Metal benders

[Hooked_on_HP]

I am always building somthing and needing to make brackets. Does anyone have a bender they are happy with. I'm not talking about an ironworker either. I am talking about a hand operated bender the I can bend flat steel 90deg.
Bill

 

[Diamondpilot]

Yes, a 6" bench vise and my 4# sledge.

Sorry, could not resist. I do use my home made log splitter from time to time to bend thing by installing my shop press adapter I made.


Chris

 

[Robert_in_NY]

We have two brakes for bending amuminum coil stock both are 10.5' and get a lot of use. I have a smaller 3' brake for bending sheet steel and have used it a few times and it works well for what its designed for. To bend anything thicker you would most likely want a press with the correct dies. Then you could bend thicker steel into what ever shapes you can imagine for brackets and such. I plan to buy a simple 12 ton press for our shop for the few times I need it. Currently anytime I need one I take the part to my friends machine shop and they use their nice press to do it.

I don't recall the brand of my 3' brake but its is just a simple unit you bolt to a work bench. It works well for small items and it is what I used to bend the 1/8" steel plate to make the protectors for my rear work lights I mounted on my TN 65 (I have never wired them up though but they have been mounted for 4 years).

How thick of steel do you want to bend? 1/8" is about the max you can do with my small brake, anything thicker and you will want a hydraulic unit.

 

[Tig]

I made a 30" brake out of 3" angle iron. I bend body metal on occasion. Not sure what the limit would be on flat stock.
Log splitter mod is a great idea.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Most of the stuff I bend is 3/16" I have a small brake for sheet metal. I see benders advertised that will bend 1/4"x 1 1/4 90deg or radius to 180 deg. They are around $120. Does anyone have one of these.
Bill

 

[GuglioLS]

Bill,

If you have a press you might consider making you own bending tool and die attachment. For thick stuff (1/2" or thicker), here is one I made for my H/F 20 ton press. It easily bends 1/2" X 3" wide flat bar.



This one is a 90* on 1/4" X 2" flat bar.



Video showing a series of bends in 1/2" X 3" wide bar to make some TPH arms:







For thinner flat or round I use this one from Harbor Freight:

It has an instruction booklet to make all the letters and numbers, plus U bolts. Mine is the short bench top model, not the floor model pictured. For some reason I can't find a picture of the bench top model that I have. It works great and the price is good. Depending on die used it can bend a radius or sharp angle.

CLICK HERE link

Larry

 

[dfkrug]

I have the floor-mount unit that Larry describes. I mount it on my fork
frame, not the floor. I have bent 5/8" rods to very tight radii with it.

 

[Bird]

We have two brakes for bending amuminum coil stock both are 10.5' and get a lot of use.

Instead of doing it myself, I hired a guy to install Alcoa vinyl siding on everything on the exterior of my house that isn't brick. That's the same size brake he used. No way I have enough use for one to justify the cost, but that sure was a neat machine.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Instead of doing it myself, I hired a guy to install Alcoa vinyl siding on everything on the exterior of my house that isn't brick. That's the same size brake he used. No way I have enough use for one to justify the cost, but that sure was a neat machine.

They are nice. We use them often for bending metal on windows, doors, facia, beams and flashing. They are real handy and the new ones have a lot of nice features compared to the older ones.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Larry nice pics and video. When you are bending the 1/4" you are using a V block. How big (deep) does the V block need to be? Will a deeper V give you a better bend? Do you use the HF bender verry much? Is it worth having?
Bill