Sheet metal fabrication.

Just wondering who on here does sheet metal fabrication? You know making panels for vehicles on cars and hvac and stuff. would like to get into it a little. Just wondering what special tools do u need to do so and for those who own a business what is a majority if your work?

I don't do too much sheet metal work, though the tubing I work with regularly is thinner yet than most sheet goods.

Around here, There is a lot of HVAC work for sheetmetal folks. There is at least one place that does custom gutter work as well. Bigger sheet metal fabricators build a lot of equipment for the various plywood mills, farm/processing machinery, etc.

I'll bet Ries has some good suggestions as to equipment you might need, but like most things, sheet metal fabrication is pretty varied in scale, from small stuff to really freaking huge stuff, so your workspace and inclinations probably have some substantial effect on what you might need to get going. Shears, presses, rolls, ironworkers, etc. all come in a variety of sizes, capacities, etc.

any ideas of what scale of work you would like to do? We do a lot of different sizes of things from one up punch and die forming to large power distribution enclosures ( breaker panels) and large breaker enclosures. our range of tooling, shears, breaks and punch presses and not to mention tooling for the machines ie.... press breaks and punches are virtually endless, we never throw any of even our quickie tooling away. if you plan on doing custom sheet metal work you may also need a really good welder that will do TIG as well as MIG, on occasion some stick welding. the possibilities are endless, I enjoy doing some sheet metal work every now and then because it breaks up the monotony (for lack of a better term) of doing machine work every day.

Good luck with your sheet metal endeavors.

Bob

Hi, I've been doing sheet metal fab for over 30 years now...it's what I built my business on, although I do much more work in bar and rod stock, and sculpture work now, Started out doing sheet metalwork in the roofing trade...learned on a some historical restoration jobs how to do it properly, and apprenticed for many years...lots of double locked standing seam roofs, box gutters, real custom and detailed flashing work, then moved into ornamental sheet work...cornices, custom bay window roofs and moldings, finial and weathervanes, cupolas...then started doing range hoods, countertops, front doors and bartops...you name it. Also didi some detail hvac work, but that's pretty basic stuff compared to the more demanding ornamental stuff.

Now with collapsible ducting, insulated fiberglas ductwork, and the fact that most standard sheet metal ductwork and fittings are available at the big box store I couldn't imagine wanting to try to compete with that. I would consider the ornamental detail aspects that I just described...much more satisfying, an much nicer high dollar niche, and essentially all the same tooling as an old style HVAC shop would use.

You would need a good sturdy 5' x 10' wood workbench and some shelves to store your sheet stock, a decent vice or two to hold tooling and stakes, an 18 ga soft steel shop brake and I would recommend a 4' maganabend or magnetic brake over a 4' finger/box brake. Hand tools like some decent hammers and mallets, snips and shears, hand tongs for deeper bends by hand...then some sheet metal forming stakes and a pexto bench plate to mount the stakes in...stuff like a blowhorn and beakhorn stake, coppersmiths stake, some round and dome head stakes etc. I'd also think about a set of electric handshears like the ones Draco makes...and maybe even a small diacro 24" shear. Other common and invaluable sheetmetal tools are rollformers like a 36" size at least, and a pexto rotary tool which can be very handy sometimes.

If you want to work on cars and do panel work then an english wheel is a very helpful tool, as are quality shrinker stretcher tools and some panel bags filled with sand. Also raising and sinking stumps are very helpful, and you can make those yourself

One thing I can't stress enough as an important set of tools for sheetmetal work are layout tools and good rules. Quality ornamental sheet metal layout can be very unforgiving, and compounded error adds up quickly during layout. It took me years to realize that the rulers I used were off...not me. Now it's only starrett rulers and straightedges...so something to consider from an old head at the game...

All this stuff can be found used from used machinery dealers...and none of it is so complicated that you can't find good quality tools in good shape. Buying a brake ain't nearly as complicated as buying something like a lathe...just a few simple checks and you can tell if it's a good tool or a beater...

