The Case of the Missing Shear

At work we utilize a couple of cool local machinists: One, T.S. gets most of our one-off, little stuff since he's a one man shop. J.B. gets the more complicated (CNC) and higher quantity parts. The cool part about both is, if I need something quick or for a personal project (govt. job) I can use some of their equipment (band saw, bending brake etc.).

J.B.'s shop is literally 200 yards from work so it's very convenient to walk over when I need to see him. He is a former drag racer who at one time did a lot of work on a top fuel dragster. He has a small bending brake and a sheet metal shear left over from those days that I have been using sporadically over the years when I need to make quick covers or duct work at work.

Several years ago he had a fire at his shop and what wasn't destroyed in the blaze was placed into storage in the barn next door. The barn is owned by the local sawmill/lumberyard/home center that is between us. As payment for letting him use the space, J.B. gave the owner one of his old Bridgeport milling machines. Once the shop was rebuilt most of the equipment brought back in and only a couple of items remained in the barn. One of these items left behind was the shear.

Tennsmith Model 52 Foot-Squaring Shear

The shear is in working order, it needs a little TLC but serviceable, in its location in the barn. The barn is never used for much more than storage and the shear is located in the back behind the usual pile of over stock lumber. The bending brake resides upstairs in the stock area of the shop. J.B. recently made room for the shear to join the brake up there.

The late summer or early fall was the last time I used the shear in the barn. I made three of five air deflectors for a air conditioners needed for a project. I'm not happy with the way said project turned out but that's a story to be told over a beer and a campfire. Now we need the last two air deflectors and I went over to the barn to cut the stock into strips prior to bending and the shear is gone.

Nothing is where it once sat except for some cut offs. The tool is 900+ pounds where did it go? Surely it didn't just sprout legs, crawl over the lumber pile and out the door, did it?

I go over to the shop and J.B. is surprised to hear it's missing as well (since he just made room for it).

We go over to the sawmill and ask around. No one knows anything about it. They don't even know what it is. They say they haven't scrapped any metal, which is readily apparent by the crap strewn around the barns.

So where did it go? Time to call Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in on this one.
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