GOOD DIY SHEET METAL BRAKE

[@dirtyburd71]

Just to let you know, I have been a sheet metal fabricator at a small HVAC shop for 22 years (I just retired) and you have built one of the best looking and functioning "home built" brakes I have seen. Very nice! Simple and effective. 😀

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks man! Coming from someone with your experience, that is a big compliment! Enjoy the retirement.

[@MrEllhel]

100%

[@davehammond8940]

I've been a,skilled tin basher for 40 years, I've really enjoyed watching your film. I will fab one to your design. Superb work and explanation thanks for sharing your design 👍

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks, glad you found some value😊

[@charlesgraham9954]

75% of my garage is DYI, its not that im cheap, i got into metal for a reason, i like working with it. so i enjoy building my own tools and gadgets. nice brake bro, thanks for showing

[@nowthenad3286]

Fantastic video. Brilliant to see so much intelligence on display. Folks think they are smart because they go to work in a suit. They wouldn't stand a chance at designing one of these. Your diagrams were really excellent, even down to the detail on that nut.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you very much!

[@521farmer]

!!!wow ya got this mighty fine Sir thanks for sharing your project with us keep them coming ya got my vote man ya make it easy to understand and how you can do this Don,t take a rocket Sciencest to make this happen so l,m going to try to make this work so from Canada 🇨🇦 SK thks for showing us 😊

[@sergey.l]

The rare talent of making and explaining complicated things simple! Sir!😊

[@kmatikzofficial]

I’ve watched quite a few videos of DIY sheet metal breaks and this is by far the best! Straight forward and thoroughly explained. Thank you for your help; I will definitely start my build now.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad it's helping! Good luck with your build

[@michaelyoung1901]

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!!! IT ONLY TOOK ME 62 YEATS YEARS TO REALIZE I LOVE WORKING WITH METAL , FABRICATING STUFF FOR MY CUSTOM CARS. LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!! NOW I'M GOING TO MAKE MYSELF A BRAKE AND A PLANISHING HAMMER. ILL BE WATCHING YOUR CHANNEL A LOT IN THE FUTURE! A REALLY BIG THANKS FOR YOUR SHARING HOW TO BUILD THESE THINGS SINCE TO BUY THESE THEY CAN BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND THIS WAY YOU CAN INCORPORATE THINGS YOU LIKE AND LEAVE OUT OR ALTER THINGS TO YOUR OWN LIKING! I LOVE IT!!!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks man. I'm also 62, never too old to learn new things. Yeah, build some stuff!

[@Nas_Atlas]

Fantastic. I didnt know anything about sheet metal brakes before i saw this and now I feel like an expert

[@ratrodsafrica]

Real happy that it helped!

[@raebushman2739]

You sir, are a genius. I've watched dozens of videos looking for the best way to make a trim break and you nailed it! I love the drawings and the break down of the process you went through to build this. You are the only one to make a video that solved the problem I was having with keeping enough pressure and force on the center of the top piece of angle that clamps everything down. (I'm building a 10' brake to bend aluminum trim.) Truly fantastic video, and really amazing piece of equipment you built there.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you very much Rae! If my video helped to solve your problem, I am one happy dude😅. Not a genius though, just 40 years of practicing common sense ( the first 20 years of my life don't count, very little common sense then 😂)

[@raebushman2739]

You certainly helped me fix the problems I was having. Sometimes it's the thinking too much that holds me back LOL

[@andywright2606]

Excellent design and very well explained mate. If you don't mind suggestions, there is one design modification you could add. If you welded (or bolted, so it's removable) an extension (long enough to clear your tensioning winder) to one end of the rotating angle. Then add a 90° bend that extended straight up you could then attach an appropriately sized counterweight. That way when you pulled the handle forward the weight would lean back and do a lot of the heavy lifting/bending for you. You could add extra weights for bending thick materials and remove weights for thinner materials. Much easier on the back for old codgers like me/us 😉. Cheers Andy 👍

[@stanleylosh1899]

To bend a sharper radius, simply slip a length of angle iron under the anvil and loosen the two rear bolts accordingly. Bend over the heel of the angle.

