Pneumatic Nibbler vs. Shear

[Gonzo]

I purchased a pneumatic nibbler a while back for doing small sheetmetal work. I like the fact that it doesn't warp the material (a problem I have when using manual shears) and makes cutting curves a piece of cake.

After using it only a couple of times, I found one major downside--all those tiny sharp crescent moon-shaped pieces of metal that are nibbled off seem to find their way into everything! Even months later, I keep finding them embedded in everything from my shoes and work clothes to the foam pads I use when crawling under the car. It drives me nuts, and they're SHARP! I typically cut non-magnetic material like SS and aluminum, so cleanup isn't super simple either.

This got me to thinking--would a pneumatic shear be a better general purpose sheetmetal tool? I haven't enjoyed using manual shears, but pneumatic shears seem like they might work better and be cleaner than using my nibbler. The potential downsides I see with shears are the somewhat limited cutting capacity and cutting radius as compared to the nibbler.

Would anyone with more sheetmetal experience care to chime in?

 

[Dewayne Waldron]

The sheers would definitley make the job a lot cleaner but as you said, the radious and cappacity of the sheers won't be quite as good. I personally use the sheers myself. None of those little shards.

 

[pboglio]

Pneumatic sheers are the way to go, they can cut distortion free as well.

 

[spicoli619]

i have a few years expierence in HVAC fab. the little cresent things are known as fish hooks and they are awful. a tip incase you dont know is dont clost the snips all the way down you wont get dimples or as many hooks.
if you are using a nibbler be sure they are the double cuts not the ones that punch little holes.
for instance these are what we use.
FREE SHIPPING — Northern Industrial 4 Amp Electric Shear | Cutting Shears | Northern Tool + Equipment
just try to find the dewalt kind. they work wonders.

 

[Gonzo]

It sounds like it would be worthwhile for me to pick up a set of shears and reserve the nibbler for only tight radius cuts. Thanks for the advice!