suggest a small brake (benchtop)

[Sonicmook56]

Hello,

I'm looking for a small benchtop brake to bend 14g aluminum (5052, or 6061) 5" wide, bend 90 deg. repeatable and predictable.

After a couple designs and a few failed attempts to make a special jaw device for a cheap Harbor Freight 5" vice, I have realised I need somting purpose built.

Quick googling renders this inexpensive chinese unit, sold where ever chinese equipment is sold.
http://www.prc68.com/I/8MSB.shtml

It seems to be what I need, minus the sheer function.

Is there somthing else (better) I should be looking at?

~B

[Sonicmook56]

Just a follow up on this thread...

Ended up getting the harbor freight 8" brake/shear described above and the pins that move the die's broke in 15 minutes. I turned a new pair of pins and they broke too...

Factory replacement parts take 8-10 weeks to arive... Will probably end up returning the whole thing.

Last time I'm going to buy anything from china.

Still need to make 90 degree bends in 5" 14g aluminum....

HELP!

[1000IPM]

I do a ton of aluminum bending in our shop. There is a product called a channel baby. It is used in the sign industry for making channel letters for neon or led letters. This might be a solution for what you are looking for. Check them out at www.channelbaby.com. There are other brakes from companied like Pexto that you can sometimes up for sale on ebay.

Happy Bending

[fvelasquez71]

I WANT TO START MAKING CHANNEL LETTERS
WHAT KIND OF BENDER & SHEER SHOULD I GET?

IS THE EQUIPMENT FROM CHINA OK?

[fvelasquez71]

channel bay web site is not working.
Any other idea?

Thank you

[dbren]

Hello,
Just saw your posts. I build a channel letter brake specific for the 5" return channel letters. It is at: www.returnrocket.com
Thanks,
Don

[drsuspect]

I m thinking produce channel letter machine and mechanically i have solutioned. I need a software for this machine . Please help me anybody

[ligito]

For the original poster.

http://www.lowbucktools.com/platebrake.html

[tikka308]

DO NOT CLICK! I believe the link that nBH7qVij posted is a virus.

[SScnc]

I think so too. He did this in the casting forum also and probably others.

EDIT: "probably others" HELL, look at all his posts, that's all it is. What a piece of CRAP !

[WallyL7]

Yeah - he is a troll. The administrators did an excellent job getting rid of his posts.

[PhoenixMetal]

In my opinion, as someone who works in a shop with lots of press brakes, I don't think any benchtop press brake will do an acceptable job or have decent repeatability. This is something that just requires lots of mass for rigidity in the machine. Its not like small milling machines that can still do their job acceptably.