Build A Sheet Metal Bending Brake

Ideally the pivot point of the brake will lie perfectly inline with the bend line of the metal being bent.

Build a sheet metal bending brake.

It s pretty big so you can sta. X research source this project will help you build a simple sheet metal brake for bending small work for those who prefer to do it yourself. Dave s cheap sheet metal bending brake i started building my zenith ch601xl from plans in mid january 2006. At this point it became apparent that i had made a mistake in the original design of the brake.

However as i had designed the brake the bending point was 1 8 above the pivot point of the hinge see left side of drawing. Build a sheet metal brake. So for my need to build a stainless steel barbecue i decided to make a sheet metal bender brake it isn t a so complicated construction and. I needed better i saw a how to on making a metal brake and wanted to make a few modifications.

I think this is one of the best tools i ve been doing for a long time on my channel. After several failed attempts to bend the rudder spar i ended up going to a local sheet metal shop for help. There s been more than a few times i ve needed to bend metal and i ve resorted to clamping 2x4s together and using a hammer. The problem with that is that their equipment is not set up for the 1 8 inch radius bend specified in the plans.

It works so well so i m surprised myself. Sheet metal brakes are machines designed to make bending thin metal into shapes for use in projects such as house siding eaves air conditioning ductwork and others.