A bench mounted sheet metal shears, is ideal for cutting sheet steel and other sheet metals, such as copper and brass.
The blades are designed to minimise the production of sharp burrs, on the edge of the sheet metal being cut.

Bench shears are normally used in preference to tinman’s snips, when the
a large size of sheet metal is being cut / shaped, which means greater control is required. The long lever handle, makes cutting thicker sheets easier.

Some bench mounted shears are also designed to cut round section metal.

For health and safety reasons, bench shears should have lockable blades. In this example, a padlock is used to secure a steel pin, which is pushed through the blade. This makes it impossible to operate the shears, until the padlock is unlocked and the steel pin removed. It is also advisable to wear leather gloves when handling sheet metal. The metal can have hazardous sharp edges, capable of serious injury.