andrew854•29d agoMost Upvoted

Aviation snips vs. tin snips on an MD-80 belly panel last Tuesday

Tried using my new Wiss aviator snips on a routine panel replacement out near DFW and they locked up halfway through a 3-foot cut. Had to finish with a file and grind the snips back to life - has anyone else had the left-hand cutters bind on aluminum skin like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elizabeth29d agoTop Commenter

Were you cutting straight or trying to curve at all? Those Wiss left hand snips are finicky if you're not keeping the blade dead flat against the skin, especially on that MD-80 belly aluminum. I've had mine bind up bad when I pushed too hard instead of letting the snips do the work, sounds like maybe you were trying to muscle through a tight radius? Also, did you check the pivot screw tension before you started? Loose pivots can make the blades twist and lock up, especially on a longer cut like that. Filing and grinding them after that might have fixed it, but I'd double check the blade alignment before you trust them on another panel.

charliehill28d ago

Wait wait wait, you were using left handed Wiss on an MD-80 belly skin? Bro those things are notorious for binding up on that aluminum anyway, but a left handed pair? That's like trying to cut a straight line with a bent ruler. I've seen guys throw those things across the hangar after they lock up on a radius. And yeah the pivot screw thing is real, I always check mine with a feeler gauge before I even start a cut on anything thinner than 16 gauge.