PURPOSE: To move a workpiece by a desired distance in such a case that a plate is processed into a sheet by a shear press, by providing a plate holding means which is moved in between lower cutters and out of the gap between them by a cam interlocked with an upper die, to move the workpiece to a prescribed position.

CONSTITUTION: When an upper die 4 is moving up to its top dead center, a slide cam 10 for a lower die 1 is not moving and the shelf part 13a of a bar (plate holding means )13 is located between a first and a second lower cutters 2, 3. In that state, a steel plate 7 is introduced in the direction of an arrow B. When the steel plate 7 has proceeded over the first lower cutter 2, both the side edges of the plate are immediately supported by the shelf part 13a of the bar 13. For that reason, the plate is moved to the second lower cutter 3 without sagging due to the weight of the plate itself. When the upper die 4 is moved down after the introduction of the steel plate 7, a drive cam 14 comes into contact with the slide cam 10 for the lower die 1 to move the latter cam back in the direction of an arrow D and separate the shelf part 13a of the bar 13 from both the side edges of the steel plate. After the bar 13 is put away from the gap between both the lower cutters 2, 3, the steel plate 7 is cut off by the upper and lower cutters 5, 6, 2, 3 and then discharged into a chute 8.