Help: Brake Recommendations?

The only relatively inexpensive (thick) mild steel lengthwise to about 90 degrees.

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I'll bet Gunner could hook him up with something for a couple hundred dollars or less.

A hydraulic press brake comes to mind, but unless this is a high production need the cost is probably more than you'd want to pay.

If there's an iron working shop near, they would probably make the bends for a modest fee.

Searcher7 wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@i76g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:

How about just buying it pre-formed?

The force needed to bend metal goes up by the square of the thickness increase. This means it takes 4 times the machine to bend twice the thickness.

The $500 16 gage brakes are cheap, overrated (that is, they fudge on their stats) chinese imports. A decent american made 16 gage brake is closer to a grand.

Imagine needing to build 4 times the machine, to bend 1/8", and you start to see why the Chicago D&K machines, made here, are north of 5 grand.

Cheapest heavy duty manual brakes I know of are the Grizzlys. They make a couple of 12 gage brakes that will bend 1/8". The G0542, for example, will do what you want, and, at about $1500, is a bargain. Just on a per pound basis, its only .88 a lb. You cant buy raw steel for that where I live, much less machined, welded, and assembled into a brake. And its a very flexible tool that will do all kinds of sheet metal work.

The other alternative is a cheap press brake die, in a hydraulic press. Together, probably similar money, but more suited to production bending of just one bend. The problem is that 24" of bend gets you up into higher tonnages. A 20 ton is probably not enough. Northern tool makes a 24" press brake die that they claim will work with a 20 ton press, but they dont specify thickness. Me, I think 1/8" is gonna be pushing it with this setup-

you are only doing a few, maybe. Any quantity, and I would be thinking 40 ton press, and heavier duty dieset. But its a start, and its only a few hundred for the die.

Bending 1/8" plate, reliably and accurately, in any quantity, gets you into industrial tools, and industrial prices.

You don't say what quantity of parts you need bent but I'm wondering if you could get sheets of metal, of the size you need and have them welded together at the appropriate angle?

Lewis.

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Its actually pretty hard to find a brake that will do 1/8" steel on the surplus market

Thats well into the press brake capacity.

If its only one or two pieces, most fabrication shops will do it for you for little money

Its fairly easy to make a beefy version of the above brakes, that will do 24x 1/8" flat stock. Simply scale up the plans, and put a LONG lever on it. If something breaks, (pun intended) beef it up again.

Gunner

Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

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Due to an ommision I deleted my first post from Google and re-posted, but I guess certain news readers grabbed it up immediately and now there are two of these threads.

Anyway, what I am making is a replica of a video game control panel that was originally made of B.C. plywood covered with veneer. So now I'm forced to wonder if 1/16" thick steel would be sturdy enough.

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Searcher7 wrote in news:c72f442d-563b-4faf-966d- snipped-for-privacy@56g2000hsm.googlegroups.com:

If this is a one-off, there are several possibilities:

1. Have you considered using Plexiglass? Most plastics suppliers can bend a piece to your specifications.
2. Have you considered using marine plywood? Soak your piece(s) in hot water for an hour and then bend to shape using 2" PVC pipe cut in half for the exterior mold and 1.5" for the inside of the curve. If multiple pieces, glue after all pieces are dry.
3. Have you considered multiple layers of light sheet metal? Cut as many sheets as needed for the final thickness, narrowing each by the thickness of the metal above it or re-cutting after the "sandwich" is finalized. A "mold" as described in 2. can be used for forming by not removing any sheet until the "sandwich" is completely formed.

If you mean the outer shell of an arcade style game what do you even need steel for? Use some MDF for the side panels and the top control board. Then use 2X2 glued into the inner corners under the deck. That was all the original games used. I have an original Pac-man and a Missile Command and both are MDF with veneer and screen printed logo panels. There are steel angle brackets for the rear access panels and the CRT cover. They are 16 gauge formed steel.

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Does it even need to be made of steel? A nice piece of 5/16 lexan or other plastic can be pretty stiff, and is easily formed with a simple form and a heat source.

Reading the other posts showed that it wasnt a true 90, but a very large radius, which means Press Brake and dies, as its very hard to roll that sort of radius on anything in a hobbists shop

One Could cobble something up, using a solid bar of the proper diameter, several hydraulic bottle jacks and some I beams

Gunner

Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

I agree..its gonna be in the 40 ton range.

Google Ebay for Press Brake.

Dont forget to add rigging and shipping of 10-20,000 lbs

Have it fabbed at a fab shop.

You could copy this and use a couple bottle jacks....

Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.