Gallery, Projects and General > The Design Shop
Sheet metal folder
John Rudd:
Following on from seeking advice on a guillotine, I am considering building a folder that is of the finger type.
I've acquired plans for a folder that would suffice however I have an issue with material selection..
The designer has specified mild steel for the majority of the components ( apart from PB for bushings and silver steel for hinge shafts)
I intend to mount the fingers on a piece of 8mm angle iron to give rigidity.
While the side plates and other major parts I'd go for Black flat steel,for the Fingers I was thinking Bright Flat....
I guess I should email the designer but I thought I'd seek the independant advice of the Collective..
TIA
John
Bernd:
John,
Having seen some of these metal benders (box brakes- I believe) itall depends on how heavy a material you are going to bend. If it's going to be nothing but tin or brass sheet, aluminum fingers would work. For heavier material I'd use mild steel. If your going into production work, definatly hardered steel.
So I think it boils down to material to be bent (thickness also) and use of the tool.
Bernd
John Rudd:
Actually, the more I think about this the more reluctant I am at building one...purely and simply based on frequency of use...I'm thinking the material cost is going to be around £130....Buying a commercially made one is a non-starter after seeing what's available and the comments made by Bogs in a previous thread about guillotines and the 3-in-one machines. (I'd also read reports about them elswhere not being up to the job...)
The justification at the moment is to make a belt/pulley guard for my minimill. The material used for that is Aluminium sheet ( something around 1mm thick I think, which the folder would cope with easily with the appropriately selected materials...)
I guess I could cut the cost down by making a 'fingerless' model that just folds, but to make a box section say, I'd need to improvise the finger by folding around a suitable former..( I've used key steel of an appropriate length to get me where I wanted to be....)
Choices, choices, choices..... :scratch:
NickG:
--- Quote ---The justification at the moment is to make a belt/pulley guard for my minimill.
--- End quote ---
:lol: I reckon your justification is as floored as mine usually is! £130 to make a guard which could probably be made by using a couple of bits of wood and a hammer! :poke:
You just want one really don't you John! Only kidding, we all have reasons for buying / making the stuff we do.
Maybe you should try one of these 3 in 1's, it may be just what you want?
Nick
Davo J:
Here is a step by step of how to build a realy nice one.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/making-pan-brake-folder-fingers-home-45792/
Dave
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