How to bend 1/4" plate into 18" radius?

[Domush]

Well, you could always plasma cut it into strips, say 3-5" each, and weld it back together at angles. I don't see a HF press doing the job without cutting it into sections, and then you may as well skip the press entirely.

 

[zzvyb6]

Discarded hot water tank. Take 2 pieces (hemispheres), open them up a bit and join then back to back. Cap the ends. Or find an unwanted compressed air tank (60 gal).

 

[Jesse masterson]

I built a backhoe bucket with similar problems out of 1/4 in plate , I welded sides of the bucket to the center piece the sides were templates for the curve , a torch to heat it and used the front loader of the tractor to roll the bottom of the bucket around the templates heating and bending , tacking it as the bottom was being heated and pressure applied by the front end loader just take your time and use alot of heat it's not that hard.

 

[RoyJackson]

You forgot the option of an English wheel on steroids!

I imagine what boilermakers use is probably some hydraulic slip roller type machine. I've only used the manual ones that are good for sheet metal.

The press brake "bump" technique is not hard to imagine but I don't have easy access to a big wide press. Maybe I could do a front and back half that way on my little 20 ton HF press and then weld them together. I imagine though that it would be tough to get precisely the same radius on the two halves so it might be a bit of a mess trying to mate them after bending.

I don't think an English wheel would work...
As far as the press brake, this probably would work but it's not a job for a novice. I was thinking you'd source the work to the fab shop.

 

[tcartwri]

I have to ask. Does a CUT even have enough huevos to push that thing into anything but sandy soil.....

 

[LD1]

I have to ask. Does a CUT even have enough huevos to push that thing into anything but sandy soil.....

He has a kioti

 

[IslandTractor]

I don't think an English wheel would work...
As far as the press brake, this probably would work but it's not a job for a novice. I was thinking you'd source the work to the fab shop.

I was kidding about the English wheel and my HF press brake is too small to bend more than a foot of 1/4" at a time too.

So yes, it appears that if bending is involved that I'll get a metal shop to help.

 

[IslandTractor]

He has a kioti

Yes, and Kiotis have really BIG huevos! And, the soil here is mostly sand.

 

[yomax4]

I saw a similar project on a rear scoop
where the part was scored with a cut off wheel every 3-4" lengthwise about 1/8" deep, heated, bent and the scores were re-welded shut. It turned out almost perfect. It had to, The scores can be made nearly exact. For the trouble I would have it rolled at a fab shop but if that's not in the cards, Score it.

 

[oliver28472]

I hope yaw know that huevos are eggs!!