Your drill does the squeezing
Cut thin sheet metal with a cordless drill instead of your forearms.
Hand snips are fine for a few inches. For a long run of flashing, a sheet of thin aluminum or a piece of flat duct, this head clamps in your drill chuck and does the work: two hardened wheels pinch the sheet and shear it as the drill turns. It is a shear, not a grinder — no sparks, no dust, and no strip of metal cut away.
Read this first: it is made for thin, flat sheet.
The supplier’s maximums — about 1 mm of steel, 1.5 mm of aluminum or copper — are a ceiling, not an everyday figure. The people who are happiest with this kind of tool use it on thin flashing, light-gauge steel and thin aluminum. It does not cut stainless, hardened steel, welded seams, or across the ribs of corrugated roofing, and it is not for plastic, leather or cardboard.
A shear, not a saw
No sparks, no dust, nothing cut away
Runs on a drill
An 18/20 V cordless drill is the right size
Stay rod included
Stops the head spinning round the drill
Thin, flat metal
Flashing, light-gauge steel, thin aluminum
How it cuts
Two wheels, one line
The hex shank goes in your drill chuck. Inside the cast head, gears turn a knurled drive wheel that grips the sheet and pulls it through, while a second hardened wheel shears it against the first — the same way a pair of snips works, only continuous.
Because it shears rather than grinds, nothing is cut away: the sheet simply parts. Start from an edge of the sheet, since the lower wheel runs underneath it, and leave some clearance below the cut line.
The part people skip
Fit the stay rod every time
The head wants to spin round the drill instead of cutting. The steel stay rod stops it: one end screws into the head, the other rests against your drill’s handle, and the spring wraps round the handle to hold it there. Without it the head turns the moment the wheels bite.
Two honest caveats from people who use these: the rod gives a little when you steer hard, and the spring can chew a soft rubber grip. Pad the grip with a strip of tape if you care about it.
What it will cut
The supplier’s maximums, in US gauge
These are the supplier’s own figures, converted with a standard sheet-metal gauge chart (standard steel and aluminum columns). Treat them as the ceiling. Other sellers of this same design rate it lower, and buyers report good results anywhere from about 29 to 22 gauge steel — and failures in that range too. Results vary from one unit to the next.
| Material |
Supplier maximum |
In gauge |
| Steel sheet |
1.0 mm (0.039 in) |
Between 20 and 19 ga |
| Aluminum |
1.5 mm (0.059 in) |
About 15 ga |
| Copper |
1.5 mm (0.059 in) |
— |
| Thinnest |
0.3 mm (0.012 in) |
About 30 ga |
Good jobs for it
Roof and step flashing, thin aluminum sheet, light-gauge steel for garden beds and projects, the flat pans of roofing panels, flat duct.
Not for
Stainless or hardened steel, anything thicker than the table, welded seams, bends, across the ribs of corrugated or ribbed panels, strips narrower than about an inch (they bend and chew), and non-metals of any kind.
Straight answers
Five things we would rather you knew now
Straight lines take practice. Freehand, it wanders — the most common complaint about this kind of tool. Clamp the sheet, run the head along a straightedge, and go slower than feels necessary. Gentle curves are fine; tight ones are not.
It is not built for daily trade work. This is a low-cost tool for occasional DIY cuts. Buyers report gears and wheels wearing out, sometimes quickly, when it is pushed on heavier sheet. A branded drill shear costs two to four times as much and is the better buy if you cut metal for a living.
Both cut edges are razor sharp. Shearing leaves clean, sharp edges on both pieces, and the drive wheel can mark the offcut side. Handle the sheet with cut-resistant gloves.
Corrugated roofing: flat pans only. The maker says ribbed sheet cannot be cut. A few users say they have forced it over small ribs with poor accuracy; many say it will not go. We do not claim it.
We do not sell replacement wheels. When the wheels or gears wear, the head is done. Buy it knowing that.
Using it well
Drill, speed and what to do when it jams
Drill
An 18 V or 20 V cordless drill. The maker says 12–21 V drills work, with 12 V noticeably weaker. Use drill mode, not a hammer setting.
Impact driver
Not tested and not recommended. Use a drill with a normal three-jaw chuck.
Speed
Steady and moderate. Do not force the feed; let the wheels pull the sheet in. Slower is easier to keep on a line.
Direction
Cut in forward only. If it jams, let go of the trigger. Back it out with a short burst of reverse at low speed, hands well clear — or take the battery out and free the sheet by hand.
Starting
From an edge of the sheet, with room under the cut for the lower wheel. You may need to fiddle with the angle before the wheels grab.
Battery
Long cuts drain it. Keep a spare charged if you have a lot to do.
Safety
Wear safety glasses with side shields and cut-resistant gloves. The danger is not sparks; it is the sharp edges and the pinch points.
Keep your fingers away from the wheels, and away from where the spring and rod meet the drill — people do pinch themselves there. The lower wheel runs under the sheet close to where your free hand holds it, so clamp the work when you can.
Take the battery out before you adjust the head, fit the rod or clear a jam.
Choose your kit
The same head, with or without a side handle
Cutter head kit
The head, the steel stay rod, the spring, an open-end wrench and a hex key. Everything you need on a typical cordless drill, where the rod rests against the drill’s own handle.
Cutter head kit + side handle
The same kit plus a side handle that clamps round the drill’s collar, with its own fixing rod and wing nut. The supplier shows it on a corded drill. It will not fit every drill — at least one buyer reports it not fitting their cordless model — so only pick it if your drill has a round collar behind the chuck.
Questions people ask
Before you order
What gauge will it really cut?
The supplier’s ceiling is about 1 mm of steel (between 20 and 19 gauge) and 1.5 mm of aluminum or copper. Buyers report good cuts from about 29 to 22 gauge steel, and some units struggle even there. Buy it for thin sheet and flashing, not for its maximum.
Can it cut corrugated or metal roofing?
Along the flat pans, yes. Across the ribs, not reliably: the maker says ribbed sheet cannot be cut, and user reports are mixed at best. We do not sell it for that.
Does it cut stainless steel?
No. The supplier does not rate it for stainless or hardened steel, and we will not claim it. Stick to mild steel, aluminum and copper within the table above.
Will it fit my drill?
The hex shank goes in a normal three-jaw drill chuck. Use an 18 or 20 V drill if you have one. On a typical pistol-grip cordless drill the stay rod rests against the handle, as in the supplier’s instructions. The optional side handle needs a round collar behind the chuck and will not fit every model.
Can I use an impact driver?
We would not. The maker’s instructions cover drills only, and we know of no test on an impact driver. Use a drill.
Why does it keep wandering off the line?
It is the nature of this design. Clamp the sheet, guide the head along a straightedge, slow the drill down, and practice on scrap first. Straight cuts do get easier with practice.
What do I do when it jams?
Let go of the trigger. Either give it a short, slow burst of reverse with your hands well clear, or take the battery out and free the sheet by hand. Jams usually mean the sheet is too thick, the strip is too narrow, or you are pushing too hard.
Why do the photos show no sparks?
Because a shear does not make any. It parts the metal by pinching it between two wheels, rather than grinding it away. If you see sparks, something is wrong — stop and check.
Shipping & returns
Delivery in 7–15 business days from the time you order — that window already includes the 1–2 business days we take to process. Tracking is emailed as soon as the carrier scans the parcel. Shipping & Delivery.
30-day returns. Items must be unused and in their original packaging. Email support@nexuratool.com to start a return.
Nexura Tools
Tools for repair, maintenance and the jobs in between — chosen for specs we can verify.
