For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to talk about my Beverly Shear ( Part # 153.950) from @ottofrei1930 I’m going to say straight away that this is a new tool for me and I’m not proficient at using it yet but the possibilities are amazing! This shear cuts straight or curved up to 14g softer metals (gold, silver, base metals, mild steel) and 18 gauge stainless steel. When I read that I was honestly a little skeptical and so I tested it out on my 14g sheet and that is what I’m cutting in my first video (it cuts like butter). With practice, I can cut out discs a bit better (see my second video lol), this is helpful if you are creating raising projects. You can also make long cuts for bangles and cut thicker pieces of wire. I like that I can cut a 12” x 12” or 6” x 6” sheet, the size doesn’t matter because you are feeding it in. I do think there is a learning curve to cutting and operating this and that drawing with sharpie on your sheet is very useful to act as a guide. The Beverly Shear has an amazingly small foot print of about 8"x 8" with a vertical handle that remains upright and out of the way. So a great option for small work spaces. The long handle exerts powerful leverage, so pulling the lever requires very little force from me. I had never experienced this type of cutter so I wanted to share with our community, it is an option out there and our friends at @ottofrei1930 carry it! You can purchase from them (save 5%) and each purchase also helps support Metalsmith Society with code MMSXF thank you for tuning in to this week’s tool talk! If you have used a Beverly Shear I’d love to hear from you! :) #beverlyshear #cuttingmetal