sheet metal folders (brakes)

May 27, 2018 22 Replies

I need one. Manually operated, not more than £150. Must be able to fol d sheet metal 1000mm wide. Ideas or experience anyone?



Bill


You should also specify the thickness and material of the metal you wish to bend.

Even so 1m wide is a tall order for 150 notes.

Needs to be rigid over 1m = loads-a-metal

In message , Bill Wright writes

I have one:-) Cost me ?2.50 when they closed the electronics assembly dept.

Just about does 3mm mild steel. There are limitations to how many sides you can fold with this type of tackle. Easy to fold a 2mx1m sheet in half but 4 sides on a tray would be restricted to around 25mm upstand.

Can't you find a fabricator near you.

or 1mm steel.

Bill

27/05/2018 21:45, Bill Wright wrote:

fold sheet metal 1000mm wide. Ideas or experience anyone?

Well, I'm doing bits and pieces all the time. A lot of vehicle body stuff at the moment.

Bill

Rarely flat except Landrover:-)

You can do a lot with a 6" bench vice, two lengths of strong angle iron and a G cramp or two. Where the fold is deeper than the vice jaw depth, work to one side and use the cramp to grip the angle iron and secure the piece.

Then you will only rarely want anything as thick as 2mm for structural chassis box sections, outriggers and stuff. Most car panelwork like wings & doors is sub 1mm.

In article , Bill Wright scribeth thus

Machine mart do one or two of them..

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The one I made with scrap wood bent 1.6mm steel 19" wide. 1mm is what, 0.39 as stiff so the same design could probably manage 19/.39 = 48" with much thicker wood. So it looks like it could do it. The corners aren't as sharp as a machine mart thing, but that's not usually an issue for car work. Add some thick L shaped steel if you want sharp corners.

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NT

It's a motorhome. Lots of flat areas.

Been doing just that but I'm fed up of it.

Bill

I have been using 1.5mm aluminium, mostly. Sometimes 2mm is better.

Bill

0.39 as stiff so the same design could probably manage 19/.39 = 48" with much thicker wood. So it looks like it could do it. The corners aren't as s harp as a machine mart thing, but that's not usually an issue for car work. Add some thick L shaped steel if you want sharp corners.

It's got ugly pictures, what more do you want?

NT

Unless you can find an old press second-hand then perhaps best to make a longer copy of that one;)

They had one and an Edwards trucut guillotine up at the old hospital when they closed the workshop down. Let me know what you want for those if your selling please?.

Wallies threw them out before they even told me!..

My remarks were applicable to mild steel. Folding aluminium I have no experience of (except to say trying to fold ally that's too thick will end up with stress fractures along the axis of the fold. Both unsightly and strength compromised.

Hmm.. I think my Kingsland does up to 48"

There is a Sealey DF910 in your budget range. (910mm)

There's several pretty videos on youtube ...

I would have thought your best bet was a second hand machine tool dealer: the sort working out of a collection of sheds, rather than one with shiny showrooms. They are far more likely to have a foot treadle folder sitting, almost forgotten, in a corner somewhere. I am long out of touch with prices though.

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