[@danielbuckner2167]

I'm reminded of tools I have used in granite countertop fabrication. These days CNC machines do much of it but guys who don't have 90,000 dollars used grinders with a jig or short of guard bolted onto the grinder to maintain a perfect position or offset of the grinder to the stone edge. Luckily that top piece of angle iron has a nice clean sharp back corner that can be used as a reference surface for the driver to run against to grind that edge straight and flat to make a nice sharp edge on that brake.

[@wade7920]

Nice! You are a good teacher. Appreciate you walking us thru it!

[@sammaimas155]

A good explanation of the individual parts. One of the best explained bending brake tutorials I have seen. Good Work

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you!

[@rickerb7196]

Best description of how to build a brake I've ever seen!! Excellent work sir!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks very much!

[@HueNarcisWorld]

The best simple design I've seen on KZbin!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks!

[@Tryagain205]

Fantastic!…the drawings really added clarity.

[@DiazTheDuke00]

MY MAN! i do not know how you came to my feed but i am grateful. your work is great, your explanations were great and that illustration you made finally made the idea about centering the hinge pin along the folding axis make sense in my brain. Again, I'm grateful, thank you!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad I could help!

[@dwaynehope1689]

you have given an exceptional explanation of the workings of the brake

[@alanwhitehead3025]

a very good video, well explained and the little diagrams make all the difference. I'm inspired, like the design and will be building one soon. Many thanks. AL (UK)

[@ratrodsafrica]

Cool man. Welcome to contact me if you have questions

[@t.e.1189]

Great build! And I love your comments at the end about using ones time. Thank you for posting this.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you!

[@peglegtoo]

Great project, video and thorough description. Your drawings along the way really helped to understand what was going on. Thanks.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad it was helpful!

[@walterbargersr3402]

You are the best fabrication jobs I've ever seen. for a sheet metal break the Leading Edge to make a 90° Bend in your sheet metal. you have to take it to a machine shop. and have them machine that so you have a Sharper Edge on the sheet metal brake then you will get your true 90° Bend. God bless brother

[@PEMDASgarage]

Dill mounting holes in the sloping front of the brake, then make plates that bolt to the front that mimic the edge you want to reproduce with the brake. Then you can switch the separate plates out as needed.

[@rustloversgarage]

I was about to buy a break but could not find the length I wanted for the price I was willing to pay. After seeing what you did, I will build my own. Thanks for the insight!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Pleasure man. Good luck with the build!

[@flatworm00]

Very simple, and super functional...Best home made metal brake I have ever seen. Great job.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Wow, thanks!

[@gerhardkoekemoer9331]

1.3m bender, wow. This is one of the strongest and best bender i have seen on KZbin.

[@mattzee6287]

My dad built things like this. I wish I could visit your shop. It must seem magical,to those around you,with less abilities,of which ,the numbers only seem to keep growing

[@montepatton9040]

This is an awesome way to do this. You have thought about about every possible solution to the normal problems with diy metal breaks. Thank you very much for sharing. This is the best diy metal brake I’ve seen. I’m going to use yours as a plan to build me one.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks. Please do, I'll be honored 🙂

[@rustycrustytriesstuff]

I’ve seen a lot of these on here. You have done the best job I’ve seen on explaining how these work and why it has to be this way. Most just show you “how to build” one. You really break it down and make it simple to understand. Nice job on the build too! Looks amazing!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks. Glad it was helpful!

[@brentbrown8393]

I sent my angle iron adjustable bending edge through my mill to get rid of the rounded edge. It now sits flat on the bender's frame . Diff, you need to find an old mill for your shop, they really come in handy and are fun to use.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Would love to have a mill in my shop!

