Trying to fix my neighbour's non-cutting shears and they appear bowed, ie when closed there is daylight in the middle. Trying to cut anything just results in the twig trapped between the blades.
How best to straighten bent/bowed garden/hedge shears? How to know they are straight and in fact should they be straight as it seems that an overlapping bow would give a better shearing action?
The important question is do they touch where the blades cross?
Chance are it has been deformed by trying to cut something too thick and the branch has gone into the nip and deformed the blades.
You might try tightening the bearing a bit. Sometimes it is loose.
Unless they were particularly nice sheers I'd be inclined to scrap them.
Blades can have a nasty habit of snapping when you try to deform them.
The best made surgical scissors are slightly bowed to, as you rightly recognise, give a good shearing action at whichever point they cross during the cut. However, that shouldn't result in there being a visible gap when fully closed and I suspect that garden shears are not designed to make a clean cut on open weave bandages.
TBH, unless you have a forge, I don't think there is much chance of you getting that pair to work properly again.
Moist shears are designed a bit like that. With enough spring to ensure there is always blade contact somewhere. Try sharpening.
They're probably just bent a bit at the pivot, and needing a clean and hone. There's supposed to be a slight bow so the edges of the blades at the point that they are actually crossed/cutting are pressed together, but if you get a thick branch trapped and twist the shears sideways that can open them up.
There is NOT an overlapping bend/bow.
That's likely what has happened. How to correct please?
Disassemble, you'll see the bend (likely where the bolt hole weakens the plate). Flatten: use an adjustable spanner to grip the metal tightly and bend, or tap with a hammer, and get it flat. Reassemble...
Thomas Prufer
Are you sure they are not cheapo ones? Some of the cheaper ones are bendy, ie not made of the right steel in the first place. A lot of those cheap plastic handled scissors are the same. If you can bend them, then they will simply bend again, I'm afraid. Sounds like he has either got a faulty one or they are just cheap rubbish. Brian
Yes, exactly. Normally they do have a healthy spring and should not bend, even if you try to cut thick stuff, they should just stop, not bend. Some cheap ones tend to bend at the baring and if you take them apart and bend them back they either shear at the bearing hole or they will just bend again, as the material is weakened.
Brian
They could be reinforced with judicious application of a welder, but not really worth the effort if they're just poor quality steel.
If the hinge nut is peened over like that one you'll not easily disassemble them for straightening - maybe try pressing them flat in a vice instead.
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