air shears or nibbler.
Turbo Mini Forums

I've got to cut out alot of patch bits, would people recommend a paiir or air shears or a nibbler?

i am not a fan of nibblers because of the swarf it gets everywhere and sticks in your skin easily

What sort of thickness are you cutting ?

A good pair of tin snips is usually pretty good. Or angle grinder and thin cutting disc.


Air powered cutters are all good and well, but bloody noisy, and so is a compressor !

Maybe buy a cheap plasma cutter lol

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

i've got a super quite compressor, joys of working for a air compressor manufacture. problem i find with my tin snips is they tend to bend the metal at the same time. Only cutting thin stuff for body pannels.

There are left and right cut snips, so the metal you are cutting to use, doesnt bend so much.

Ive used a nibbler a couple of times, and they are noisy. And as said, bits of hot metal get bloody everywhere !!

Never used the shears though.

if its think stuff, I still think I'd just go for the good quality tin snips or grinder. Unless there really is loads ?

I dont even recall the nibbler being that fast to use ? although it was a few years ago.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I'd also like to know what would cut sheet steel cleanly, accurately and quickly. I've not used air shears or a nibbler but the nibbler looks like it makes quite an untidy cut. I've tried an air saw which is useless unless you can clamp the sheet down really well, then it's great. A grinder is not very accurate although it is quick. An air grinder makes quite a tidy cut and is easy to control but it's slow, very noisy and needs a lot of air. Maybe I'll try air shears as there has got to be something better than what I'm using.

Angle grinder with a thin diamond disc.

And for a dead straight cut, G-clamp a piece of 25mm X 12mm steel bar or even a strip of hardwood, to the sheet to act as a guide.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

out of the two, nibbler everytime. shears are ok for big curves and straight bits but a nibbler can do what it likes. I know the bits are a royal pain in the ass but something you cna put up with. Maybe get a big magnet close to where your cutting to catch them.

or how about a die grinder with a carbide tip? sort of like a milling cutting tip? i've used one before and they do a decent job.

I use one of these for relatively small bits. It isn't quick, but you get no distortion as you cut. http://www.frost.co.uk/item_detail.asp?productID=8008

I have grinders, snips and electric Excalibur shears, but the nibbler gives the best cut every time.

It also makes hundred of little half moon staples that you will find whenever you walk around in bare feet.

nibbler is good for intricate shapes but produces a lot of swarf as everyone has pointed out; sheers are quick and clean for straight line work; If its simple patches your doing, i'd go for the sheers although if you could afford it, I'd get both anyway

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I use an air nibbler.. and a big magnet that used to hold a light bar on the roof of a car.

ended up just getting some thin cutting discs, work a treat.

They do, but they also shatter very easily if you side load them, so make sure you wear goggles and gloves, and also make sure not to side load them.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will