Appreciate answering my questions on rake and blade gap. How is that adjusted in machines like that? I'm used to fixed rake and and adjusting gap with a feeler gauge when I swap blades.

Most of my experience with hydraulic shears is with a couple Accurshears, which have a fixed blade rake.

However, the blade gap is adjusted with a lever on the end of the machine, with labeled detents, as seen in the random pic I pulled from the web.

Screenshot_20181223-113147.jpg
 
I may be interested in acquiring your current shear. Any info you can provide (i.e. model #, serial #) would be cool. I don't know it it'd be feasible to get it here.

Thank you.
 
That's actually pretty cool and makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately in my application I don't think it would work out well. We're a welding fabrication and repair shop. Sparks fly and I'm hesitant to put up batt insulation. I'd have to put liner panels up. My dad has an airplane and they've got Batts there. Just don't think it's for us. We're looking at insulated metal panels. Higher R value and nice exterior look. Our current building is block and man does it suck for insulating. Nature of block. We're actually thinking we might be able to insulate the entire shop area. A guy can dream right?

I also am a fab /blacksmith shop. Kingspan makes insulated metal panels that have rockwool insulation and perforated panel on the inside surface made for absorbing noise AND fire resistance. Less R-value with rockwool. I am going to use standard IMP's and have a gap (1-1/2" or so) covered with perforated sheet metal for the top 8' of all wall, the lower 8' will also have the gap but will be covered with 1/8 plate. Easy to clean and easy to hang thing on.
Your existing shear is not on a separate foundation? It needs to be on a large foundation of its own, isolated from the main floor. This will help or eliminate the "shakes the whole building" effect.
 
Our current building is block and man does it suck for insulating. Nature of block. We're actually thinking we might be able to insulate the entire shop area. A guy can dream right?

If at all possible, I'd wait on replacing the shear and use the money to get the best possible insulation in the new building. It'll pay for itself within a few years, your workers will be much more comfortable (productive!), and you'll be able to get the newer shear soon enough.

Be sure to have adequate air exchange, you don't want a building that's too sealed, so factor in heat exchangers in the build.
 
More rake is more distortion. No big deal if you're trimming sheets and scrapping the shear side. If you are using both sides it may not be worthwhile.
 
Itd be nice to upgrade.

That's impossible from a Cincinnati mechanical.

Kinda like your Rolls-Royce Phantom is getting old and you would like to upgrade. But I do understand your problem. I see it all the time. You will not like the quality of your hydraulic shear (compared with what you have now) but that's just the way of the world today. It will get the job done. Just don't expect your new one to last 70 years.
 
You have the best shear ever made, how are you going to upgrade? Pay attn. to the rake on a hydraulic shear. They can put smaller hydraulics on a shear with more rake. The down side is the drop will be twisted.
 
Current shear is on its own pad. When we got it 20 years ago the front shop was already built. We set it without knowing and sunk within a few days. The pad we have now is fairly skookum, but still a 12' long 3/8" plate makes a helluva bang to the unexpecting.

Thanks for the pic on the blade adjustment, seen that on a few models, didn't know that's what it was.

Totally agree on shop comfort. I'm still out in the shop working on my own jobs everyday, were thinking we may be able to get the shop air conditioned and have that fit in the budget. Oughta make for some happy lads.

I'm afraid to say what we paid for it when we got it, it was a steal with the owner wanting to get it off his floor before he had to store it. It's really been a good machine. We do get the twist in the thinner gauge stuff, especially when it's just cutting an inch or so.

It may be the Rolls Royce, but it'd be nice to have the satellite radio (NC backgauge).

Just took the 4 min ride to the shop to look at it. Model 2512. Original ship date of 5/21/1948. Pretty crazy to think it's still that good all these years later.
 
Friend of mine bought new krass shear and break about 6? Years ago. Sent the 60 yo cincinnati stuff down the road. They are having to buy new stuff again

Kind of why I asked on here. I'd be hard pressed to go away from Cincinnati, if I do get something new. Definitely won't be going with chinesium. It's cheap, but it's garbage.
 








 
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