There are a bunch of attachments available from DeWalt for drills. They’re all for different situations and purposes. One that many people find useful is the metal shears attachment.
This is used to cut metal sheets and webbing accurately. But, they aren’t free of complaints. If you’re facing some common DeWalt metal shears attachment problems, let me help you with their troubleshooting.
But before you read the troubleshooting guide below, it will be great if you’ll first watch the video I made about how to install and use this device. You can watch the video below.
The video shows how you can install the DeWalT metal shear attachment on a drill.
First insert and tighten the chuck of the drill, then adjust and tighten the lower part of the shear attachment. After you’ve inserted it, slightly press the drill to make sure it is working.
Troubleshooting 3 Common DeWalt Metal Shears Attachment Problems
- Incompatibility Problem
The biggest complaint I’ve seen people have with the DeWalt metal shears attachment is its compatibility. That’s because it struggles to work with a lot of drills, which is understandably frustrating.
When I was looking online to see what bothers people the most about this attachment, compatibility was always the main issue. A lot of people just couldn’t get it to work with their drill.
In simpler words, they couldn’t attach the attachment to their drill, which defeats its entire purpose. But, there’s a reason why this is especially frustrating.
Not every drill attachment fits with every drill, as they all have different designs. But, DeWalt’s metal sear attachment doesn’t fit some of the company’s own drills, which bothers a lot of users.
Fortunately, this isn’t something that happened to me (as you can see below, with the attachment connected to my DeWalt drill perfectly). But, not everyone has had the same luck.
While I was doing research, I saw some people mention how the attachment wouldn’t connect to their tool despite it being on the list of compatible drills.
Some other drills from brands like Black and Decker, Ryobi, etc. also struggle with it. In short, it’s a really common problem, so you probably know by now why I wanted to mention this first.
If you’re having trouble getting the attachment to connect to your drill, it might just not be compatible.
Now, I noticed that some people use makeshift tools to get around this and still use the attachment with their tools. But, I don’t recommend doing that, since the connection may not be secure.
- DeWalt Metal Shears Not Cutting
Another common problem you’ll see people mention is how their DeWalt metal shears attachment isn’t cutting the things they want it to cut. This could be because of a component acting up.
The head of the attachment could have issues. This might be damage that was sustained while cutting something, or a fault with the blades on the head that are no longer as sharp for cutting.
You can usually tell if there’s an issue like that by inspecting the blades on your DeWalt metal shears attachment. By this, I mean the part of the tool from my picture below:
But, several times when it comes to this complaint, I’ve noticed that the material has a big role to play. By that, I’m referring to the material users are trying to cut with the shears.
A lot of people buy this attachment in hopes of cutting things like corrugated steel sheets for roofing, or other purposes. Well, I’m sorry to say that this thing isn’t really good for that sort of job.
For some reason, the DeWalt metal shears attachment really struggles with corrugated steel. It can’t cut through properly. Whenever it does cut through, the end result is sloppy/unprofessional.
So, one common concern to watch out for regarding this tool is its capability to cut through certain things.
Sheets that aren’t flat also struggle with DeWalt metal shears. The cuts on them are improper and it’s hard to keep the drill straight during operation.
As for troubleshooting, I just suggest avoiding materials that these shears aren’t good for cutting through. The end result isn’t something you’ll like, and it might end up damaging the attachment’s blades too.
- Hard To Control During Operation
Now, one final (and quite common) thing I want to mention when it comes to common problems with the DeWalt metal shears is how hard it is for some users to control them.
It’s a regular complaint among new users. But, it’s usually not because of the tool that you’re having trouble controlling it.
The electrical metal shears for DeWalt drills are high power tools. They spin 360 degrees during operation, and use a lot of strength to cut through metal sheets.
Because of their 360 degree design and strength, many users have a problem controlling them. But, this isn’t something you need to be concerned about.
If you’re having a hard time cutting straight with your DeWalt metal shears attachment, tightening the clamping nut on it might help keep it more stable.
But, if the nut is already tightened and there’s no issue with assembly, some practice may be all you need. Despite it’s issues, this is a tool I’ve used regularly and it is definitely effective.
All you need to do is get a good grasp on it’s use, and most of your problems with the DeWalt metal shears attachment will disappear!
