I purchased a SWAG Off Road kit to build a finger brake attachment for my Harbor Freight 20 Ton hydraulic press. Details of building this kit are addressed and it is tested at the end.
Hey Frank, I previously commented on Episode 06 Forklift built and suggested you check out Swag Off Roads 20 ton finger brake press brake kit. You may not have seen that comment. They also make a knob to go on the hydraulic jack release that eliminates you needing to to use the jack handle. I also ditched the manual jack and got a Habor Freight pneumatic/hydraulic jack which uses compressed air to pump up the jack. I installed a foot pedal to operate the jack which freed up both hands to line up the material I was bending. Again great job.
Frank, my brother-in-law's dad made a hydraulic press with a power steering pump and an electric motor, and a hydraulic cylinder. He made dies for different things like making hooks, angles, square bends, and the like. As I recall his machine, it was a nice addition to other things in his shop.
With that press brake, now you’ll be able to custom fabricate components for your future builds. That’s what I want to do eventually, is to build myself a fabrication/woodworking shop, so I build and fabricate my own projects.
Speaking of square, I saw a guy put a Lazer on a piece of steel he was going to weld. He aimed the Lazer on the wall, and began to weld. In his video, that Lazer moved around a lot, but never really ended where it started. I knew head could change squareness, but not to that degree.
I have the same press. I bought an air operated 29 ton jack to replace the manual jack. Much faster operation. Also, make a handle for the pressure release screw so you don’t have to find the jack handle every time. The air operated jack can be used with a pump handle for fine control.
The brake will be a great addition to the shop. Looking forward to seeing it in use. I built a brake that I use in my shopbuilt press and have found many uses for it. I have a project coming up that I could use a 36" brake, trying to think my way though making one that large.
Practice your TIG welding using empty soup, fruit, vegetable tin cans, and then work your way up to welding empty soda cans. I learned on soda cans, that’s tricky.
I have a backhoe on my Kubota, so I've kinda got that covered. I have some other ideas. Lots of other stuff to deal with this summer. Another build will start in the Fall. TBA at some point this summer.
Hey frank cool little project. It’ll be a great addition to the shop. Just wondering if the angle iron that’s used as a bottom die is bent tighter than 90deg? I see you got a good 90 out of it on your test piece but until that point I was confused how you’d get to 90 with the spring back if it was just a bit of regular angle. Thanks again for keeping us all entertained. Tom, uk.
I'll have to measure the die to see what angle it is. Assumed it was 90 but you're right, it would need to be less than 90 to achieve 90 with spring back. I'll check and let you know.
Tom and Frank, The angle iron is just a standard 90° angle. The magic of the brake is actually in the top die. Our top dies are machined to a 60° inclusive angle with a small (1/8") flat nose at the tip. As you are bending, the material will start conforming to the 90° bottom die. Once you bottom out, the flat nose of the top die will slightly spread your work piece, causing it to conform to the sharper top die. This is referred to as "bottoming." As a result, you can actually bend material past 90° to 110°. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if any questions come up. SWAG Off Road
@@Swagoffroad thanks for the reply. I’d never heard of that kind of bending technique before. It makes sense but it would never have occurred to me without your explanation. Good example that even seemingly simple things can have hidden complexity to them. Have you ever thought about making the alignment rods or sliders able to pivot to allow the top dies to approach the bottom die at an angle for a variable fold angle over a given length? The shapes you could fold would open even more possibility’s. Cheers, tom.
@@mopedmarathon That's a really interesting idea that I hadn't even considered. Could even include some kind of reference gauge so in theory the variable bend could be repeatable. I'll have to think about how to do that! Thank you, SWAG Off Road
Is that a Shop Fox 12" Disc x 48" belt sander you have? How do you like it for metal? I've been trying to decide on what to buy for a 12" Disc x 48" belt sander. Check out my videos on harbor freight press mods. I even have a video on switching it to pneumatic.