My son, Rob, and I found this at the Canton Ohio swap meet last week . It's a 74 inch HEAVY DUTY sheet metal brake , and it must weigh at least 1500 lbs. Was a lot of fun loading it onto the trailer ( NOT ! ). Someone took the builders tag off it, so if anyone knows what make it is, please let me know. If bigger is better then this must be the best .
That's a pretty nice break if the main leaf is still square. It is actually what is called a box & pan break because of the removable sections. The big blue balls (I really didn't want to type that) are counterweights and are adjustable up and down on their arms for more or less leverage. Make sure you mount it square and level to the planet and you are good to go. I suspect it is from the 40's and is probably capable of at least 16 gauge if not heavier by the size of the balls. Could be aPexto but that's a wild guess.
I now see that it has the angle iron bolted to the front leaf. That is for bending heavier metals so you don't spring the leaf. You can remove that angle for lighter gauge work like 24 or 20 gauge sheet metal. I prefer working without one on mine but make sure it is in place if you are breaking 16 gauge and heavier.
went to an auction saturday, they sold one similar, 8', for $100 to a scrap guy. it was with a pile of steel.
Nice clean piece for the money. But then.... You probably had "big blue balls" after trying to lift it!
Quite a find!, the good thing about a box and pan brake, is the tooling you can build and use with it. Top dies built out of round tube, to make radius bends. With a machine that size a 3" tube should be a possibility. I have dies from 1/2" up to 3" for mine.
That's an excellent score! I for one, appreciate the older stuff for it's quality, durability, and all around coolness.
I have an old 8' Chicago brake .....serial number shows it was buit in '48.....(I'm guessin') a lot of the parts look familiar. Although yours is a box and pan ( Heavy Mofo! ) brake. I know mine is heavy enough!...I have it on some casters! This is just a guess..hopefully somebody will know for sure! ...nice score tho!....
Sand it down to bare metal and see what color you find at the first layer.Could be a Pexto,maybe not?
Could be a Niagra. I think they were sea foam green. just like engine blocks you really can't tell from the color. On the other hand you stole that thing at $850.00.
Along the same lines: You can take a piece of .032 sheet metal, and 3 pieces of .063 sheetmetal, the width of your brake, ( or any width you like), and have them bent while they are stacked, on a power brake, ( at a big sheetmetal shop), where they will "nest" when bent. Bend them to "nest" on your box brake fingers. Then when you stack them sequentially, you get a 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, and 5/16 radii respectively. We have a set we use on our box and pan brake here at work. Number them from smallest to largest, and secure them with bungee cord to the "fixed leaf " on your brake, with the bungee cords tensioned, and pull the stack down when you need certain radius. The bungee will keep them pressed tight to the fingers on your brake. Ya' gotta' remember though! If you want a 1/4 radius, stack the smaller ones behind it, or you'll dick up your nose pieces! We have some boneheads here who can't fathom the concept
Sounds like a handy jig to have for your brake! how wide do you make the strips?? and any pics of the radius this makes??
I do the same thing as well, it really helps to form the correct radius for the job. This is the tube die I mentioned in my earlier post, I have a few different lengths, it works well for forming fan shrouds.
I've been in the Metal bizz for almost 30 years, that's obsolete for modern times! But as long as its true,and straight, you should be just fine!!! Good score!!
Very nice score! I've been looking for a box & pan brake. Got a lead on a standard brake a couple weeks ago and called the guy. He says he sold his business, equipment and building. Was going to keep the brake, but thinks his guys must have dropped it moving it because it will no longer lever up to 90 degrees. Was going to just scrap it-says I can have it for $100 . I tell him I'll be there in 20 minutes. On my way over, I figure I can't go wrong for $100 and the issue is hopefully just a lever or mechanism. I walk into his shop, see it sitting there and say "I'll take it". He says "good, you can borrow my flatboy trailer and I'll get the guy next door to load it for you with his forklift". I'm thinking wow, chalk this up to good livin, but it gets better; Fast forward to the move; I try to fold up the leaf and I notice the counterweight is crashing down on top of a cardboard box behind the machine. Move the box and the machine works fine! Easiest fix ever . It's a beast. Must be about 1000 lbs? I built a steel platform with 8 heavy duty casters that it now sits on. Takes up some space in the garage even when shoved against a wall. It's a 5' 16 gauge Chicago by Dreis & Krump Mfg. Co. I sent the serial # to them asking if they could date the machine but haven't heard back from them. Anyone know where to get date of manufacture info? I'm guessing maybe 1940's?
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