You can make a great career learning ornamental sheet work. Believe me, there are not that many guys who are hammering out cool bowls, doing bartops and custom planters, sinks and doing it well. There's plenty of stuff available off the shelf...but theres also a really nice market of people who appreciate local handworked craftsmanship and art, and who need custom sized and creative solutions for applications where there's literally nothing available local, or even online. Here's just a fraction of some of the stuff I've done...just to show you what a nice market this work can be if you take some time to learns some skills and use some imagination

http://www.copperwork.com/sheetwork.html


Good luck if you go for it...

A friend of mine in IL built a traveling sheet metal shop in a 20 ft trailer. He brings it to job sites where he is working, and he is always busy building the specials that weren't ordered correctly or that they suddenly need. He told me that the trailer keeps him always employed since the only other choice would be to do a special rush order with the fab shop, which still requires 2 days. He can crank out a rush order in minutes.

Even though he does residential HVAC as his normal business, he told me that the trailer always keeps him welcome at commercial jobs as well.

I have been dinking around with sheet metal for 30 years or so now, not an artist at it like John is, but I can make most things from sheet and they are good enough to get paid for it.

In terms of hand work, particularly car oriented stuff, I would buy Ron Fournier's book, Metal Fabricators Handbook.

He covers an enormous amount in a pretty small paperback that has tons of pictures- hand and machine tools, alloys, layout, cutting, welding, hand hammering, english wheel, and more.

Its a great overview and reference book- its all in there.

I was lucky enough to take a workshop from him over ten years ago, and then come home and built up my own english wheel and forming station. Dont use it a ton, but I know enough of the basics, and have the tools, so I can usually make what I want on the second try or so.

Fournier Enterprises {Metal Shaping Books: Metal Fabricator's Handbook, Sheet Metal Handbook and more!}

I also really recommend Sheet Metal Shop Practice, by Leo Meyer- this is the apprentice textbook for the Union, and it covers layout, tools, and tool use really well. Not car oriented like Ron is, but again, a simple, easy to read book with lots of pictures and diagrams that has ALL the basic information, and something you will refer back to for years- mine is dated, when I bought it, as I often do, May, 1982- and I still pull it off the bookshelf to look stuff up.
Sheet Metal Shop Practice by Leo A. Meyer: Amer Technical Pub 9780826919021 Hardcover - Atlanta Book Company

Me, I would start with a good set of bulldog snips, and a set of three aviation snips, and maybe a Whitney No. 5 punch.

You can work up to stakes and hammers and forming tools, but there is a lot to learn just cutting and laying out flat stuff.

Of course, a brake, shear, rolls, and a combination rotary machine are all really nice to have.

One of my mate is a veteran in sheet metal fabrication.Initially as a normal worker he was struggling to meet both ends.His wages weren't that good.But now he started his own firm and he grew financially more than we friends could imagine.So if you have that passion for it, then you are on the right way.

You need to decide what type of sheet metal work you want to concentrate on. While some of the tools are the same no matter what type of work, others have much more specialized needs. HVAC is pretty much dependant on a few big tools and some hand tools, where auto/aviation is more hand tool orientated. Ornamental work is a whole 'nuther world. HVAC is probably going to be an aprenticeship type learning. There are a few schools that teach it, but I didn't see any in a quick search, that were close to you.

Kent White (Tinmantech.com), Ron Fournier (fournierenterprises.com) and Lazze Janssen (lazzemetalshaping.com) are three excellent souirces for aero/auto type work. Kent also does quite a bit of art type work, but aero/auto is his mainstay. I believe that all three offer workshops for new and advance guys,so before you get too commited, it might be worth the bucks to attend a basic workshop to make sure it's the way you want to go.

Playing with sheet metal is probably one of the few trades that the basics remain fairly static, but the implementaton is always changing.

I don't know too much about sheet metal fabrication, but I've messed around with it a little. This is what I've learned:

Bending a tight corner with sheet metal by hand is harder than you think. Bending in and of itself isn't too difficult for lighter gauges, but it's much more difficult to get a nice 90 degree bend by hand. I've learned that by experience, using a hammer and the floor in my hillbilly shop. You can try clamping the sheet metal in between 2 pieces of 2x4 in a vice and bending/hammering it into a some tight radius, but it's still pretty difficult for thicker gauges. I've tried this on 16 gauge, and it wasn't particularly easy.

