Here’s a useful thing to make with a sheet metal bender – rain gutters.

As you may know, guttering is a vital part in protecting your home against the elements.
A rain gutter works in conjunction with the overhang of the roof to keep rainwater from running down the outer walls, and soaking your entire house from the bottom up, which would lead to no end of problems with rot, mold, structural damage caused by foundations sinking, etc. So if you have a watertight roof, a functioning rain gutter and drainage system, you can feel safe when it rains.
If not…
Whether or not you want to get into the roofing business or just want to keep your own home in top shape, doing diy guttering yourself, and doing gutter repair are tasks which it is quite possible to learn.

You need:

  • A new- or used sheet metal brake of at least 6 feet in working length.
  • Sheet metal of your choice (or whatever fits the style of your current guttering. Normal choices are copper, zinc, alu or steel.
  • Sheet metal shears
  • Various other hand tools, a ladder, protective equipment,etc.

With standard sheet metal brakes, you can make gutter shapes with sharp bends.
These include box gutter and v-shaped gutter types. To make half- and quarter round gutters, you need additional roll-forming equipment.
You can of course also make all kinds of other useful profiles, like flashing, soffit trim, fascia trim, etc. Before you start bending, you need to know the exact dimensions of the guttering you’ll be making. If replacing existing material, take down an intact piece and take exact measurements of it. Then stand the guttering upright on a piece of paper, and draw around the edge of it to get a precise outline of the gutter profile. Compare that with your measurements and make the necessary adjustments to the outline drawing. Transfer this drawing to cardboard, and you have a useful template to use for cutting the sheet metal you need for your workpiece, and to mark the bending lines on it as well. Remember to experiment a little on scrap material first, to get a feel for the exact placement of the bends.

Now get busy with your sheet metal brake – and don’t forget:  Measure twice and cut once!

More about sheet metal brakes:

5 Comments »