Slip roll, brake,shear

[cavala]

Does anyone have a combo machine. How do you like it.
The one at northern tools does not come with a good manual for operation, it's very vague. I know people will say cheap chinese xxxx or whatever but I don't do enough sheet metal work to justify spending to much money. I bought it to make copper lanterns.
I guess any advice on operating and setup others have come up with that's not in the manual. I have never used a combo machine and have minimal experience using them as singal units. I don't have specific questions as of yet and I'm not even at the trouble shooting stage. I'd like to know limitations and drawbacks or problems people have encounterd and how they over came them.

Thanks Marc

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

With any combo machine compromises had to be made. The quality of these also vary. I have friends who have used them with mixed results.

Make sure blade clearances are correct to eliminate burrs, and just folding thin material. On most , the blade doesn't have any angle to it, so you are shearing everything at once which can take some force to do. Attach it to a sturdy bench/stand.

Other complaints were loose fits, and sloppy adjustment points. These units are inexpensive, so modify it as needed to make it work for you. Some time spent dialing in all of the clearances may be worth doing.