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Need some help pricing a brake and shear

maynah

Stainless
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Location
Maine
I'm helping a family sell some tools their father had and need a ball park number for value.
Not looking for the pie in the sky, wring every penny out of it, but not looking to give it away either.
Consider they are in average usable condition. I know they are old.
They have been sitting in an unheated shop for a few years.
I also know different parts of the country will be different. I'll figure that variable out.
And yes I know someone probably saw one go for $50 at an auction near them.
I'm advising the family not to sell either for $50.
Thanks for all the combined wisdom here.


Chicago Brake - L5 60" wide, bends up to 12 ga.

Niagara shear - 42" wide, shears up to 18 ga.


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I would say pictures and details would help, but really those probably aren't worth a ton in nice shape and if they're ugly and needing work price is pretty low.

I'd think a shear under 48" would be a harder sell than one that is 48" and wider.

Maybe a grand for the shear and $1500 brake depending on options/condition? If they are rough, but functional $500 a piece is probably nearer to reality.
 
Go to Surplusrecord.com and look through their for sale pages or you can do what many used machinery dealers do. Under their "wanted" section and put the model numbers you have and ask for quotes on those models and average out those quotes.
 
That’s a ductwork shear, not worth much to anyone outside of HVAC due to the weird size blade and light gauge capacity.

You didn’t say if it was powered or not, I’m assuming it’s a jump shear. I would say $500 is a fair number for that, maybe $800 if it is powered.

That brake on the other hand is quite valuable. Being rated to bend 60” of 12 ga on a hand brake is pretty stout. Also not common. I’m assuming a solid apron brake, you could probably ask $1200 and get it pretty easily. If it is a box and pan brake or “finger brake” as they’re called sometimes, are worth a fair bit more. I’d say $1800-$2200 for a finger brake of that size.
 
I have a guy coming to look at the brake and I want to make sure it works right before he comes. In the first picture above notice how high the clamp is above the bed, (I've looked at a few YouTube videos). When I move the clamp levers forward the clamp lowers a little but is way too high for sheet metal.
How do I adjust the clamp?
I'm assuming its either the white or yellow arrows, or both. Course adjustment, fine adjustment?
What does the red arrow do?
As always thanks for the help.


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I found some more pieces that I think go with the brake. There is a 60" long blade type of piece and some pieces that may be to turn the brake into a finger brake. In my post above I talk about the gap under the clamp. Does the long bar fill that gap? Do the cast pieces make it a box/pan brake?
Again any help is much appreciated.



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look them up on ebay "IN THE SOLD AREA" .. you cant go by what some guy "WANTS" for his stuff .. I would say take 20% off what they have been selling for would be about right ,,, but it has a LOT to do with what part of the country your in as to what they bring ..
 
I can see them on my end. I even logged out and can still see them.
How bout thumbnails. I'm still clinging to Internet Explorer, I wonder if that would make a difference?

Thanks D.D., I've already got them priced. $500 shear. $1200 brake.
I've got some interest and went back to take more pictures and that's when I found the brake parts.
At least I think they're brake parts. That's what I hope you guys can help me with.
 

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I can see them on my end. I even logged out and can still see them.
How bout thumbnails. I'm still clinging to Internet Explorer, I wonder if that would make a difference?

Thanks D.D., I've already got them priced. $500 shear. $1200 brake.
I've got some interest and went back to take more pictures and that's when I found the brake parts.
At least I think they're brake parts. That's what I hope you guys can help me with.

I think you have parts for multiple brakes.

I'm not at all familiar with the L5 brake. Those fingers are certainly different that what I'm used to, but perhaps they do fit that one. If so, put them on that machine, and sell it that way.

However, I'm pretty sure the long bar you have in the second pic goes to the later BP and BPO series brakes. Those brakes use a multi piece finger assembly that's bolted together, and what you have is the nose bar for it.

That bar is designed to either be cut into sections that match the finger width, or to be left whole, and attached to half a dozen fingers, to turn the machine into a straight brake. Hopefully these pictures of mine will clarify that.