[@jeffmiller2682]

You sir are genius just simple geometry, measurements , angles and simplicity are genius on all your fabrication and explanations will help me to finish and build my own cars and projects genius sir thank you

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you

[@billlovelace6482]

liked the box brake cut outs - good one! i put counter weights on mine to bend 48" of 16ga for a truck gas tank

[@martinw9425]

Great design, and very well explained. Thank you sir, for your time and knowledge. From Canada

[@ThisIsToolman]

Excellent design. Excellent discussion. I note that the handle also serves as a minimal strong-back and could easily be modified to complement the strong-back you suggest that could go on the backside. I believe that modifying the edge of the hold-down angle is easier than you think. Remove the hold-down. Choose a keen 4-foot length of angle and carefully clamp this angle along the line you wish to cut. Use your grinder and a course sanding disc to work the edge of your hold-down back to your fixtured reference. One final note concerning bend radius. For mild steel the width of a V-die like is used in a press brake should be eight times the material thickness. For a pan brake like yours I think the setback adjustment on the hold-down probably should be five times the material thickness. This of course assumes that you have achieved that nice sharp corner on the hold-down. The net result should be an inside bend radius equal to the material thickness.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Excellent feedback! Thank you

[@dadge2500]

Just a suggestion on the front side you can takeoff your quarter inch of material to make it flatter instead of a rounder and on the backside you can leave it around. It looks like there’s enough play in your top piece of angle iron to do that and it looks like if you want it, you can reverse the back to front And front to back you can have two different types of radius bends. One flat, and one a little more rounded..

[@manitobaman5588]

You have a great brake there, withvery well thought out plan and the result is a clean build. The excellent drawings are very helpful. Thank you from mid-Canada. B.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Happy if it can help!

[@Ecuarositayf1]

Hi master, thank you so much. I'm making my own metal bend and I took some tips from your job. I was watching a lot of videos but you explain very well. It works for me. Greetings from Ecuador 🇪🇨.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad i could help brother!

[@crazywickedcustoms7272]

Cool, I been wanting to build one. But I not well , lol trying to get. Out of this depression. To have drive , you show is starting to help me my brother .

[@ratrodsafrica]

If my stuff can help to inspire a little bit, I will be a very happy man. Its the main reason why I do the videos. Wishing you lots of positive energy bro!

[@crazywickedcustoms7272]

@@ratrodsafrica Thank you my brother, I been fighting Cancars I have 3 at stag 4. But I am beating them, so far. I whet out today and tried work on my rat rods. Thank for the positive vids, lol

[@colinabell3672]

Great video bud a lot of people dont understand the importance of the centre line and material thickness clearance

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks. Yes, agree! 🙂

[@koossnyman3371]

Very functional and practical and easy to build yourself. I also planned to built me a sheet-metal brake. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge.

[@ratrodsafrica]

My pleasure boet!

[@Us-two]

good stuff as usual Diff, I especially like the left-hand thread on the tensioner diagram.

[@benbeck8985]

Great build. I especially like the hinge detail! I needed to build one, and im glad i found your video first. Im currently building a brake very similar to your design, out of scrap metal that i had laying around. Thanks for sharing!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad I could help!

[@benomranemohamedsalah8022]

very good expanation instead of waisting time in welding. very nice and especially simple to do

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad you liked it

[@luftstolle]

That's amazingly nicely explained how it works and why everything is the way it is! I wish I could find more videos like this, will definitely check out your other videos.

[@laurensmith1828]

I just bought a 36 inch break at an auction. If id seen this i definately would of made my own and i still might try it. Great video . Thanks!

[@wesleybateman5837]

Love the bending brake from used parts . Recycle all we can brother, very informative video , great drawings 👍

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks man! Yes I like to repurpose stuff😅

[@markhoward6641]

That is the best I have ever seen. You seem to have thought of everything that others have missed. Got a car to do and I'm making one of these this week. Brilliant, thank you for your time.

