Photo Index - St. Anthony Iron Works - St. Anthony Iron Works #1 Shear (Blacksmith's)

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
St. Anthony Iron Works
Minneapolis, MN

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Metal Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Other
Machine Size:	#1
Submitted By:	Charles Hettrick

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	St. Anthony Iron Works #1 Shear (Blacksmith's)
Date of Manufacturer:	1880
Serial Number:	na
Last Updated	12/4/2012 6:38:30 PM

Comments:

This shear is a St. Anthony Iron Works #1 shear. Per a web search the iron works, located in Minneapolis, MN burned and went out of business in 1879 or 1880. I purchased the shear in 1982, replaced bolts and painted. (The original had traces of paint on the inside surfaces, none at all on the outside, that match the current paint color. The yellow highlighting is not original.) The blades and handle all appear to be original and are in very good shape with no nicks and minor wear.

The shear has 2 modes of operation. For stock up to ½" thick, the handle may be placed in the slot on the shear. For larger thicknesses, the handle is placed in the auxiliary pinion gear wheel and repetitively cranked over.

I have only seen one other in person and one on ebay (both without any identification). I would appreciate any further information on the St. Anthony Iron Works of Minneapolis, MN or any of their shears.

I used the shear occasionally up to 27 years ago. It is very easy to use. I cold sheared 1” dia 1020 mild steel and ½" x 2” unknown type of steel without mounting the shear to the floor. Also, I hot cut (dull red heat) ½" 4140. (It would significantly dent or chip the blade if cutting 4140 cold.) It was fast and easy and a great joy to use. It is quite large and very heavy, so moving it is difficult. As an excellent shear. I consider it superior to an Edwards #10 shear of the same size for ease of use.

It is surprising the design was not copied to a greater extent. But, the St. Anthony is more complicated than a Edwards #10, so this might be a reason it never caught on. Also, the pinion gear might break if hit with a large steel bar. So Edwards might have settled on a robust simple design at the expense of ease of use.

The below photos are poor quality. They are from a mobile phone. Also, there is 27 years of dust. Next year I will update the photos with better images after the shear is cleaned.

Photo 1:

Comments: Right Side View
Source: Charles Hettrick

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Photo 2:

Comments: Top View
Source: Charles Hettrick

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Photo 3:

Comments: Left Side View
Source: Charles Hettrick

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