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If buying new from D&K, that's a pretty expensive chunk of metal. I think it was in the realm of $40/inch when I quoted one. Granted, that's a pretty specialty piece, not a whole lot of people needing it, but it wouldn't hurt to put that on ebay at a few hundred bucks or so.


With further internet scrolling, I think what you have is some variation of the very top left picture on the very last page of this link, which they are calling a specialty brake designed for larger radius inserts, as well as fingers. It sounds as if it could have some long nose bars, if you thought you might have more stuff tucked away, but I'm still reasonably sure that the long nose bar you have doesn't fit it.

https://www.sterlingmachinery.com/m...ago-hand-operated-bending-brakes-brochure.pdf
 
Thank you for posting the photos of your brake. Mine is a W-31 (4' x 14 gauge) and it's constructed similarly. I had typed out a post and realized it was useless without pictures. That's a good find on the PDF. It looks like the brake the OP is asking about is a pretty rare piece.

It looks like the fingers in the OP's photos go with the brake pictured. I agree with the assessment that the nose bar probably doesn't go with this brake. It's installed upside down in the OP's photo of it on the brake.
 
Thanks Fish On and Graham.
I've been doing some poking around myself and that brochure and more are on the VintageMachinery.org site.
The information is under Dreis & Klump in the publication and reprints heading. It's a great resource for obscure information.
I also found another bar that was pushed back under the clamp. Those holes across the clamp are just access to the 12 bolts.
That is the nose bar clamp whose bolts pull up to hold the nose bar.
I also discovered what that curved hinged piece is on the far right side of the brake. It's the swinging quadrant gauge.
I've learned a lot more about metal brakes than I intended to but that is a good thing. I bet it's fun to watch a skilled operator bend up a complicated piece.
I need to get a dozen 1/2" bolts and I'll report back the result. Again thanks to all.


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I have everything back together and it works. I even bent a piece. The bolts are 5/8-11, 2" long.
I post most of this detail because sometime there will be someone searching and this will help them.

Thanks again.

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I think thats what they called a "combination" brake. I have never seen a D&K version, but Whitney Jensen used to sell one- it can be either or a straight brake or a finger brake, depending on which dies you bolt in. But I am guessing that in finger brake form, its downrated from 12 gage to 14 gage or 16 gage. I own a 12 gage D&K finger brake, and the fingers for 12 gage are much beefier. Yours actually look a lot like the Whitney dies. Here is a link to a similar model. Used Whitney-Jensen Combination Box & Pan Brake Sterling Machinery
this dealer is well known for very high prices, and the ability to keep something for as long as it takes to get their price.
 
I think thats what they called a "combination" brake. I have never seen a D&K version, but Whitney Jensen used to sell one- it can be either or a straight brake or a finger brake, depending on which dies you bolt in. But I am guessing that in finger brake form, its downrated from 12 gage to 14 gage or 16 gage. I own a 12 gage D&K finger brake, and the fingers for 12 gage are much beefier. Yours actually look a lot like the Whitney dies. Here is a link to a similar model. Used Whitney-Jensen Combination Box & Pan Brake Sterling Machinery
this dealer is well known for very high prices, and the ability to keep something for as long as it takes to get their price.

I was thinking the same thing about it possibly being a combination brake.

Thanks Fish On and Graham.
I've been doing some poking around myself and that brochure and more are on the VintageMachinery.org site.
The information is under Dreis & Klump in the publication and reprints heading. It's a great resource for obscure information.
I also found another bar that was pushed back under the clamp. Those holes across the clamp are just access to the 12 bolts.
That is the nose bar clamp whose bolts pull up to hold the nose bar.
I also discovered what that curved hinged piece is on the far right side of the brake. It's the swinging quadrant gauge.
I've learned a lot more about metal brakes than I intended to but that is a good thing. I bet it's fun to watch a skilled operator bend up a complicated piece.
I need to get a dozen 1/2" bolts and I'll report back the result. Again thanks to all.

That makes a lot more sense. I wondered what the holes were for.
 








 
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