[@alcidesabrantesfilho2620]

Hello my friend! This is the most efficient and simple design and execution of this great tool! I made one very similar to your design. The result of this work is very good. Thank you for your video, it helped me a lot. Congratulations from; Junior from Brazil.

[@lethargicmotorsport2025]

Very cool , I still say you would have an awesome shop teacher.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks ☺

[@bladder1010]

Very smart and minimalist design. Nicely done, sir! 👍

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you Maximus!

[@thenotsojollyrancher-akate9516]

We’re you an engineer in a past life? Awesome! It is now on my list of things to do. Thank you!

[@ratrodsafrica]

No not really. Just an old dude who has done a lot of stuff and was blessed with a bit of common sense. :) Go build one brother!

[@luishenriquedoespiritosant7591]

Foi o melhor projeto de dobradeira aqui no KZbin!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you very much!

[@johnwerner7194]

I think it's absolutely perfect I really would like to see that truck in the background to the right. Thank you very much for the video

[@ratrodsafrica]

Check out my other videos if you wanna see more of the REO Gold Comet truck

[@ishsiriram8286]

@Stashwax and Div, I have seen other guys grind the end on the inverted clamping angle with great results to reduce if not remove the radius bend. Div, since you a master grinder (LOL), this could be an option if you needed a more crisp corner. Another option would be to grind one side and leave the other so you will be able to flip it around, allowing radius or crisp bends. I like the slit in the clamping beam the make the corners meet...very innovative. I was trying to figure out how to best make segmented beam. I suppose one could make the slots as and when required.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Segmented beams are a mission, just cutting slots as required is much simpler. They will weakent the beam though, the bigger that angle bar, the better. An option is to just weld them up again down the line... or have more than one beam. That grinding business will not be easy. You need to keep a straight edge over a a distance of more than 1.2 m.... Suppose you could do your best, then "lap" it on a large flat surface with long piece of sanding belt... Lot of work... Or just have someone stick it in a milling machine to do one edge. Sounds much easier.😂

[@callmenortnortin467]

very nicely done ,one of the better designed bending brake seen online

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks brother! Works well for me😅

[@vstrom9586]

Very nice work, really appreciated the explanation of mounting the hinge. Cheers from Canada

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks and happy it helped!👍

[@Nessbenj]

Awsome video,South Africa has produced some of the best tradesman in the world!Mooi gedoen Oom! From Canada.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Saying Oom from Canada? You must have some Boertjie blood!😁

[@edppcz]

Awesome brake project, I'm re-siding my home and need a brake for the window inner edges, I've been looking at a couple of videos and this is by far the Best project I've seen and your demeanor and compassion for your work is exceptional, Thank You.

[@ratrodsafrica]

If it can help, I'm a happy dude! Thanks man

[@richardferguson8590]

Perfect design. Very nice tool you built there. I plan on using your design for my build. My only modification will be the top angle. I like the round radius but will have to add a flat bar inside for flatening bends. I work with aluminum. Wish me luck. Thanks for posting.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks man. Good luck with your build!

[@rodslogic4350]

Thanks for sharing you just proved that a lot of tools can be self made

[@ratrodsafrica]

More than we think!

[@chuckvoss9344]

Very good job of show and tell. An excellent tool to have. Tks for showing.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks!

[@kirbyn2010]

I really admire the keep it simple school of thought. I wish I had a need for one of these, great work!

[@stashwaxroller1740]

Another awesome video with a good explanation . You stressed the importance of the centerline of the hinge pin which gives the tool it's important accuracy ! As you know , I'm a professional tool and die maker. I continue to be impressed with what can be done with common sense and limited recourses. I like some features on yours even better than some factory made brakes. The inverted angle bar acting as a clamp also allows for the "hook bend" that you made on one of the samples. Yes the radius is big , but personally I would keep it rather than attach the flat bar to the bottom of the clamp and give up the hook bend option. Thanks for sharing a great design !

