TECH Request. Radius Brake.

How do I trurn a regular sheetmetal brake into a radius brake?

I've seen it done on the HAMB.

Pretty sure it was Kiwi Kev...


Are there diffrent ways of doing this?

Do I have to change the pivot points on my brake?

Or is it an adapter that is used on a regular brake?

 

Alex...

Do you mean you want to bend in a curve instead of a 90 degree bend?

 

put another piece of metal over the part you're bending.

That's how we do it on robots, at least

 

Yeah.

A radiused bend instead of a sharp edge.

 

I have done this using the brake at work. I took some scrap, bent it, left it in the brake, added another piece of scrap, bent it, double-stick tape those two together, and keep stacking until you get the radius you want, then bend the piece you are after.

This was with a press brake, not the standard bend/brake.

 

I'd like to speed up the process a bit from that...

What I have is a Lowbucks Tools sheetmetal brake, that has served me very well over the years.
( despite its shortcomings... but it was great for what I payed for it )

I just picked up a much more heavy duty fingerbrake, which will do everything the LB did, and more.

But I dont want to get rid of the LB, I've gotten attached to it...

So I thought the best thing would be to turn it into something that will do what the fingerbrake cant ( or not without a lot of attachments...)

 

If it's a radius you will use continually, just double stick tape the thing on the brake and leave it.

Or you can just build up a couple different sets of radius benders and keep them for that machine.

I took pictures of what I did quite some time ago when someone else asked how I bent something. Trying to find them now.

 

Yeah, different radius' would be great if thats an option....

 

333 Half Evil had a brake he used for bending up bodies on dirt track stock cars that had a piece of 1/2' thick wall tubing he added to the endge of the fingers on his brake, and then would adjust it back so the edge of the tubing was at the front edge of the brake where the bending edge would pass by it....made a nice big 1/2' radius along the edges. This was on aluminum, I think .040" thick, but I'd think it would work on other material. Would be worth trying.

 

I made a dedicated radius brake for about 40 bucks, 60" long or there abouts, will do 18 gauge steel. took 5 hours or so.

If your interested let me know I'll grab some pics tomorrow and post up a walkthru.

 

Each layer of material you add will increase the radius, soften the bend.

Damn I wish I could find the picks. Had a good end shot that showed it.

 

OK, that makes sense...

I think that the one I saw on the HAMB worked that way too.

 

Thanks man.

I'd really appriciate it.

 

Gruvy,, I'll get something thrown together for ya.

 

I'm trying to figure out how that works.

Squirrel said to add metal too.

If you can find the pics that would be great.

But please dont spend crazy time trying to find them...

 

The piece of metal on top of the work piece will have a sharp bend on the inside corner, and a radius the thickness of the metal, on the outside. So the work piece under it will have an inside radius of the thickness of the metal, and the outside of the work piece will have a radius twice the thickness. you can add more pieces, the more you add, the more radius you get. You have to scoot the fingers back to allow clearance, of course.

 

Squirrel is talking about the same thing I am, except, as I mentioned, I used a press brake so there was no finger adjustment needed.

Also, I wound up putting scrap on both sides so there were no stretch marks from the die on the finished piece.

 

I did a project several years age and had to do 160 rounded bends.I made something to do it with.Here is a quick picture.I had to make it adjust because there were two sizes.And a lock to hold the sheet to bend it.I used c clamps back some just to make sure it didn't move.Once i got the bend measured i needed it went fast.Then I changed the rolls to the smaller ones and did them.
The trick was pushing both sides even,i started using a 2 x 4 to push both as i stood in the middle...
(I know it isn't the best picture but i just did a quick one with paint)

Steve

 

I split tubing that has the radius I want, and slide it over the fingers. Move fingers back, and adjust the clamp down and make any radius you want. I have also made new fingers and welded bar stock to the ends for stuff I bend a lot. Here is a high speed graphic.

 

OK.... Now I understand.

I dont think the little Lowbuck can handle doubling up on extra metal.

Its basically made out of pieces of angle iron...

( unless you leave the metal in pre bent, but then you'd be struggling with the way the LB clamps the metal.
Its not accurate, that is one of its real shortcomings...)

One of the radius' I'm looking for is to wrap aluminum sheet around a 1.75" Dia tube.

And maybe some bigger ones too...

 

Thanks for the pics, Xdrag and Badshifter.

Those are both good options.

I think I understand what I need to build.

 

Can you start a fresh thread on this? I built a brake before but I'm sure yours is much better!

 

On one end of my workbench I have two pipes welded on, big one on bottom, small one on top. there is a 0.100 gap between them. I slide the metal between them and bend it up for the little radius and down for the larger. Not a precise as the break, but it works very well.

Saw it during a Gene Winfield class once.

 

Hey 'Shapes... I tried to modify one of those "kit" brakes to do the same thing...and gave up as you HAVE to be able to move the clamps back for different radii...

I'm with FLT BLK... I now use a piece of pipe (or tubing, depending on what radius I need) that attaches flush to the top of my frame table. Heavy angle and C clamps make an infinitely adjustable hold down. Next step will be to incorporate a roller (as someone showed) and handles to the clamp bar. I figure I'll use 2 sleeves to mount the roller and pullback springs so it can adjust itself to whatever radius I need.

Got more sheetmetal coming up on the supermodified, so I might just get off my ass and get it built this time...

 

if i want to bend with radius i just clamp a tube
with the right radius in the brake n top of the sheet
i want to bend

 

here ya go!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636207

 

I saw it.

Thank you.

 

Sorry I gauge others intelligence level using my own as the bar and I probably would have missed it.

 

Cool! I have to make up some belly pans for my long neglected modified project... That'll come in damn handy!

 

didnt read through if you solved this but..... weld a length of round stock to a piece of flat bar, I had a 4' brake so mine was 4'. put your material in, then your fresh made tooling on top with the finger brake portion clamping down on it.... bend
nothing permanent, and and countless cheap tooling of whatever size you make