A sheet metal brake is a very useful tool for bending sheet metal. I don't have one yet, but I plan to build a relatively simple one. Depending on your needs, you may or may not be able to build your own as well. If you need super heavy duty survive the apocalypse 10 times in a row, you might be better off buying one. If you need a relatively small one (like maybe 5-6 feet or less, possibly longer), you can probably construct a somewhat decent one yourself, save some money, and have much less frustration than using a Harbor Freight tool because you couldn't afford a decent brand (not that you were considering Harbor Freight, but I think you get my point). There's plenty of instructions for building them online, too. Try searching for 'Dave's cheap bending brake' or something like that.

Putting a piece of sheet metal vertically in a vice, even with 2x4s clamped in there vertically for support, and then using a sawzall for a long vertical cut is NOT a particularly good idea. Again, I've learned this from experience. I mounted a small vice on the desk in my bedroom (Yes, I know, it's not the idea place, but I had nowhere else), and I shook almost every book off the bookshelf leg of the desk and about half the stuff on top ended up knocked on the floor. My mom thought I was shaking the house apart! The sheet metal kept bending all over the place when I tried to start a cut, despite being 16 gauge (It was about 18 inches long, though). A much better idea is to clamp the sheet metal horizontally to something like a portable worktable that splits open. I used the cheap $20 or so work table from Menards (I didn't have much money then. . .), and put the length you want to cut in between the split table top parts. I used 30 or 40 pound bags of kitty litter on the legs to stabilize it, and then I tried the sawzall again. It worked MUCH better this way. Of course, you can always just use a cutoff wheel or a table saw capable of metal cutting with a metal cutting disc installed.

Oh, and electrical solder does NOT work for keeping steel sheets together. It was all I had at the time, so I tried it, but it didn't come even close to working. I bought some JB Weld, and that solved the problem relatively cheaply, without the need for buying a welding machine or brazing equipment.

Keep in mind that my experience with sheet metal amounts to making a cylinder, a little foot switch chassis, and a single panel of a box. Your results may differ, especially considering I'm limited with my access to the right tools due to cost and space constraints.

I consider sheet metal work to be in two classes, flatwork and 3D stuff. Either you're just bending or shrinking and stretching to create complex 3D surfaces.

I have played with the English Wheel and other tools for metal shaping since I was a kid. Fun but very frustrating hahaha. Gotta ask yourself what you want to get into.

Go to this site -

allmetalshaping.com

You will have to register and will probably waste many hours there.

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Hi guys!

Maybe this machine will help you with bending the sheet metal, it can be configured in lengths of 3.2 to 12.2 meters:

https://dinamicline.com

Machine specifications:

Type: CNC
Length: 8000mm
Width: 1300mm
Space requirements: (1900 x 1650 x 8800)
Metal sheet bending thickness: 0.7mm
Bending angle: 136 stepeni
Machine weight: 3t
Power requirements: 3kw/16A
Motor power: 2,2 kw
Opening width: 105mm
Insertion depth: 1250mm

Hope this will help!

skee11 said:

Hi guys!

Maybe this machine will help you with bending the sheet metal, it can be configured in lengths of 3.2 to 12.2 meters:

https://dinamicline.com

Machine specifications:

Type: CNC
Length: 8000mm
Width: 1300mm
Space requirements: (1900 x 1650 x 8800)
Metal sheet bending thickness: 0.7mm
Bending angle: 136 stepeni
Machine weight: 3t
Power requirements: 3kw/16A
Motor power: 2,2 kw
Opening width: 105mm
Insertion depth: 1250mm

Hope this will help!

Click to expand...

Does it come with a case of Spam? I really does look cool, and like an overgrown siding brake. At .7 mm max thickness I am not sure who is the market other than flashing/roofer types.