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks Randy. Big compliment coming from you! Also like the open space inside the angle bar. When I find that piece of flat bar, I will build it so that it is removable. Then I can have the best of both worlds

[@kiwiingenuity1677]

Yes what I thought just tap it and bolt down from the top, that way you can still use the cavity and slots 😉 whenever you want just unbolt it. Also same idea for top brace if you can unbolt if needed for clearance of work piece. Amazing what a lot of cheap metal can do 😊.

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Duff very beautiful job. Hopefully you get great use out of it for many years to come my friend. Can't wait to see more videos soon. May be a shop tour? Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Making. God bless.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Will do shop tour one day

[@joaquincraftsmx]

I think it's the only one design that takes in mind the thickness of the material. Thank You!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad you like it!

[@CrusaderSports250]

Agreed it was something I had not thought about😊.

[@aceadman]

Beautiful tool Dif, and beautiful explanation of its design and operation. 😊👍👍

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad you like it!

[@daveunderwood6498]

Just a simple yet brilliant design. Thanks so much for posting. 👍

[@ratrodsafrica]

Glad you like it! Thanks

[@DresdonAcacinTheOriginal]

Great video, you answered every question I had in the video. ive seen several DIY brakes on youtube that were mediocre at best, yours is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you very much! it works well for me

[@DresdonAcacinTheOriginal]

update: using leftover metal onhand I build a 40" version, works decent enough for rocker patches

[@crazywickedcustoms7272]

What cool part about pipe anvil is no moving parts, but yet such a amazing tool

[@deankay4434]

Well done on the sheet metal brake and wished I still lived on a farm, to dig for scrap. You never throw anything away on a farm and junk yards, wow! The things some throw away are simply criminal, but to a handyman, it's gold! It is mostly stepping thru, moving things, then there it is. Yippee comes to mind and when yelled out loud, others unloading are confused as "Did he find money over there, or was he snake bit?" I think the same rush of addrenalin would be equal!! Cheers & great job explaining & drawing. I love to draw an idea, keep it, modify it, or start over if you see flaws. I would call myself a barn-yard engineer! Just simply, well done and the right price. Like you, my TV is 13" on the angle, so the money I might spent for a 2 meter TV, could be spent on equipment materials or tools. That makes me happy. Besides, you can't fold sheet metal with an oversized TV! Well, maybe once but it won't be pretty!😢 Thanks Duff, inspiring! DK, Omaha.

[@ratrodsafrica]

DK, you are funny dude! I enjoy your little quirks. Thanks brother.

[@UnconventionalMetal]

You did an excellent job. I wish this video was around before I bought my brake and modified it.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks! 👍

[@wheels-n-tires1846]

An excellent build- the best, simplest one Ive ever seen. Since the Dart project is about to kick off- its time to build my own, and Ill shamelessly be copying yours. Well done!!

[@ratrodsafrica]

I will be honored if you do! All the best with the build

[@geoffreymills9932]

I like it and I like the way you made it adjustable for the thickness of the metal for bending, very cool idea, nice work 👍

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you very much!

[@geoffreymills9932]

@@ratrodsafrica still want to see more on your toy/Chevy build,, that's looking very cool

[@ratrodsafrica]

@@geoffreymills9932 thanks man. Posting next video abou the Chevy on Sunday

[@homesteadfromscratch]

For milling that angle down to a tighter radius, check out about 24:43 mark #42 Sawmill Build for Our Off Grid Building, DIY, Homemade for a novel method.

