# Budget Pneumatic Shingle Cutter



## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

Personally, I think it's a shame to get to the place where one thinks they know it all & everything's looked at as negative.

I have a lifetime goal of trying to learn at least 1 new thing everyday. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes not.

My wife and I have noticed that people either get sweeter or more bitter as they age through life. Life is hard enough. Our goal is to age sweeter. I hope we succeed!


----------



## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

I used to be a neisayer:no: I'd:laughing: laugh at many things out of ignorance. Now I try to look listen and learn:thumbsup: Man I want my own dust extractor:whistling


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

roofer up north said:


> I don't see how it could be any easier or faster using a power tool to do what I do perfectly with a knife.


Because you haven't used one. I've tried one (not this one). They work. 



> It doesn't make any sense to drag up a second hose, or take the time to unplug the gun, plug in the saw, unplug the saw, plug in the gun.


Do you nail and cut at the same time? Leave all your cutting for the end or do it all at once, then nail. 



> I just watched the guy in the video take 3 times as long to make a cut that wasn't straight or clean.


He wasn't a roofer. 



> If you leave all the cutting until the end, you're throwing all your "Mo' money" in the trash instead of using pieces where they fit.


Only if you don't know how to recycle pieces. 



> It's actually quite easy to cut in a perfect arc, fast.


In the winter? 



> If anyone takes pride in the little details, they wouldn't be leaving them to the labourers.


If your laborers can't do details like cutting shingles, you need to upgrade your laborers. Blame the crew chief. 



roofer up north said:


> And, oh yeah, I have not tried it.
> 
> Maybe when I'm 75 and no longer have the strength to use a knife.
> 
> ...


Hundreds? You mean, $99? 
Do you use guns? 
Because if you do, 
your logic fails.


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

Jaws said:


> Ever think you might of smoked him because he was 70? :blink::laughing:


You don't know my old man. He was old school. Hammer for hammer, it was a struggle to keep with him. Even in his later years. Don't under estimate the capacity of a master roofer regardless of their age. He was a machine. Fact is, he was forced into retirement.


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

Sabagley said:


> I bought one to use on a 72 sq hip roof that I did in dec. (20 -30F)
> I thought it worked fairly well.
> 
> I run a wheel barrow Emglo compressor, and could only cut about 10' at a time. But it cut through those shingles like butter.
> ...


Thanks for the review. :thumbsup: 

I was curious about the blades. What's the replacement 
cost and how long would you estimate they last? 

Let us know if they honor their lifetime warranty.


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

svronthmve said:


> Personally, I think it's a shame to get to the place where one thinks they know it all & everything's looked at as negative.
> 
> I have a lifetime goal of trying to learn at least 1 new thing everyday. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes not.
> 
> My wife and I have noticed that people either get sweeter or more bitter as they age through life. Life is hard enough. Our goal is to age sweeter. I hope we succeed!


:laughing: True! 
Another of my dad's lessons every real roofer and craftsman 
knows..."The day you stop learning is the day you retire."


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> I used to be a neisayer:no: I'd:laughing: laugh at many things out of ignorance. Now I try to look listen and learn:thumbsup: Man I want my own dust extractor:whistling


Holy crap so was I. I didn't see the need for guns, Titanium hammers, cordless tools, BOOTS for gosh sake! I was so young, dumb and full of _ _ _ that it was spurtin' out of my ears! But putting in years on the job squeezes out all that crap out of you quick if you're smart. 

I don't know how anybody who uses a gun and knows the benefits of it can't see the potential in tool that does the hard work for you in cutting shingles. 

I've come across a lot of young hotshots who are nice with a gun, but give them a hammer or a hatchet and it's like talking Chinese to them. It's foreign to them. I learned with a hammer, graduated to a hatchet, went to guns, but when I do a roof now, I ALWAYS will do a square or two with my hatchet just to keep touch with my roots.


----------



## Mr Latone (Jan 8, 2011)

I had seen the tool at HD just before I started a job and it aroused my interest, but I didn't buy one.

I did a 45 sq hipped roof with open valleys the second half of January.

We had a cold snap during the job and the cutting was pretty much a PITA when the daytime high temp was down in the teens. More than a couple times I wondered if that tool would have been a good buy :whistling

I got lucky and we had a flash 2 day warm up and I managed to get the valleys cut.

Winter roofing might be the time I would give a tool like this a shot. But for now I guess I will keep the hundred bucks.

I think the replacement blades were 3 for $7 ? I saw them but can't recall for sure. They weren't ridiculous, but that would depend on how long they last. They also look like they have enough meat so they could be resharpened.

Anyway, I can see this tool being of possible value even without using it all the time.


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

Mr Latone said:


> I had seen the tool at HD just before I started a job and it aroused my interest, but I didn't buy one.
> 
> I did a 45 sq hipped roof with open valleys the second half of January.
> 
> ...


A little over $2. a piece isn't bad if they last more than regular hook blades. Good thing about Home Depot is you can buy something and if it doesn't perform like it says, you take it right back and you'll get a refund. Can't beat that. 

If you use something like this on 1 or 2 jobs and it saves you a couple of hours of labor, it's paid for itself already. The first day I got my first gun, I laid out 20sq by myself (nice walkable, no details). It paid for itself right then & there.  

