Homemade Sheet Metal Finger Brake

Two steel blocks were drilled and reamed to receive the pins.

Homemade sheet metal finger brake.

Its also a fun project and you know the out come is going to work no guessing involved. Finger brakes are positioned accurately using clamps and shims for perfect bends. It has a bend length of 62 inches. Select materials that will be strong enough for your needs.

Generally i ll stick the piece to be bent in the vise and smack it around until it s bent. Simple sheet metal brake. Lay the 7 x42 piece on top of the 14 piece with the front edges. The axis of rotation center of bender to be inline to bending line.

I will be used to make. I love working with metal but i ve always struggled to get perfect 90 bends. This is a homemade finger press brake. Since it almost always bends crooked i end up rebending and generally just.

Blocks were welded to the fixed part of the table. To its left is my wide finger which is holding down a strip of sheet metal. It will be powered by two 20 ton air operated bottle jacks. I have clamped a square to the fixed table.

Cut the angle iron and steel plate in sizes listed above making sure edges are square and straight. Hinge was fabricated by welding the pivot pins to the movable section of the table. The finger is back from the pivot line by the thickness of that stainless steel plate that you see all the way to the left. Homemade sheetmetal brake designed to accommodate finger brakes.

Adjust and do a tack weld at side of pivot and the top corner of angle iron point 1. The most important thing on a sheet metal brake is. Fabricated from steel and hardware. Twist a steel wire ø1 2mm around the pivot and place it at the gap on edge of bender.

To open the brake first loosen the bolts then insert a large screwdriver between the top and bottom plate at either end. Brake using the book called designing and building the sheet metal brake by david j gingery book cost 8 00 and worth ever cent i used scrap materal i had makes nice clean bends on 16 ga. Next insert your sheet metal lining up the bend line with the edge of the top plate. 1 4 inch 0 6 cm steel plate with bracing will enable.

I lifted the movable table and now have my first 90 bend. Time to try out the finger brake.