Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

As title. Was maybe 2-6 months ago? I have just searched several what I think appropriate sections back to 2016 without success.
Thanks. Rob

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

How appropriate..... I do not know the article you refer to.... but I have a surplus one if you want it. PM me if interested Sorry Mod if it is in violation of the thread

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

The reason you can find the info is that they're generally not referred to as 'sheet metal benders' as we might reasonably expect them to be.

For reasons that elude me, they're generally known as 'sheet metal brakes'. EG:

https://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Small-Sheet-Metal-Brake

Hope that helps.

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

I don't remember such a thread and it's the sort of thread which would have attracted my attention. It's quite possible I've forgotten it though!

I've tried the forum search facilities, but can find nothing.

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Thanks Wendy, just sent a pm.
David, thanks for the info.
The item I remember was a description and I think a drawing showing how it was made. Various slots were marked out so as to allow the corners to be made. If that makes sense. It was a home made item.
I tried a forum search as well.
I think it was a few weeks ago, maybe a few months even?
It was probably part of a different thread subject as well. I tried looking through a few forum headers, but snag is that if it was just a mention on a different subject, it would need digging deeper.
I remember thinking that it looked a useful item.
Anyway, I will see what Wendy has.
Thanks, Rob

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Thanks, Graham.
Probably a link given that was from a topic on here then.
I don't think it was on a different site or forum, as this is about the only one I use.
Thanks, Rob

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Other terms to search for are 'press brake' or 'box and pan folder'.
As said above, they just aren't usually called 'metal benders'!
Andy

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Hi Rob, plenty of designs on the web, try the Model Engineers Workshop mag, it has published quite a few designs over the years.

Ed

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

It could have been nested inside another thread, making it difficult to search for it.

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

if you search google, this current thread is already there, but there's no other mention of a thread about a bending tool on this forum.

could you have seen it on some other forum?

B

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Yes Bill. I have spent a couple of hours here now thinking about what I remember. For some reason, I can now picture a page in a book, bottom half of right hand page.
NOT a thread though now......I think??
The mind can do strange things sometimes.
So, I just spent a while looking through the 2 bulletins I have that are bound volumes. 1 is 1939-40, the other 1951-52. These i would occasionally have viewed in the last few months. But, nothing I found tonight about bending metal.
However, there are interesting articles that I must review at a later date.
Thanks, Rob

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Thinking further about this, there has been occasional mention of the American online magazine archive and that is somewhere I have whiled away quite a bit of time as well. That could be where I got the idea.
Not to worry anymore, I have the apparatus layout idea in my own mind,
Thanks everyone for all the input.
Rob

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

When I did metal work we had a clip you slid onto the work piece before putting it in a vice. It was simple.
If you get too ambitious there is always one of the many in this video to choose from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHwZCL1mPE

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

I also vaguely remember a post here about metal folding, and in particular allowing clearance when bending flanges, but I'm afraid I don't remember what the thread was about.

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Found on YouTube: home-made metal brake / metal bender.

Does involve use of arc welder, so be warned: flashing images.
To me, this is quite an ambitious project but the end result looks quite effective. Having said that, the overall approach, design and assembly might give others here a few ideas for alternative but similar methods.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...v56SiTcyk-rqmF

Al.

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Rob, I have a homemade brake you can borrow or pop over and we'll bend it here. I made mine out of 3 x 2 beech and bought two 4" sturdy hinges off ebay.

There is a bit of an art to bending metal, there's a new video about this here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyXpCPVOr8s which cover's some of the traps. TOT makes funny imformative video's.

Andy.

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Thanks for the offer Andy. He certainly is entertaining! I looked at the other suggestions as well.
I have no imminent need of bending, but looking at some chassis / housing options last week set me thinking. I would not use a bender very often, just something that if small and simple would be an asset.
Previously I just used assorted bits of angle in my 4" vice and just about managed. I am going in my workshop now to root around and see if I can get inspiration.
I do have lots of various bits of metal gathered over the decades. Even 19" blank unused panels in various 1u multiples that were skip fodder where I worked. As well I have sheet ali, but mainly hard types with aluchrome finish. Then various strips, bars and rods, brackets, hinges, studding etc. All collected just in case it comes in handy one day. Probably about 50kg in total!
Thanks all,
Rob

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Good Grief, how much longer will this chap keep his fingers intact? Holding metal pieces with gloved hands while using an angle-grinder on them, drilling small pieces of metal with a pillar-drill and no drill-vice and finally using a belt linisher to grind off welding lumps from a piece of metal without using gloves! Aargh...
Colin.

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

This may be of interest to you.
Joe

Re: Looking for the thread describing a home made metal bender.
 

Hi Joe, just seen this. Thank you so much! The slotted diagram does seem vaguely familiar. I will study it all when on my main pc. Using my small tablet at the moment.
Kind regards, Rob