Ironworker Do any of you have any experience with one

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I a long time ago used a Ironworker punch/shear.  I was thinking of buying a small one. Any of you have any recomendations?
Reply:I picked up an edwards 25 ton ironworker last year from a chicago based company that was going out of business, came with a bunch of punches& a pipe notcher set up for 11/2 "got it for 1700 plus 300 shipping. arrived in great shape, I then purchased the multi shear tool from edwards . this machine is great & i am saving up for the coper nothcer tooling. nice size for a small shop, especially if you put it on casters.                                                                                                       Bob
Reply:I don't know what i would do without my iron worker.  I have had up to three in the building at one time.   Now i just have the 120 ton piranha and the 35 ton metal muncher.   And you can never have too much tooling for an iron worker either.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:I got a little baby Bantom Iron worker.  Its a little 10 ton ironworker.  Its was designed back in the 50's for fabricating railings.  Its a little under powered with only being able to punch a 1/2" hole in 1/4" plate.  But its better than nothing.  Best part is they still produced it today.  You can pick up used ones for about $1000 with tooling.    I hopefully in a month or so should be picking up a lightly used GEKA 60 ton ironworker for about $12,000.   GEKA's are the cadillac of ironworkers.  It just all depends on what you want to spend.Lincoln 300 Vantage 2008300 Commander 1999SA250 1999SA200 1968Miller Syncrowave 200XMT350MPA/S-52E/xr-15Xtreme 12vs Millermatic 251 w/30A  Millermatic 251 Dialarc 250 Hypertherm 1250 GEKA & Bantom Ironwokers
Reply:Just curious what do yall fabricate with these ironworkers?
Reply:Originally Posted by pyroracing85Just curious what do yall fabricate with these ironworkers?
Reply:northern tools has metal pro the 45 ton is $4500.00 and there 40 tonis around 3 grand some day ill getone great to punch squ holes for railings Attached Images
Reply:I love my Geka.http://www.comeq.com/Geka/geka.htmlI have had it around ten years now, never had a problem with it at all.I punch a lot of holes with it, and not just round ones, either. I have square punches, and oval slots, which are very handy for things that need adjustable screws.I shear round and square bar to length with it, especially when I am going to be welding it and dont need precise square ends.I shear plate with it, notch corners.Mostly, though, I punch. Punching is 80% of the use it gets.There is nothing quite so satisfying as watching a 1" round hole get punched in 1/2" plate, effortlessly and instantly.I picked Geka cause it has built in tables and stops for punching, cutting to length, and notching.NO other brand of ironworker includes these- a few have really expensive optional length stops, almost nobody has as good a system as GEKA.For instance, I have 12 feet of length stop on it- with a built in stainless steel tape measure. You loosen a hand tightened lockscrew, slide the stop to 39", then you just slide the piece of round bar, or square bar, or flat bar, or angle, in til it hits the stop, the switch in the stop automatically runs the shear, the right length part falls to the floor, you slide the 20 footer in another 39", and repeat. NO measuring, no sharpies, no marking, no squinting. It cuts the length you want, 1 time or 100 times. Some days we just feed 20 footers in til the snowdrift of finished cut to length parts is knee deep.Standard.On the punch station, it has X and Y stops, both with stainless steel tape measures built in. Need a hole 1" from the edge, 3" from the end? Quick adjust no tool handles, slide the stops, and punch. Again, no scrapped parts, no measuring, no center punching- it just puts the hole where you want it, every time.The competition, like Piranha or Scotchman, have wimpy one axis punch tables, that are nowhere near as good, and cost hundreds, if not thousands, extra.Piranha does sell and electric length stop, optional at extra cost- I dont know of many other companies that do.plus, I think my Geka is better made than many of the cheap, welded frame models like Scotchman- I have seen so many totally worn out Scotchmans shoved in the corner of shops, less than 10 years old.Geka is made in Basque country in Northern Spain, and it is built like a tank.
Reply:I have a Bateman presshear 10.  It is 18 tons. With stock attachments,  it will punch 7/16 rd hole through 3/8 or 7/8 rd hole through 1/4.  Will shear 3/8 x2 or 1/4x4 flat.  and 2x2 angleIt is a Mechanical punch.  It is rated at 48strokes/min.  Set up a stops and punch or shear away.    I got mine for 750.  I see them more often for 12-1500 dollars. Great time saving machine. www.rogers-mfg-inc.com
Reply:Honestly if your not going to use it often an older mechanical has its advantages.   We use a #2 buffalo mechanical iron worker daily for 40 years!  it was indestructible.    the thing that finally did it in was a small sheared pin and $450 a ton scrap prices.   It would have been a 45 min fix.     Also had a mubia 60 ton that met the same fate.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.