[@irishlad8797]

Great video very well explained version of how to make the bender love the south African accent 😎 all the best from Ireland

[@bradpage8967]

Great video!! Thankful for your full demonstration!! I have been wanting to build one for a while. The drawbacks that you pointed out are the ones that have stopped me. The idea of adding the plate to the bottom of the top angle piece is that it eliminates being able to bend channel. Like you I am trying to come up with a way to machine that edge without having access to a milling machine. We’ll figure it out. 🙂 Thanks again!!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Brad, so far I've just been living with the radius that the stock angle bar provides. Been thinking of a way to get the edge better without a milling machine. It will just be a lot of elbow grease: Use angle grinder and flatten as good as possible. Then get a long piece of course sandpaper (like a long sanding belt), lay it on a flat surface, lie the angle bar on it and sand away... until next week!😂

[@bradpage8967]

@@ratrodsafrica that sounds like it should work! Now to find a flat surface that I can “lap” an edge over 4 ft long…..

[@ratrodsafrica]

@@bradpage8967 that's the word I was looking for! "Lap". Yes, next challenge. I have a sheet of 22mm plywood here, was thinking to throw that on the floor and see how it goes... It's not like it has to be super accurate...

[@bradpage8967]

Lacking a roll of emery paper I have been thinking how to use the angle grinder in a stationary position. This is what I will attempt. Rough grind the edge to remove the majority of material. Then using another piece of angle in a fixed position and using it as a guide of sorts set up the grinder so it is just removing the unevenness of the edge, feed the brake angle through. It would require removing the corner of the angle so that it doesn’t rest on the radius of the bottom angle piece but ride on the sides. I have straight walled angle not tapered like yours, that would require a shim of sorts to achieve the proper nest. I am going to try it this week.

[@zvonibab]

I like your design and on my next build I will do it same as you did only difference will be sharp bending edge. Wish I have seen it before my build!

[@lcar9871]

You did a nice job building this brake! I'm doing my research now because it is time to improve on the brake I built many years ago. It is time to make one with more capacity, and also one that is free-standing instead of having to bolt it to the bench. I will definitely be incorporating some of your design into whatever I come up with, so thank you for sharing sir!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Pleasure and thanks!

[@garypetrusek1768]

Thanks for sharing this, I tried to build one like yours once, but looking at your I can see where I went wrong

[@ratrodsafrica]

Happy if it can help to sort you out!

[@ishsiriram8286]

Awesome Div, I was anxiously awaiting this video. I almost built one a few months ago. When I priced the material , I got a fright. Need to be patient and keep my eyes open at the scrap dealers, I am sure I will come across some descent material soon. Also contemplating a bead roller. Got the shafts so far and 1 of the gears. Will tackle that soon. Thank you again for sharing. Another great video and explanation.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Ja, steel is frigging expensive! The scrap dealer is your friend!😂 I make a point of regularly checking in and eventually you find what you want. And, in my case, always some shit I wasn't looking for! Ha-ha. Adendorf sell the bead roller I use for R 5895.00, all the dies included. You cant build it for that price, just the dies alone are worth it.

[@tylerwatts1004]

Thanks for sharing this, helped me loads to make a simple and smaller brake for small sheet metal stuff for my bikes! Love the channel too!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Its a pleasure my man!

[@davidhandyman7571]

Thanks for sharing. Blessings from Australia.

[@ratrodsafrica]

You are welcome!

[@joelongstaff7601]

Sir a great build, Thankyou. Inspired by you and excited about having a much needed tool for my stained glass shopp I built a unit like yours. To cut the length of the hold down angle edge I have an old ratty table saw I can abuse so I put a metal cutting carborundum disk in it and set it to 45 degrees. With a pease of wood on the fence I was able to SLOWLY cut the 1/4 inch angle iron to have a smooth edge. Next I would like to cut peases of 1/4 inch flat stock with holes drilled to match up to drilled and tapped holes in the hold down to work like a box bracke. Keep well God bless.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks! Great plan you made there! Well done, I like it a lot

[@gannibootis]

Really nice build and those were some excellent drawings man.

[@sharndupreez1]

Awesome! I will definitely be coming back to this video in the future to build my own! Will keep my eyes out at the scrap yards for a 10mm "flat bar"

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks Sharn!

[@donyboy73]

Wow that's well built! Greetings from Canada.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@scoobster3005]

man you are amazing and so creative, thank you for teaching your work

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thanks man. It's a pleasure!

