Press brake

[JCByrd24]

This is the press brake I made some time ago that was asked about in my forks thread. Very simple, 3"x3/8" flat, some 5/8" bolts, 1" hex, and some 3/4" couplers. The springs and top pins haven't been fitted yet and i also should have a piece of tube centered on the knife to receive the press. So far I've bent 3/8"x3" flat to a sharp 90 deg bend, that's about the capacity for my press. A couple things I would change, skip the special order hex and use round bar, pipe might even work. The edges wear on the hex. Also, couplers are obviously cheesy as guides, but work well enough. Also note this is really design for 1/4-3/8" material due to spacing between hex. You can google to find recommended spacing for other thicknesses, and thin stuff can benefit from a vee die, I could make one to slide in between the hex bars for doing like 1/8" by 6" flat, but the need hasn't come up.

 

[Artisan]

Nice tool! If you do a UTUBE post the link!

 

[Ed of all trades]

I like:thumbsup: Will keep in mind in case the need arises.

 

[jwmorris]

I built one years back out of 1" plate steel for the die and 5/8 plate for the base.

 

[Artisan]

Troy at Swag OffRoad.com makes a few different kits
to build your own pressbrake. I have a few items from
troy and all his stuff is top notch. He has items that turn
mundain Harbor Freight tools, into real work horses, check
out his whole site...

 

[lwhiway]

Very handy tools to have in the farm shop/hobby weekender shop. I have a few of different designs for different bending abilities.

Well done.

Adding a note.....as your material increases in thickness, you can cut slits at the brake line like dashes along the brake line, bend at that point bevel into the slit lines and reweld as necessary. Poor mans bending.

 

[Misfire]

Troy at Swag OffRoad.com makes a few different kits
to build your own pressbrake. I have a few items from
troy and all his stuff is top notch. He has items that turn
mundain Harbor Freight tools, into real work horses, check
out his whole site...

Thank you for that link. While I may not buy anything from that site, it has already provided valuable information. I have a 20T HF press and had no idea the cast plates that came with it are so dangerous. It never occurred to me that they could shatter as thick as they are.

I don't use my press very often, so I may not invest in the Swag replacements, as they cost more than I paid for the press itself. But I will be sure to use a full face shield every time I press anything.

Misfire

 

[jwmorris]

Yeah, their prices are out there for stuff that a "metal guy" can/would make themselves. If you can cut and weld the metal you are going to form with the press brake, you can build the entire thing yourself. However I may just be a bit different, I thought the HF press frame wasn't strong enough for a 20 ton press so I just built the one above to suit me.