Bending Light Weight Aluminum Sheets Diy

So we have the bender but we aren t finished as there is another trick to getting the perfect bend.

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. Next place the wood parallel and slightly behind the bending line. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. Finally bend the sheet up by hand to the angle desired.

A bending brake will be best suited for shaping flat square sheets of light gauge aluminum. I love working with metal but i ve always struggled to get perfect 90 bends. 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. If you want a sharp 90 bend tap along the crease with a mallet.

Window trim brake bending tool. M d building products 1 ft. 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. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line.

Simple sheet metal brake. Clamp the wood on top of the metal to the workbench. Since it almost always bends crooked i end up rebending and generally just. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards.

Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. Get free shipping on qualified aluminum sheet metal or buy online pick up in store today in the hardware department. 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.

Mark a bend line and place the sheet metal on the edge of your bench. Time to bend or nearly. Generally i ll stick the piece to be bent in the vise and smack it around until it s bent. For this you will need a table saw with a blade that has as many carbide teeth as possible and preferably sharp.

This involves making a score or cut line on the sheet where you want the bend to start.