Sheet Metal Brake

[cfellows]

I think I'm going to call this thing done for now.  Might add some more features later.



Here's a 6" piece of .090" thick aluminum I folded.  Took a bit of tugging on the handle, but the brake never broke sweat.  I didn't get the idea that anything was twisting or springing under the pressure.  I also think the aluminum was tempered so it probably would have been even easier if I had annealed it first.



Chuck

[Don1966]

Nice job Chuck, I would put a ball on the handle that would help the hand. 

Don

[Jim K 324]

            Fine job on the metal break Chuck, looks like a husky one , Good to see shop built tools
            they work better market built stuff. 

                      Jim

[b.lindsey]

Looks good Chuck. Any thought to addind a handle on the other side as well or is it robust enough that its not needed?

Bill

[PJW]

Great job Chuck, I can see you milling a bigger angle on the top clamp for the times you want to bend more than 90 degrees. I only have a micro miller or I would have copied your design,
well done

[Tjark]

Chuck, a great job indeed.
Very simple and strong design, love it.

Tjark.

[m_kilde]

Hi Chuck

This looks like a very stiff and useful brake, when doing a series og bendings, I do prefer a design I build years back.



My design will not bend more than 0,04" in a lenght of aproximately 200 mm, but you can make boxes if needed.

[b.lindsey]

I like that on too!! Is it your design or from plans you had?

Bill

[m_kilde]

Hello Bill

It's my design, but with inspiration from an old Popular Mechanics magazine

[Alan Haisley]

Chuck,
You could easily make a thinner clamp bar with notches so that you could make small boxes out of lighter material.
Alan

[peatoluser]

Having built a set of rollers, I've been thinking of making a bending brake to compliment it.
I think the 'popular mechanics' design that m_kilde refers to is this one :-
http://books.google.pt/books?id=Qt8DAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&hl=pt-PT&pg=PA206#v=onepage&q&f=false

although personally I like the solidity and simplicity of Chucks design

something else to add to my ever growing to-do list!

thanks for posting the build

peter