New Shears for Sale

Sheet metal shears cut flat stock square and to length. Roofing and trim shops mostly run foot-operated squaring shears and powered mechanical or hydraulic shears from Tennsmith, Roper Whitney and Pexto, in 4 to 12 foot lengths and capacities from 22 gauge up to 10 gauge mild steel. Cidan and other European makers build powered shears that pair with their folders.The listings here show blade length, capacity, drive type and year. A foot shear is cheap, needs no power and lasts for decades, which makes it a good first machine for a trim shop. Powered shears earn their cost when you cut thicker stock or hundreds of blanks a day, and a backgauge with a digital readout makes repeat cuts fast.When you inspect a used shear, look at the blade edges and the gap setting first. Chipped or dull blades leave a burr and a bent edge, and blades can be sharpened or rotated a limited number of times. Check the hold-downs, the foot treadle return or the clutch and brake on a powered machine, and cut a test strip across the full width to see whether it stays square.