Ironworker

[Randy88]

Anyone use or own an ironworker, we've been kicking around the idea of buying one, only ever used a couple a few times and don't even know enough about them to be dangerous.

What sizes and brands do guys use and like, we've been thinking in that 40-60 ton range, would really like a 24 inch shear bar but 14 is more affordable.

We've been thinking about a bar shear, angle shear, and punch station. For some reason I just can't get excited about a break or notch station but I could be totally wrong.

What do you guys wish you'd have done differently or set one up again. We're thinking new, used isn't really cost effective from what I've seen, most are worn out and almost new price anyhow.

Brands you like and why and any advice you'd like to share would be appreciated.

 

[nowing75]

I have an old mechanical bufflo but in sure your looking for hyd. The welding shop I deal with has used piranha 50 ton and really like it. They just got another one although I think the price is pretty high for them.

 

[FSERVICE]

the sky is the limit on what you want to spend & what size you want!! the metal fab shop 4 doors down has a 80 ton, its a ex military unit its very handy to have it this close to the shop & be able to use it whenever they are not. they also have a small one that is a 10 ton with the notch station on it. yes you would use it if u had it! be VERY CAREFULL on who you let use the punch... they had a guy bring in a flat bar & wanted holes punched in it, the young guy that went to do it didn't realize it was AR plate & blew the punch & die into bout 20 pieces of shrapnel!!! lucky it missed everyone in the shop besides him & only hit him in the arm making a nice size hole as a reminder how dangerous these can be!!!

 

[john hofer]

good advice fservice, these machine have no brains,

 

[Impact]

I have a 65 ton, I think. If you shear a lot of angle hold out for a three blade angle sheer. It scraps 3/4" or so each cut, but every cut is square. We use the hell outra the punch press. Think we do 1-1/8" in holes in 3/4" or maybe 1" plate.

 

[farmerlund]

We bought an Iroquois ironworker 40/75 ton, about 4 years ago. I would get the same thing again. Has been a great machine for doing fab and repairs. Will punch 1" hole in 1" plate.

The press in the middle has lots of options that you can add later. like brake, notcher. I got the 12" brake and notcher with mine, plus a bunch of dies for the punch. also added the foot control (great for production work in punch).

The press in middle is 40t, works great. I use that more than ever thought I would.

Was around $16,000 for everything. Yea I know its a lot, but we make a lot of our own equipment for grain bin and leg set up. They do make a smaller one. We use it a lot and have had no problems. (broke a couple of dies, operator error)

Website is

good luck

 

[Dualie]

Our main business is structural steel and welding. If you're not cutting alot of flats and angles an true iron worker isn't really that handy. The cut quality isn't that great compared to sawing. I have a couple of piranha punches an SEP-120 a P-90 also a metal muncher 60 ton thats well worn but still runs and drives as they say. 99% of the parts still get saw cut. Mainly we just nip the corners on knife plates and shear round bars with them. And punching LOTS of punching.

Piranha and Geka are the Cadillacs, but mubea, and buffalo are the older mechanical work horses. we used an old mechanical Buffalo for 65 years every day day in and out and it never gave us falter. edwards makes a good middle of the road unit as does metal muncher now (Kalamazoo) baliegh imports an OK unit. a good versitile unit would be 45 ton+ capacity

 

[Old Doug]

I worked at a place that had 2 shops on the same lot. One had a Piranha the other was a Edwards. Why they didnt get another Piranha so dies would interchange i will never know but the Piranha was alot better and it was alot safer. I used the edwards several hundered hours. Some days i stood at it for 8 hours. If i needed one bad i would get a Piranha even if it was double the price of others. They are great if you are building alot of the same thing. What kind of stuff do you build?

 

[Randy88]

Thanks for the input everyone, as for what I build or have built, I sometimes wonder that myself, it seems to be a lot of stuff for myself, anywhere from tile stringing trailers, to semi trailers, rebuilding equipment, upgrading or redesigning older equipment, my shop door, bulk oil storage racks which now need to be expanded to hold even more lube's. We rebuilt my trencher undercarriage and frame rails last winter and I guess the list is endless. But nothing in production type work, mostly repair and rebuild or building new support equipment.

It seems I'm constantly have triangles sheared out of squares, we get them in bulk about 50-100 at a time it seems, I'm not sure an ironworker is the way to go, I was originally thinking a smaller hydraulic shear, that would do up to say 1/2x4 foot but everyone is trying to talk me into an ironworker instead, claiming I'd use it far more once I had one, so the reason for the statement of kicking around the idea of one. As for drilling holes verses punching, yes a certain amount would be punched, to both save time and drill bits, but maybe not the bulk of the holes. As for a pipe notch station, I'm not thinking that would ever pay, about the same for the square notch, but a break would be nice at times. I do have to hire a shop to bend steel for me it seems a little too much, but the problem there is, most of it that I have bent is over a foot wide, up to two feet wide. I have no real idea what I use everything for, it seems we're always doing something somewhere in terms of repair or building something new.

An angle shear, I don't know, when I need some odd angle iron I don't have on hand, we go to several machine shops and get what we need, its seems I'm always having to recut with a band saw what they sheared for me, due to a poor quality edge. Now while doing research I'm finding out there are two styles of angle shears, one that does a clean single cut and another that cuts a short slug out of the angle on each cut, have no real clue as to which way to go on that yet.

I used to think sooner or later all this has to end, but since I've been saying that for over 30 years now, I'm not thinking it'll happen while I'm alive anyhow, might as well figure out how to speed it up or simplify things somehow, seeing how my to do list is longer than the stuff completed list is thus far.

 

[Dualie]

be advised you cannot punch a hole smaller than the thickness of the steel. SO no 1/4" holes in 3/8" plate

 

[FSERVICE]

be advised you cannot punch a hole smaller than the thickness of the steel. SO no 1/4" holes in 3/8" plate

thanks dualie forgot that in my earlier soapbox lecture!!!

 

[Impact]

Thats what I was trying to say Randy. The angle sheer that cuts a slug out will cut more square consistantly. It has three sheer blades instead of two.

 

[Randy88]

I was aware of the hole punch thing, a reason why I won't be punching even half of what I need done, would still end up drilling the bulk of the holes.

Impact, thanks for the explanation on that.

Anyone use an ironworker that has a hydraulic hold down for the flat shear, or is everyone's the manual hold down, basically is the hydraulic option worth the added cost that some manufacturers offer?

 

[Old Doug]

The ones i used had a manual hold down.I have used one alot but i wouldnt buy one unless i built alot of stuff out of 1/4 steel. I say that because to me they didnt do as good a job as a drill press or a bandsaw but alot of stuff dosent need to be that good. If money was no problem i would buy one other wise if i didnt have a good band saw, drillpress and hyd press i would get them first.

 

[Dualie]

the hyd hold down is a good thing but its not a necessary evil. It does improve cut quality slightly but nothing to write home about.