Gabro Notchers - worthwhile?

[MetalMonkey]

I've been offered a Gabro 2M2, not seen it yet and no idea on the price either - I'll be looking at it tomorrow.

I was just wondering how useful are these for general workshop use?
I can see the obvious advantage if you do a lot of sheet metal, but they look quite a large unit for the capacity, I imagine doing much the same as an air shear and possible not as easy on curves.

I suppose I'm trying to decide if the limited and increasingly diminishing workshop space would be better suited to something like a general purpose bench shear that could do bar as well, or if I should be all over the gabro like a tramp on chips!

 

[Tangledfeet]

We have two (or near identical but I'm pretty sure that they are Gabro) in the workshop at school; I do agree that they take up a lot of space! Forget it for curves, at least in my experience.

 

[awemawson]

Don't often use mine but when I do it's extremely useful and stops the metal distorting. But yes they are cumbersome. I put mine on castors, and when not in use it nestles between the suport arms of my power guillotine to take up less space.

 

[Screwdriver]

You can set them up on a benchtop without using the oem table. Then they just become a very quick, very accurate tool for making really precise straight cuts in thin material. Since mine is already cosmetically challenged, it lives outside where it takes up "no" room.

If you don't want the one being offered, I'm interested...

 

[willie.macleod]

I've been offered a Gabro 2M2, not seen it yet and no idea on the price either - I'll be looking at it tomorrow.

I was just wondering how useful are these for general workshop use?
I can see the obvious advantage if you do a lot of sheet metal, but they look quite a large unit for the capacity, I imagine doing much the same as an air shear and possible not as easy on curves.

I suppose I'm trying to decide if the limited and increasingly diminishing workshop space would be better suited to something like a general purpose bench shear that could do bar as well, or if I should be all over the gabro like a tramp on chips!

If you already have an air shear setup then a Gabro is likely to be of limited use. We use them in all the school workshops here as well, they are great for short straight cuts in sheet up to around 1.6mm (the 3m2 is more desirable as it does up to 3mm at a push) as they don't distort the metal like a bench shear. However at home either the air shear or plasma is way more useful and takes up a lot less space as well as better for curves.

 

[MoreWellie]

They do take up space but are handy for quick cuts. Unless you can set up a guide I find it difficult to follow a line and because you are cutting a slot it isn't easy to regain the line once you get off course

@Wallace did a handy demonstration piece https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/first-shears.39805/#post-440410 the curve will have taken some skill but everything else is fairly straight forward

I made this aluminium radiator cowl and only used a gabro for most of the cutting, think I used a jigsaw for the large curve but the flanges and everything else were cut with the gabro as it is so quick and easy

 

[Keith 66]

I have one not mounted on its original stand, I have it bolted to a thick piece of ply & it is currently clamped on the rear chassis of the moggy truck im restoring. They are fine bits of kit well worth making room for.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Thanks chaps,

It looked a nice machine, actually a bit smaller than I imagined - but I did pass on it, purely because I don't think I'd use it enough for what he was asking for it.
I didn't come back entirely empty handed though

Mr @Screwdriver I can pass you on his number if you are still interested?