A hot-cut hand shear - with grace

[Mike Ameling]

While digging about to get pics of some old anvils, I decided to get a few pics of this old Hot-Cut shear. Whomever made it put some style and grace into making it - besides the functionality and leverage. He even beveled a bolt through the base plate to fit just under the inside lip on your post vice and help lock it in place during use. He never made it to bolt to some workbench - just to be clamped into a leg vice for use.



Such a simple tool, but the guy put that extra effort into it. Extra bracing, guided lever, just little things that add up.

Somewhere around here I have one of those classic simple 2-bar with lever on a simple 2-piece 4-leg floor mount shears. You see the style in the old books, like Art of Blacksmithing. Simple/functional - for cutting hot material - or very thin sheet.

Just an example to share - of putting that extra thought and effort into a simple tool. I have several more pics in my gallery in my Anvils and tools album. My junker digital camera doesn't do good closeups - sorry.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

Edited May 25, 2009 by Mike Ameling

[james gonzalez]

Nice one.
One of the joys of the craft is being able to make your own tools. Especially when you are not in a hurry and can put some class into it. That is something someone down the line just might handle with a little respect.

[Frosty]

That's a nice shear Mike. Just recently I've seen an add for one like it I think. There were some floor mounted cold shears as well but they seemed to be pushing the hot shear.

Frosty