PacTool SS424 Backerboard Shear - Fiber Cement Cutting -Contractor Grade- Professional Power Tools

I was a bit leery at first, not sure it would work properly on a 18v plus drill. Boy was I wrong. This tool is a must have for Fiber cement siding. It is quiet, smooth, and quick. No Dust, and no flying particles. I was amazed at the tools performance. It cuts curves perfectly, as long as you can keep a straight line, and it makes cutting the boards a breeze. I cannot say enough great things about this tool. This was our first attempt at installing fiber cement siding on our new house, and the tool help take a bit of the stress away. I love it. The dual sided handle makes it great for stability.

I really did not look forward to cutting several fibercement boards. Then I saw this contraption being promoted as the way to cut cement boards. I decided to buy it and giving it a shot.I only cut 1/4 inch boards. Do not know whether thicker boards do work the same. But man, am I happy I got this! Hooked this up to my 18 V drill, and a minute later I had a 4x8 board to size!!!! The first 6 inches look a bit rough. Then I put the drill on high speed and the cut was perfect. The amount of dust was minimal. It makes strings of maybe 1/8th of an inch, but dust, barely. Cement board cutting anxiety --> GONE.

Set your drill to speed 2 in hammer drill mode and the nipper just eats through 1/2” hardie board. Faster cleanup, 90% less silica dust and less noise, it’s still not quiet but nothing like a circular saw blade screaming. Great great tool.

The shears worked very well for cutting HardiPlank cement board siding. I used it to crosscut for lengths, as well as ripping lengthwise for width of starter and top course. It is much faster than a jig saw with diamond grit blade. The jigsaw cut super smooth edge but was very slow. These shears cut a slightly rough edge but totally acceptable for the hidden areas. Remember to paint with primer all cut edges.The shears cut about a 1/4” wide strip. Each edge of the cut is 1.5” from the edge of the corresponding sole plate edge guide. I clamped a 7” rafting Square 1.5” shy of the cut line and ran the edge of the shear’s sole plate/shoe along that. It is a bit awkward to try to cut freehand but could be done for all except butted ends For butting to another plank I would try to have both be factory ends, and have the cut on the end by the trim.For cutting lengthwise I placed another plank alongside it, and then stacked four planks on a guideline 1.5” from the cut line. The factory edges have tiny rough spots so be careful as the guide shoe will hang up a bit. Just be patient and smoothly push the shear head along the guide planks. Next time I will use a 2x4 or similar smooth wood cutting guide rather than another plank.It is much easier to handle the planks and set up cutting guides with two people but could be done by a lone worker.I used an older Milwaukee M18 1/2” drill/driver and it had no problem driving the shears. Use the highest drill speed possible. The shears produce virtually no air borne dust. You get some dust on the floor with 1/4” wide curled strips as waste products. Clean up periodically before the curly strips get stepped on and create much more cement dust. The jigsaw created more dust but it was very localized near the saw, unlike how a circular saw throws dust across the entire room. Jigsaw cuts ultra smooth but is very slow, like two minutes to trim length on a 6.26” plank. The shears take about 15 seconds.Bottom line, the shears are the only reasonable way time-wise and with minimal dust to cut HardiPlank. You get acceptable edges in fairly good time and almost no dust in the air. The main downside is they are awkward to control and you should use a firm guide to ensure straight cuts.This shear head is way cheaper than the full tool shears. Plus you get the benefit of working with any corded or cordless drill of 18/20 volts. Be sure to really crank the chuck closed on the head stem as it likes to work itself free. I will always have a jigsaw handy as a backup but these shears are what I will be using for all the siding I am doing in the coming months. Totally worth it!By the way, HardiPlank looks very nice on the house. When we cut ends or edges we just generously coated them with primer and put them up immediately, no waiting for it to fully dry. We even went ahead and primed over every nail head, just in case (I used the pre-primed planks which I think is the easiest version to work with).

I bought this tool to cut Hardie Plank because I didn't want to deal with the nasty, dangerous dust you get with a saw, and I'm glad I did. A saw might give a perfectly clean cut, but the need to use a vacuum, SERIOUS dust mask, and tight goggles would have negated that advantage. (note: Some will say that you don't need to go all space-suit when using a saw, but you'll be sorry if you don't)This shear/nibbler takes a little practice, but after a couple of cuts, you're getting very nice results. It's not difficult to produce cuts to within 1/8th inch, and often to within 1/16th inch accuracy. You can also do respectable curve cuts if needed, and the amount of dust produced is minimal. The slightly furry edge of the cuts can be smoothed, if needed, with a small sure-form rasp. Remember to prime all cuts before installation - Cement Fiber absorbs water, and caulking, where used, will adhere much better to primed material. The Pac Tool shear won't be as durable as a $400-$500 dedicated nibbler, but it's held up very well during my one-off siding project, still cutting like new after about 100 planks, including several long rip cuts.If you're only doing one small-to-medium sized siding project, rather than an entire LARGE house, this tool should do the job to your satisfaction. I'm glad I bought it.

Best tool I ever used for cutting hardie boardsNo dust and straight crisp edges

Great Idea, cuts like butter, no fumes or cement dust. however not reliable.