Hold-down device for billet shears

The invention relates to a hold-down device for shears, in particular billet shears with crank or eccentric drive for separating bar stock and sections. A functionally reliable solution for actuating the hold-down device is to be achieved by the invention with little cost in terms of material and production. The object of the invention is therefore to design the drive of the hold-down slide (3) in such a way that a small amount of travel is sufficient to clamp the same, and during the cutting the clamping wedge (7) is held in its position without great retaining force - if possible in a self-locking manner - and at the same time positive release of the clamping wedge (7) after the cut is guaranteed. According to the invention this is achieved in that the hold-down slide (3) is connected via a two-sided lever to a piston/cylinder unit (4) operable by a pressure medium, and between frame and hold-down slide (3) a stepped clamping wedge (7) operable by a further piston/cylinder unit (9) is mounted displaceably in the horizontal direction, which clamping wedge (7) is in turn in operative connection with a hydraulic damping and release device (10) - Fig. 1.