Abstract: To enable band treatment installations to be continuously operated, the end of the band (1) passing through is welded with the start of a new band (2). In the joining of bands (1, 2) of different widths or when a band is offset, annoying corners or lateral projections frequently cannot be avoided. A shears for notching these regions or for cutting out segments (17) and strips (18) by means of a knife pair travelling into the band consists of an upper and a lower circular knife (3, 40) and possesses a pivoting drive (6) for moving the knife pair along a curve.