I'm gonna pick one up for sure and try it out. For a hundred bucks and a lifetime warranty, there's 
not much to lose there. Of course, I'll report back with how it works out for me. I'd probably most appreciate it on the rakes and for cutting around vents. I'd still use a guillotine-type cutter for production work.


----------



## Artworks (Dec 5, 2009)

I would like to try one. I shingled my barn w/ Iko Cambridge laminate shingles,in Nov. most time used snips but still a B###H cutting ridge and reaching to cut gables . I think this would be good addition to tool box for $99 but not @ $300.


----------



## roofer up north (Apr 14, 2011)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> He's a neisayer:laughing:





Dirtywhiteboy said:


> I used to be a neisayer:no: I'd:laughing: laugh at many things out of ignorance. Now I try to look listen and learn:thumbsup:


I did a simple assessment and found that this tool was unnecessary for me. Let's not resort to name-calling... and naysaying.




2ndGen said:


> Do you use guns?
> Because if you do,
> your logic fails.


I use a gun because it makes my job faster and easier. I can see how this saw would be good in the winter, but I don't roof in the winter. So that, I guess, would be that.




svronthmve said:


> When's the last time you didn't know it all & actually learned something new? :whistling:
> 
> Don't knock it if you ain't tried it.....


I freely admit that I don't know everything, in fact every day I get older I realize that there's more that I don't know. But what I do know, is my work. Again... a simple assessment.

As for the second part of your comment... I am free to not try every new thing that comes into the world. If more people thought that way, we would be in a much better place.


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

Artworks said:


> I would like to try one. I shingled my barn w/ Iko Cambridge laminate shingles,in Nov. most time used snips but still a B###H cutting ridge and reaching to cut gables . I think this would be good addition to tool box for $99 but not @ $300.


I could always use a tool that makes my job easier and gives me a better result, plus the less stress I put on my body, the less fatigue I'll feel at the end of the day and the more production I'll be able to put out. 

These are my weapons of choice: Stanley 10-550, AJC Big Hook Blades and just about any generic Roofing Knife (though I like to get the Estwing brands when possible just because they match my hatchet).


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

roofer up north said:


> I use a gun because it makes my job faster and easier. I can see how this saw would be good in the winter, but I don't roof in the winter. So that, I guess, would be that.


I can see the logic in that. But I just disagree with your blanket statement regarding it's usability without having tried it. Of course, we can always opine on how we believe something will perform, but that will open us up to others' opinions.  




> As for the second part of your comment... I am free to not try every new thing that comes into the world. If more people thought that way, we would be in a much better place.


And we are free to disagree with you and express that disagreement.


----------



## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

2ndGen said:


> Let us know if they honor their lifetime warranty.


The Home Depot here in Iwilei swaps out dead batterys and dead tools no problem:thumbup:


----------



## ZackyBundles (Dec 31, 2012)

Those Stanley knives are junk the threaded piece is white metal and it breaks when it falls off the roof...atleast mine did the first drop lol


----------



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

ZackyBundles said:


> Those Stanley knives are junk the threaded piece is white metal and it breaks when it falls off the roof...atleast mine did the first drop lol


Those Stanley knives (Made in England) have lasted me half a decade regularly 
with daily hardcore use and only had to be upgraded because they got stolen.


----------



## hootrod351 (Jul 3, 2013)

late to respond but bought one of these about three months ago. couldnt be happier. perfect for winter, and does a good job in summer, but perfect for winter. have the life time warranty, good because it started leaking air about 3 weeks ago, still worked but compressor kicking on to much, and it shouldnt leak, took it back and got another. thats the only draw back, hgave to disconnect your hose and hook to it to use it but you get a system, ive pretty much been only using it for cutting valleys. hmmmmm, now if some one came up with a cutter attachment that was built into a gun, with a separate button you push to operate it, then that would be something. another thing is it cuts such a straight line, i know you can cut a perfectly straight line with a knife, but still little to no effort using it, and fun. plus another tool. cant have to many tools.


----------



## META (Apr 9, 2015)

I just did a 40sq roof and used one of these. The tool is cheaply made, which was a given being the make. Regardless, the price was so low I figured I'd give it a shot. Its useful for cutting valleys, if one does this on their applications. Its also nice to cut radiuses and any shingle overhang on drip edge. It easily fits in your nail pouch so I just swapped the gun to the cutter when needed. It does, however, consume a lot of air. The blades are very basic and if one has the time, they could simply sharpen them for "longer" life. 

Overall, I am happy with the product, but know it won't last like my Hitachi guns do.


----------



## hootrod351 (Jul 3, 2013)

life time warranty


----------



## Mr Latone (Jan 8, 2011)

Bought one this winter off the clearance shelf $25

Still in the box, but I know it will eventually come in handy.

They had 2 more at the time so I called a couple roofing guys I know......weren't interested. A few years ago I would have bought them all, but just don't do many shingle jobs anymore.


----------



## madmax718 (Dec 7, 2012)

Im not a roofer, but even you pro roofers get tired, and if this saves you energy, then its all worth it.


----------

