Spent $180 on a used board shear and it was the best money I ever wasted

Honestly, I bought it about five years ago from a guy closing his print shop in Dayton. It was this massive, cast iron thing from the 50s, covered in rust and dried glue. Took me a full weekend just to clean it and get the blade sharpened. For the first year, I barely used it, thought I'd made a huge mistake. But then I started doing more case binding work, and needing to cut book board cleanly. Ngl, my hand with a utility knife was never that straight. Now I use it for every single project. The weight of it, the solid 'thunk' of the cut, it just feels right in a way new tools don't. Has anyone else picked up an old piece of equipment that sat around before becoming essential?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin2301mo ago

Ever have that moment where you finally figure out the exact job a weird old tool was made for? Sounds like you hit it with the board shear. That first year of it just sitting there is the worst, you start doubting the whole buy. But then you find that one use case and it clicks. The key is just not getting rid of the thing before you have that lightbulb moment. I've got a few clunkers in my shop that took years to earn their keep.

rubybarnes1mo agoTop Commenter

Man, @robin230, isn't it funny how the weird tool always wins? I had this bent metal thing I used as a doorstop for like three years. Then one day a spring on my old lawn chair snapped and the stupid thing was a perfect clamp to hold it together. Felt like a genius, but really the tool just waited me out. It knew I'd cave and find its purpose.