Sheet Metal Brakes.com

What is a sheet metal brake?
Also known as a sheet metal press brake, sheet metal bender, sheet metal folder, etc.
Put simply, it is a metalworking machine which enables you to put sharp bends in a piece of sheet metal.
There are different types for different applications, ranging from simple, manual machines for hobby and
small business use – to huge, hydraulic, cnc-controlled industrial monsters, capable of very advanced operations.

What can I do with a sheet metal bending brake?
The possibilities are vast – here are just a few ideas:
- Fix your roof! Make your own guttering from copper sheet, and save $$$ by doing it yourself!
- Fabricate custom metal parts for custom motorbikes, custom cars, trains, boats, aeroplanes!
- Custom parts for RC cars, planes, boats, etc.
- Make metal boxes for storage, or enclosures for mechanicals, electronics, pneumatics, you name it!
- Furniture? Why not?
- Set up a business doing some, all or none of the above.

Which type is right for me?
What sheet metal folder you choose, depends on what you want to do with it.
If you’re going to do:

- Construction work (roofing, door/window casings, fascia trim, etc)
Get a portable, lightweight brake of considerable length, as you will often need to bend several feet of material.
A good one will have detachable legs or a stand, some kind of integrated cutter, to cut coil stock precisely and neatly,
and will be flexible enough to do many kinds of bends.

- Custom bikes/cars or the like
Look for a table mounted, relatively heavy and stable brake. It could be a combination brake, shear and roll-type,
which would enable you to do many different operations, or it could be a simple, compact, entry-level bender.
A compact model could be easily stowed, for occasional use.

- Metal boxes, enclosures, etc
Consider getting what is called a box and pan brake – also known as a finger brake.
This type allows bending selected segments of a piece of sheet metal, which is just what you need for making boxes
and other complex shapes.

- Medium/large scale manufacturing
Look into cnc-brakes. These computer-controlled machines can be preprogrammed to perform long sequences of complex bends
on a workpiece, and do it fast and consistently.

What should I expect to pay for a sheet metal bender?
Sheet metal benders come at many different price levels, ranging from around 50$ for an absolute entry-level brake,
to several hundreds of thousands for large-scale, industrial models, sporting high tonnage, high speeds and of course computer control.
- For hobby/occasional use, bending smaller pieces up to 50 inches in width, expect to pay between 50 – 200$ for a table mounted model.
- To bend heavier gauges of sheet metal, get more precision/quality or to get shear and roller functionality included, expect prices from a few hundred – to a few thousand $.
- Box and pan brakes can be had for a few hundred – I’ve seen one new at 500$. But as these are more complicated brakes, it might be worth it to get something
of a bit better quality.
- Construction work brakes of good quality and capacity can be had for somewhere between 700 – 1500$. Don’t skimp on quality here: Even though you may only
want to fix your own roof or other parts of your house, you will be using that thing a lot, and high quality work is extremely important when working on something as valuable as a house.
You could of course go for a used sheet metal hand brake as well. That might turn out to be a real bargain, as sheet metal brakes are usually quite sturdy machines, and will last for years.

There is also the possibility to make your own sheet metal bender. A homemade sheet metal brake is probably only worth making if you only need to bend sheet metal for a specific project, but if you do decide it is worth it to make your own metal bender, there are websites that offer sheet metal brake plans. Some for free, some for pay.

This website aims to be your foremost source of information when shopping for a sheet metal brake.
Feel free to browse the site, and most importantly…learn!

15 Comments »

Most sheet metal brakes are built like tanks – the good ones anyway. On top of that, they are simple pieces of machinery. This combination makes them almost indestructible under normal use – anything can be abused to death of course. But for most hobby-metalworkers, an older, second-hand metal bender can be quite the bargain. As long as a used sheet metal brake has had a good home and has received proper maintenance, there is no reason why it couldn’t serve another ten or twenty years in your workshop.

There are some obvious advantages to buying used and the main argument in favor to me is that you can often afford a much bigger machine, if it used. You also have the privilege of knowing that it works. This somewhat makes up for the fact that you get no warranty when you buy second-hand. Often, the current owner may also have some tips for you to make the most of it. Perhaps it has some quirks to be aware of – stuff they would never write in an instruction manual. All that said, it is still a used machine, so you should definitely do a visual inspection of it and testdrive it too, if possible.

Things to look for:
- There should be no or minimal rust on critical parts like the bed, clamping leaf and bending leaf. Rust, if severe enough, can cause pitting in otherwise level milled steel surfaces, so if you spot heavy rust, proceed with caution.

- Bolts and nuts should be tight – this goes without saying. Ensure that no bolts are bent, and also that they have not rusted to the point of being stuck. Future maintenance can be pretty difficult if you can’t take the thing apart, so this is important.

- Bearings and pivots should certainly be well-greased and not feel crunchy or uneven in their movement in any way. Especially the hinging that takes place with the clamping leaf and bending leaf should be smooth and work without a hitch.

- The general state of repair should be good. There is not much use in the abovementioned issues coming out perfect, if the supporting structures don’t cut the mustard. Check to see if the legs or stand of the sheet metal brake has been bent or deformed anywhere. If it has, it could be a problem, since the average metal bender is really heavy and would place too much stress on a weakened stand.

- Make sure you get the original manual too. Not that you will need it to operate the machine, but because you want as much information about it as possible – like contact information for the manufacturer, special warranties (make sure to get any proofs of registration of purchase), specifications and maintenance instructions, etc.

- Don’t forget to get any spare parts that the owner may have lying around included in the deal.

This should cover most of what you need to be aware of when shopping for a used sheet metal brake. If you go by this list and use your common sense, you should be able to get a good machine for your workshop.

Category: Sheet Metal Brake

More about sheet metal brakes

No comments »