I'm probably the worst person you could ask for pictures. I did find one set, IIRC it was a special request to take pictures, note the date!
This is a cover I made for a refrigerator vent opening on an Airstream RV. I work with a lot of sheet metal and like working with aluminum, the die for this was made of plywood. Basically just cut the opening the size and shape needed, radius the edge on the bottom, wax the punch so the metal will slide without breaking.
This is the formed part in place on the roof. Hopefully it will easier to understand what I did if you know what I wanted to end up with.
The two bottle jacks hold the 'blank' flat and tight against the plywood under them. The ram from the press drives the punch down to form the flange.
You can see the aluminum sheet under the steel tube.
Another shot a little closer, maybe easier to see and understand how it's set up. The punch that will form the flange is the light colored curved part behind the steel tube, the bar that pushes it has to be close to the size of the punch or the plywood will disintegrate instead of forming.
A shot from the end. The steel that drove the punch (light colored oval) down is off, best shot I have of how it works.
If you just want to make a straight bends there are brake dies made for presses. Northern Tool sells them, but they aren't cheap. They're a pretty simple setup, it's kind of hard for me to understand why they're so expensive.
NorthStar Press Brake For 40-Ton Shop Press 29in. Length | Shop Press Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment
I see old brake dies from power brakes for sale all the time, and relatively cheap comparatively. It wouldn't take a lot to make one for a quarter the price.
This is a cover I made for a refrigerator vent opening on an Airstream RV. I work with a lot of sheet metal and like working with aluminum, the die for this was made of plywood. Basically just cut the opening the size and shape needed, radius the edge on the bottom, wax the punch so the metal will slide without breaking.
This is the formed part in place on the roof. Hopefully it will easier to understand what I did if you know what I wanted to end up with.
The two bottle jacks hold the 'blank' flat and tight against the plywood under them. The ram from the press drives the punch down to form the flange.
You can see the aluminum sheet under the steel tube.
Another shot a little closer, maybe easier to see and understand how it's set up. The punch that will form the flange is the light colored curved part behind the steel tube, the bar that pushes it has to be close to the size of the punch or the plywood will disintegrate instead of forming.
A shot from the end. The steel that drove the punch (light colored oval) down is off, best shot I have of how it works.
If you just want to make a straight bends there are brake dies made for presses. Northern Tool sells them, but they aren't cheap. They're a pretty simple setup, it's kind of hard for me to understand why they're so expensive.
NorthStar Press Brake For 40-Ton Shop Press 29in. Length | Shop Press Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment
I see old brake dies from power brakes for sale all the time, and relatively cheap comparatively. It wouldn't take a lot to make one for a quarter the price.
