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brakes, both apron and box...

77ironhead

Titanium
Joined
Jan 22, 2006
Location
maryland
occasionally, I have need of bending odd shapes (brackets, etc) in material upwards of 1/4" thickness, and anywhere from 1/2" to 6" wide in chrome-moly, stainless, and HRS. I don't have a need (or floor space, for that matter) for a 3' brake (the smallest I've been able to find that will bend 1/4" stock). My current process involves a bench vise and big crescent wrench or a hammer, but keeping an acceptable finish/ overall appearance is (obviously) problematic....customers don't want a bunch of hammer marks on the brackets on their weldment. I'm thinking a 12" wide throat will be more than sufficient for my needs (mostly clearance for putting an odd angle bend into a piece, rather than bending a 12" wide part)....any thoughts out there as to makers, or am I going to need to make something up myself in-house?
 
Do you have a hyd press? If so Great Plains,div of Northern, sells a simple brake to be used in a hyd press. Have had one for years just to do misc stuff, works just fine.
 
I've thought about making a "bar folder" for awhile for what you suggest...heavy steel weldment version of a brake on the order of size 6-12" wide as above. I hadn't decided on a choice of bearings...probably whatever I have or can find cheaply.

A press brake would make a nicer radius...I think the above might increase somewhat in radius as the metal thickness goes up.
 
Do you have a hyd press? If so Great Plains,div of Northern, sells a simple brake to be used in a hyd press. Have had one for years just to do misc stuff, works just fine.

you mean like this?

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_479830_479830

I've used them, but they're a bit limiting on the finished angle, short of making new dies for them....a lot of the finished angles I do are 'by guess and by golly', i.e. bend it some, check it against the mating part, bend it a little more, etc etc, until it's right (rehab work, and custom work, 99% of the time not working from a print with a finished angle spelled out)
 
I've thought about making a "bar folder" for awhile for what you suggest...heavy steel weldment version of a brake on the order of size 6-12" wide as above.


exactly what I had in mind-or, if I can figure out a way to do it, kind of the best of both worlds of a brake with possibly the 'rolling' action of a diacro bender (only in the vertical plane instead of the horizontal)
 
Williams low buck makes a 6" x 1/8" brake-
http://www.lowbucktools.com/platebrake.html
Says it will do 2" x 1/4"

Me, I use my hossfeld for this, it will do up to 4" wide, up to at least 1/2" x 4" cold- I have done 1" x 4" hot before.
With the hossfeld, you can vary the radius, you can do multiple bends, reverse bends, and a whole lot more.

I also have a 4' x 12 gage Dries and Krump box and pan, and I wont put 1/4" in it, but it eats 1/8" for breakfast. But it is rather large, and weighs 2000lbs.
 
Head over to the Hobart welding forum and do a search for "brake" in the advanced search mode with "Dan" as the author. There will be a shop built version of the Lowbucktools brake with a build list. Also, do a search for "bender" with "Rocky D" as the author and another version of the same bender with more pictures of the build will become available. Either should get the job done, although you may have to size up for 1/4" material.

I also have the Hossfeld and recommend it for anyone that has the money to feed those expensive sunofaguns....about $4000 so far.
 

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I have the Lowbuck that Ries referenced. It will do what it advertises, although it creates a large radius on 1/4" stock -- you could get a tighter bend with a heavier, and more expensive tool.

Don't exceed their recommendations or the frame will distort. 4 X 1/4" was too much for it, although the damage was repairable. . . .
 
I have the Lowbuck that Ries referenced. It will do what it advertises, although it creates a large radius on 1/4" stock -- you could get a tighter bend with a heavier, and more expensive tool.

Don't exceed their recommendations or the frame will distort. 4 X 1/4" was too much for it, although the damage was repairable. . . .


how hard is it to modify the top plate to create intentional radius (for instance) or to make a 'finger' if I need to bend an internal component? That looks like it might fit the bill already, but options are always nice even if they never get used.
 
Here is a pic of the one I made to use on my 50 ton Ironworker. The die is 3/4" steel, ground to a bull nose, with guides on each side. The base is 3/16" X 1 1/2" angle welded in an upside down "W".
It will bend 1/4" X 12" and I have bent 3/8" X 3". If you have a press you could build something simular. Scotchman wants almost $1000. for one.
 

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how hard is it to modify the top plate to create intentional radius (for instance) or to make a 'finger' if I need to bend an internal component? That looks like it might fit the bill already, but options are always nice even if they never get used.

It's basically a weldment of standard structural shapes. The movable parts are probably 1/4" stock, the frame is a little heavier. I think it would be easy to make a "finger" type of arrangement. Not sure how I'd go about attempting to change the radius of the bend.

I should note that many of the components are welded together rather than mechanically fastened, so if you wanted to make options you'd end up duplicating a larger component of the bender than is strictly necessary. Does that make sense? In other words, you might have to make up a few optional assemblies rather than just removable fingers.

Looking back at the requirements in your original post, I'd think you'd want something beefier for the range of stock you list. But the Lowbuck is good for it's intended use.
 
I have an 8' power D & K box and pan style. It is rated for 3/16 x 8', or 1/4 x 2'. The 1/4 needs 3/4 set-back, and bend in 2 or 3 steps with reclamping.

I am always resetting the setback of the top leaf, as it seems every other time I use it I am working with a different thickness of material. You wouldn't have the constant adjustment with a press brake.

As for your radius question, yes you can use radiused fingers on a box and pan brake. They give a truer radius than just using additional setback on the top leaf.

While I don't mean to hijack the post, I must ask because it is getting attention. Does anybody have or know of good books on fabrication techniques using apron brakes? I have seen most of the car fab books, and found them lacking. There had to be some good texts on industrial fabricating from the '40's or '50's, I just haven't found them yet.
 
the Hobart forum where? at the corporate website?:confused:

Yes on the corporate site. Here is the link.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/

If you are a welder/weldor it shouldn't be a difficult build at all for you to make the bender...as well as building it beefy enough to handle the stock you wish to bend.

As I said before, click on the advanced search feature and have at it. This is by no means the only bender listed on that forum. You should be able to come up with a shop built solution to your problems. I've never built this bender as my Hossfeld bender handles the same job and more. I have buil tthe hydraulic attachment patterned after the Hossfeld option as well as the "L" shaped bending arm. No rocket science involved with any of these tools.
 
It's basically a weldment of standard structural shapes. The movable parts are probably 1/4" stock, the frame is a little heavier.

the penny drops...I went a looked again at the lowbuck, it looks like a big piece of angle

I think it would be easy to make a "finger" type of arrangement. Not sure how I'd go about attempting to change the radius of the bend.

a thicker piece of stock ground at an angle perhaps?

I should note that many of the components are welded together rather than mechanically fastened, so if you wanted to make options you'd end up duplicating a larger component of the bender than is strictly necessary. Does that make sense? In other words, you might have to make up a few optional assemblies rather than just removable fingers.

makes perfect sense, and is something I need to consider, but modification isn't strictly neccesary, just throwing ideas out there


Looking back at the requirements in your original post, I'd think you'd want something beefier for the range of stock you list. But the Lowbuck is good for it's intended use.

my requirements aren't cut in stone, more a worst case scenario....probably if I get bigger than 1/4"x1" on a regular basis, I'll need to re-evaluate my tooling needs anyways (any excuse to buy more tools and machines:D)
 
77ironhead

That's not the brake i was describing, I went to the web site but there are no pictures.
The brake I have will bend 26" wide and really is a simple upper lower die set.

I use it in a 20 ton press and to date has worked fine.

I'll try for a picture tomorrow.

I think I paid $225?

Andy
 








 
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