Throatless shears are constructed so sheets of any length may be cut and the metal turned in any direction during the cutting operation. See figure 13-18. Irregular lines can be followed or notches made without distorting the metal. Throatless shears are an adaptation of heavy handshears or snips in which the handles are removed, one blade secured to a base, and a long lever attached to the tip of the movable blade. The heavy duty throatless shears are capable of cutting stainless steel up to 0.083 of an inch thick.

The hand bench shears operate similar to a paper cutter. They have one fixed blade and a movable blade, hinged at the back. They are similar to the throatless shears except the blades are straight and used only for straight cutting. Some bench shears have a punching attachment on the end of the frame opposite the shearing blades. This attachment is used to punch holes in metal sheets.

To cut stock that is narrower in width than the length of the blades, the lever of the shears can be pulled all the way down. When you are cutting larger pieces, a series of short bites should be made.

NOTE: Complete closing of the blade tends to tear the sheet at the end of each cut.

Unishear is a trade name for a type of portable power shears. It is used for cutting curves and notches as well as straight-line cutting.

This tool might be called power-operated, combination snips. It has two short blades. The lower blade is held in a fixed position. The upper blade moves up and down in short strokes at a high rate of speed. Its chewing motion is the basis for the widely used nickname of this power tool"nibbles." Figure 13-19 shows an 18-gauge Unishear.

The cutting blades are easily removed for sharpening and replacement. The machine will cut as fast as it can be fed, up to 15 feet per minute. This is a ruggedly constructed machine; but for satisfactory performance, you must give it the best of care. It should be kept cleaned and oiled at all times.

Figure 13-19.-18-guage Unishear.