What are Shears?
What are shears? |
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Generally, shears are hand tools which consist of two blades that are joined so they pivot past each other. As the blades pass, they shear through the material that is between them, the same way scissors do.
Alternatively, shears may have a blade and an anvil base which they cut against, like mitre shears. |
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Shears and scissors both carry the same function, and their names are often interchangeable. However, scissors tend to be a multi-purpose cutting tool while shears will often have a more specific function, and are usually larger than scissors. | |||
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Shears come in many different shapes and sizes. Depending on their function, they may have variations on the blades, handles or pivot points.
You may also find similar tools referred to as cutters, trimmers, croppers or snips. |
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Shearing tools have been around for a long time, antique examples have been found from Ancient Egyptian times!
Originally, they were made out of one piece of metal and worked with a pincer action, where the user would push the blades together to make the cut. |
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On most modern shears, the blades are usually attached at a single point, so they can pivot past one each other as the user opens and closes the handles.
Did you know it’s thought that this crossing blade design was invented in ancient Rome? |
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Although pivoting shears are now more common than other designs, you can still see the old push blade design of shears in use. For example, they are still sometimes used when shearing sheep by hand. | |||
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