Wayne,
I have used a variety of shears. The dedicated ones tend to be larger
and have a larger capacity. The combo machines usually have a smaller
capacity but are still great for light and/or intricate work. The
little 8 inch guy is rated for 22 gauge steel which is roughly .03"
thick. It will probably cut thicker steel but the blades won't last
very long. PCB's in my experience cut pretty easily. They are
dense/rigid but not hard enough to destroy most blades. Dull them
yes, but not destroy them like cutting thick metal does. A plate
sheer is going to give you more capacity if you are using boards up to
.125" thick but normal .060-.015 boards should cut fine with the 8
inch shear or tin snips. Most of us use ~.030 inch boards anyways.
As for the straightness of the cut they will be equal. The brake
portion is for bending metal. That could be handy if you want to try
to make your own heatsinks or cases. Most guillotine style shears
have an in feed table to support the work which would make it easier
to use than a plate sheer. A table would be relatively easy to add to
either style.
--
Erik L. Knise
Seattle, WA
On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 9:42 AM, waynehcausey
<
wayne.causey@...> wrote:
> Harvey, thanks for the info.
>
> I am wandering if the Griggly 8" mini shear/brake would be easier on coated PCB than the shear?
>
> Will the shear/brake make straight cuts better than the the shear?
>
> Does anyone have experience with both?
>
> Wayne