[@garysgarage.2841]

To get that edge crisp just slip in a small 1" angel in-between the clamp down angle iron and the work piece. The outside edge on angle iron is usually a sharp edge. And when you want a more rounded edge just leave it as it is now. Best of both worlds.

[@wraithsrath7310]

Was looking for ideas for a shop built metal brake and this is the best ideal. This will be one of my new tools in my shop. Just goes to show you that you don't need alot of money to accomplish a task.

[@georgevg3593]

Muchas Felicidades Joven Por Su Canal. Saludos Cordiales Desde Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México. ..

[@waynebutler7813]

Very well done! I think this can be built quite inexpensively and be quite useful as well as scalable! Thank you!

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you. Yes, did not cost much at all.

[@steveriddell1937]

Thanks glad you mentioned the sharpness of the fold it Imperative for shaping car panels you should sell a detailed set of plans i would buy just as you said fun to make. Let you know if i stuff it up and have to refix. As i am bad ocd

[@toddcott9510]

It's a good bit of kit. I think I would leave it as it is. Great video.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you!

[@stevenmacmillan2493]

Hi, great video! I have built something similar, based on similar videos. My hinge is slightly different, but I like that yours is removable. I have worked in sheet metal shops where we had actual hydraulic press brakes where the radius was always tight unless you purposefully used radius tooling, so when I went to build mine, I wanted to get a tight radius as well. So I constructed a jig for a handheld grinder with a cutoff wheel at 45 degrees that mounted to my work bench. Then I set up a stop on top of the bench to help keep the angle bar moving straight through the wheel. So with the grinder going, I moved the angle bar through the wheel to cut off the radius. It worked pretty well for me, although I did have a spot where the wheel dug into the bar, It has given me good performance with a very small radius. I hope maybe this gives you another idea how to reduce the radius of your bends.

[@ratrodsafrica]

Nice one! I have had similar thoughts, but haven't done it yet

[@richardedkins8856]

Great video. Something that a handyman can make. Well done on a simple but highly effective design for a bending brake.

[@monadking2761]

On your need for a sharper edge. I scribed a sharp line down the length and ground it close with an angle grinder then used a hand file to finish it off by eye. It works good and I did the back brace since it didn't hold down in the middle whe I was bending a longer piece of 18 gage. My brake is 4' x 2.5" wide x.25" angle iron from scrap stuff too. I like your depth adjustment which I will add to mine. Thank you for your video I'm from the U.S. so it's not in mm.

[@ratrodsafrica]

A lot of work to get that edge, we'll done!

[@kentuckytrapper780]

I've built a few of those, but this is the Cadillac of bender's, can't buy that quality in a store, excellent job man. 👍👍👍

[@ratrodsafrica]

Thank you very much! What a compliment!😀

[@kentuckytrapper780]

@@ratrodsafrica you ernd it, best built one I've seen. 👍👍👍

[@lane0madeit]

Fabricator from NZ here this is awesome! To find one that is size appropriate and inexpensive is a struggle but I’ve plenty of scrap to knock one out. Thanks! For your 90degree radius if you want to make it tighter I have a trick I use to bevel my edges of angle anything really. Diablo make a great yet somewhat costly-ish steel cut off blade. I usually raise my cut height on my circular saw and then clamp a straight edge onto piece I’m wanting to cut to use as a guide. I find if you do it in small incremental passes the blades last a lot longer. Poor man’s cold saw??? PPE and the hot chips won’t phase ya. Been working for me for weld prep for years and I haven’t found anything else other then thee ole grinder. Hope that helps. 🤙

[@ratrodsafrica]

Yeah build one mate, works great. Been thinking about that table saw idea, need to find the right blade. And the guts to do it😅

[@AndysDogHouse]

Hey Div. Good video. That's a great brake that you made. I could use one when I start working on my Buick. Nice job. Thanks for sharing.🍁👍👍