Bending metal requires considerable force, yet can be accomplished using any number of tools; a metal brake makes the task simpler.
This simple brake can be constructed quickly from several pieces of wood and angle iron without welding, for quick use wherever. Plus it's portable.
How To
A Metal brake is an essential tool for sheet metal fabricators, enabling them to resize panels into different shapes quickly and efficiently, as well as creating home and industrial fixtures like light fixtures and signs. But even if you don't have the money to purchase one, creating your own can still be easy and takes only minutes with some basic tools and materials needed for the task.
Step one is to build the base for your brake. This entails connecting two 12.5' boards with hinges, making sure their center points are 1/4'' from the edge of the smaller board; this will provide enough room for attaching brake arms later on. Once this step is completed, drill screw holes using a drill bit that is slightly larger than your screws to avoid stripping them during assembly.
Place two 12.5'' flat metal pieces atop each wood board and secure them using clamps. You could use scrap 2x4s under each board to raise them slightly for easier working. Moreover, pre-drill the areas where you will attach hinges to save time later on.
Secure the hinges to both boards using identical colored screws for easier distinguishability - this will eliminate any possible confusion during setup of your bending machine.
Now that you have your DIY metal brake, it's time to begin bending metal! But first it is important to understand its basic principles: reading gauge and yield strength of metal being bent as well as understanding leverage requirements for comfortable bending. For this, try hand bending the piece or use a vice and hammer. Upon doing this, determine the yield strength by testing various methods; these may include hand or vice bending with a hammer as well as hand. Once determined, estimate the leverage needed for comfortable bending.
Materials
Metal brakes are essential tools for bending sheet metal, yet their cost can often exceed expectations. While you can purchase various styles on the market, all are prohibitively priced. Luckily, it is possible to build your own DIY metal brake with cheap materials readily available - this tutorial provides instructions on creating one capable of bending aluminum sheets up to 24" wide with minimal assembly needed!
Gather all the required materials before beginning this project. These supplies include cold-rolled steel plates, 2 steel rods of desired dimensions, wood boards, carriage bolts, hinges, wing nuts and angle iron for your brake base and holding the flat metal sheet securely in place. Furthermore, angle iron acts as the bending point or mandrel.
Once all the supplies have been collected, begin by drilling holes into both wood boards to install hinges. Next, place a 12.5'' piece of flat metal over each of the wooden boards and clamp it so that its edges are flush with those of each board. When secured securely, drill a 5/16'' hole in the longer board between its screws - repeat this process on both boards, but this time drill in between both smaller boards between their screw marks.
After your hinges have been assembled, secure them to the angled iron using hinge pins. Be sure that this connection is tight but strong enough to support the weight of your final brace. Once attached, drill a 5/16'' hole through all metal pieces and wood boards so you can bolt them together securely.
This video guide is ideal for beginners as it does not involve welding. By using basic angle iron and some hinges instead of welding equipment, a simple metal brake can be created that will serve you in various projects.
Tools
Bending sheet metal can be challenging for those unfamiliar with its art. Experienced metal workers know that using a tool known as a brake makes the task far simpler and quicker, though these expensive commercial tools may be out of reach if just done as a hobby. However, there's an affordable solution: creating your own DIY brake using basic tools and materials can create your own DIY solution!
Start off by gathering all your materials. Heavy-duty door hinges work best as they're strong yet easily adjustable to different lengths. Furthermore, woodworking tools like a drill and saw will come in handy; safety glasses and leather gloves may also come in handy when working.
Once your hinges are ready, drill two 5/16'' holes that are approximately centered between both boards for mounting points for the hinges. Make sure the holes are slightly deeper than your carriage bolts to ensure tightening goes as planned.
Use a file to carefully go over the edges of both the bed and angle-iron where you plan on attaching bushing bases with no burrs left behind, so they can be screwed easily into their places.
Once everything is assembled, test your brake with some scrap metal to gain a feel for how the tool operates and what its capabilities are. When satisfied, assemble the remainder of your brake.
Beginners to metal coil bending should create a template or prototype of their metal coil to bend. This will give them an idea of what the final product should look like and avoid mistakes; for instance, marking off odd-shaped objects to indicate which side should face up when being put through the brake is also helpful in this instance.
Instructions
Metal brakes are essential tools for those working with sheet metal. Used properly, they can bend thin metal pieces into precise bends for beautiful results. This DIY project uses pieces of wood as the base and handle; steel sheet metal clamp; angle iron serving as mandrel (bending point); then lifts metal and bends it as desired - much easier than manually doing so! This project will give you a functional brake that's portable around your workshop as needed and won't take up much room!
First, construct the base of your brake by connecting two 2x4 boards together using carriage bolts and screwing on 5/16-inch holes for handles on one of them with carriage bolts. Drill 5/16'' holes for handles into one board near you so that steel round rod handles can be inserted here; to prevent them from rotating when using your brake, add washers and wing nuts at either end to keep them secure.
After drilling the holes, cut the legs out of the remaining 2x4. Use these to elevate the brake above your workspace. Next, slide any piece of metal you wish to bend between the 7" and 14" plates and snug it down by cranking down on its pipe handle until bent according to your specifications - then release and remove from use! Repeat this process for any other pieces you require bending.
Although designed for 1/8" aluminum, this adjustable brake can easily be altered by changing its radius on the clamping bar's leading edge or adding removable fingers with various thicknesses and radii. You'll have an affordable yet reliable tool available that lets you bend thin sheets of metal for all sorts of projects without incurring expensive industrial brake costs; taking your time with projects knowing a high-quality device awaits you will bring peace of mind when working.