Shearing tool

1. A shearing tool comprising:

a housing;

a blade set having first and second shearing blades;

a drive unit received in the housing and drivingly coupled to at least one of the first and second shearing blades, the drive unit having a motor having an output shaft that is rotatable in a first rotary direction and a second rotary direction that is opposite the first rotary direction, wherein rotation of the output shaft of the motor in the first rotary direction creates relative motion between the first and second shearing blades that permits the blade set to shear a workpiece;

a trigger switch;

a release switch; and

a controller coupled to the drive unit, the trigger switch and the release switch, the controller being configured to operate the drive unit at least partly in response to a state of the trigger switch and a state of the release switch;

wherein the trigger switch is configured to provide a first trigger signal when the trigger switch is in a first trigger switch state, and to provide a second trigger signal when the trigger switch is in a second trigger switch state;

wherein the release switch is configured to provide a first release signal when the release switch is in a first release switch state, and to provide a second release signal when the release switch is in a second release switch state; and

wherein the controller is configured to operate the drive unit in a cutting mode in which the motor is driven in the first rotary direction when the trigger switch is in the second trigger switch state and the release switch is in the first release switch state, and wherein the controller is configured to operate the drive unit in an anti-binding mode in which the motor is alternately driven in the first and second rotary directions in response to maintained operation of the trigger switch in the second trigger switch state with operation of the release switch in the second release switch state.

2. The shearing tool of claim 1 , wherein during operation of the drive unit in the anti-binding mode, the controller halts rotation of the motor prior to reversing the rotational direction of the motor.

3. The shearing tool of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to alternate the rotational direction of the motor at least four times when the drive unit is operated in the anti-binding mode.

4. The shearing tool of claim 2 , wherein during operation of the drive unit in the anti-binding mode, the controller is configured to halt rotation of the motor if the state of the trigger switch changes to the first trigger switch state.

5. The shearing tool of claim 2 , wherein during operation of the drive unit in the anti-binding mode, the controller is configured to halt operation of the drive unit in the anti-binding mode if the state of the release switch changes to the first release switch state.

6. The shearing tool of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the drive unit in the cutting mode if the state of the release switch changes and the state of the trigger switch does not change when the drive unit is operated in the anti-binding mode.

7. The shearing tool of claim 5 , wherein the controller is not responsive to changes in the state of the release switch when the drive unit is operated in the anti-binding mode.

8. The shearing tool of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to halt operation of the drive unit in the anti-binding mode after the occurrence of one of a plurality of predetermined termination events.

9. The shearing tool of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of predetermined termination events comprises completion of an anti-binding control routine.

10. The shearing tool of claim 9 , wherein completion of the anti-binding control routine occurs when the drive unit has been operated in the anti-binding mode for a predetermined length of time.

11. The shearing tool of claim 9 , wherein completion of the anti-binding control routine occurs when the motor has been operated in the second rotary direction a predetermined quantity of discrete times.

12. The shearing tool of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of predetermined termination events comprises a change in the state of the trigger switch.

13. The shearing tool of claim 1 , wherein the drive unit is configured to translate the first shearing blade relative to the second shearing blade.

14. The shearing tool of claim 1 , wherein the trigger switch and release switch are both located on the housing, the trigger switch and release switch being in close proximity so that a user may operate both switches using a single hand.