Bending Light Weight Aluminum Sheets Diy

Window trim brake bending tool.

Bending light weight aluminum sheets diy.

Most frequently expensive sheet metal bending tools called brakes are used to bend sheet metal but you can also complete this task without one. M d building products 1 ft. Mark a bend line and place the sheet metal on the edge of your bench. Generally i ll stick the piece to be bent in the vise and smack it around until it s bent.

If you want a sharp 90 bend tap along the crease with a mallet. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Get free shipping on qualified aluminum sheet metal or buy online pick up in store today in the hardware department. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.

So far i have used this bender to make circles out of 1x1 16 aluminum for some of my hobby robots to bend some 1x1 8 inch aluminum into a perfect circle for a us first robotics high school team i mentor go team 1631 and to bend two 5 inch wide 1 8 inch steel sheets 9 feet long for a fire pit i am making but that s another instructable. Heavy gauge aluminum bars or rods must be heat bent using an acetylene torch and vice. Diamond tread light weight aluminum sheet model 57574 8 99 8 99. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line.

This is my version of a trim brake or tool for bending sheet aluminum or plastic for window and door trim similar tools use 2 by 4s and door hinges but i am using a full length hinge and salvaged hardwood for more control and ability to bend longer. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards. Clamp the wood on top of the metal to the workbench. This is a highly technical and potentially dangerous process best left to a professional metalworker.

This involves making a score or cut line on the sheet where you want the bend to start. So we have the bender but we aren t finished as there is another trick to getting the perfect bend. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. For this you will need a table saw with a blade that has as many carbide teeth as possible and preferably sharp.

Simple sheet metal brake. Since it almost always bends crooked i end up rebending and generally just. Time to bend or nearly. Finally bend the sheet up by hand to the angle desired.

Next place the wood parallel and slightly behind the bending line.