01-05-2004, 08:06 PM
I had to modify my harbor freight when I got it. First, I drilled a 1/4 inch hole through the clamp and into the body of the shear, clean through and inserted a pin so that the clamp (that holds the lower blade) would ride straight out and in without turning. Without the guide pin it's a real pain to tighten the clamp without accidentaly moving the blade. Next, I ground the lower blade to better match the profile of the upper blade so that the same gap is maintained throughout the cut (careful not to let the blade get too hot during grinding). I did this pretty much by eye and finished up by putting the blade in place and checking the gap with a feeler gauge . I used a marker to mark the spots that needed a little more grinding and finished that up by polishing the blades up so that there are no nicks or rough spots. Last mod was to grind the top of the clamp down so that it was level with the top of the lower blade. If you don't do this your metal gets a little crease near the end of the cut. Tighten up all the screws and bolts and oil the crap out of it and you're ready to go. About 2 hours of work and works great for 80 bucks. <p></p><i></i>
