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 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.
Dave s cheap sheet metal bending brake i started building my zenith ch601xl from plans in mid january 2006.
It s pretty big so you can sta.
Build a sheet metal brake.
The problem with that is that their equipment is not set up for the 1 8 inch radius bend specified in the plans.
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.
After several failed attempts to bend the rudder spar i ended up going to a local sheet metal shop for help.
I love building tools.
I think this is one of the best tools i ve been doing for a long time on my channel.
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.
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.
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.