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Best way to bend this bracket (hand brake?)

DanielG

Stainless
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Location
Maine
I have a bracket I'll be making a few of. I don't have that much sheet metal equipment in house. My only brake is an 8'x14ga Dreis & Krump hand brake.

The basic model is pretty simple, and I can do it on my brake. All the bends line up, etc. I've attached a sketch of the profile.

For the more complex model, there are some areas where I need to not bend the metal up. Normally I'd say press brake with dogleg tooling, but it looks like it would take a pretty big dogleg to get around the interference.

The part of my brake that swings up has a removable metal insert (unfortunately it's all one piece). If I build/buy a new, sectional insert, it wouldn't bend up in the section where the insert isn't. I've never seen a brake work this way, so I'm not sure if it's feasible. Every time I've seen a hand brake with sectional tooling, it's a pan brake, and the sectional parts are on the top, clamping section, not the swinging part.

Apologies for the complete butchering of correct brake terminology.

Thanks,
Daniel
 

Attachments

  • sheet metal base sketch.jpg
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  • quick sheet metal part.jpg
    quick sheet metal part.jpg
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I would use a press brake with segmented tooling on the more complex model. The other job is good to go without the gooseneck die.
 
Graham, thanks for the Mittler link. I have never seen an apron brake with a segmented apron before.
 
What you're talking about doing with a sectional insert in the apron is do-able, here is an example of a commercially available piece that has that as well as a bed with fingers:

48" Ultimate Box & Pan Brake by Mittler Bros.

Thanks.

I spoke with Dreis & Krump, and they still sell the apron inserts for this brake. They're quoting me some sectional inserts. He said that era of brake (1942) was made with case hardened high-carbon steel inserts.

Are there any other companies that I should look at that would sell apron inserts?

If I need to make my own, is 4140PH a good choice? These aren't for long-run production work, so longevity isn't as big an issue.
 
I don't know that another company would make something to fit your Chicago brake.

I've made a fair bit of custom tooling for my finger brake from 1018 CR mild steel, and it works fine, though I mainly work in aluminum. I bet 4140PH apron inserts would last nearly forever if you're working with mild steel or aluminum.
 
Any press brake with a small punch die will make those bends. You just have to do 1, 4, 3, 2.

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
 








 
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