Shear Luck?

[skintkarter]

What everybody else has said, but also pay close attention to the gap or lack thereof between the blades as they pass one another. I have an insurance client who is also a knife sharpener and he schooled me that there should be bugger all clearance and to just keep adjusting the lower blade towards the upper blade until the shear will cut a sheet of copy paper cleanly. Tighten everything up and walk away. Has worked well on my 4' old thing and it cuts everything from 22g galv to smaller bits of 2.0mm 5005