Sheet Metal Folder

[JimM]

Hi all

Just finished my second project, a sheet metal folder. It's based on the Dave Gingery plans but using odds and ends I had knocking around the garage. Because I didn't stick exactly to the stock suggested in the design I ballsed up with the clamping mechanism and didn't have enough room to fit it in, so have used a couple of toggle clamps which seem to work well. Only really going to be used for car bodywork etc so the clamp pressure should be OK.

The radius on the bends isn't as tight as it probably could be but it will do for my needs. (The sheet in the last pic is only about 1.2mm thick)

Overall I'm pretty pleased with it although you'll notice I haven't taken any close ups of the welds as they're none too pretty

 

[rusty69bus]

looks good

 

[Wozzaaah]

Very good Jim, bend radius looks ok, like you said, not as tight as it could be but perfectly adequate. I've got plans buzzing round in my head for a home-made hydraulic pressbrake project, need to see the tooling on one up close to clarify one or two things but I can't see why it wouldn't work. Watch this space .

 

[Johnny™]

looks cool, are the plans available for download? i fancy trying soemthing like this myself

 

[Fixer]

I was thinking about this. Got as far as a drawing so your way a head at the moment. I want to make it a feature of my welding table, built in as it were, along with a guilotine for >.8 sheet. I was thinking about a 3 x 5 ft 1/4" plate on angle frame for the table with a bender like yours fixed along the front edge and guilotine at the end. I was thing about getting a strip of hard steel ground and drilled with a hole at one end and bolt to table frame to shear against the end of the plate like a paper guilotine
Anyway, good stuff...and the welds look strong from what i can make out