# Best Homemade Tools >  Sheetmetal Brake full set plans & materias

## kess

SheetMetal Brake Free full set Plans and materials.
The basic plan is the same for the simple and the modified version.




You can view the whole step by step building process at the previus three video parts.
Part1 
Sheet Metal Bender Brake The Make (DIY) & First Use Stainless Steel BBQ



Part2 
Sheet Metal Bender Brake Part2 (DIY) Sharpening the Edges of Brake Clamp



Part3 
Sheet Metal Bender Brake Part3 (DIY) Fully Modified

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astroracer (Feb 26, 2016),

Christophe Mineau (Feb 22, 2016),

clydeman (Jan 22, 2020),

Diode2 (Apr 25, 2017),

DIYer (Feb 23, 2016),

Downeast Thunder (Mar 6, 2016),

Jon (Feb 22, 2016),

kbalch (Feb 22, 2016),

lazarus (Jun 23, 2016),

Majaha Mathem (Oct 3, 2016),

Moby Duck (Oct 22, 2016),

Neil Jensen (Feb 23, 2016),

NortonDommi (May 4, 2018),

Paul Jones (Feb 25, 2016),

raceman61 (May 3, 2018),

scoopydo (Feb 23, 2016),

Tule (Dec 14, 2017),

verticalmurph (Jan 22, 2020),

voodoo59 (Aug 1, 2016)

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## DIYer

Thanks kess! We've added your Sheetmetal Brake to our 
Brakes and Presses category, as well as to your builder page: kess' Homemade Tools. Your receipt:












Sheetmetal Brake
 by kess

tags: brake

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kess (Feb 23, 2016)

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## kess

How to get your own printable version. 

1. While you are watching the video at full screen, pause it at the desired point. 
2. Hit the Print Screen button on your keyboard. 
3. Open windows Paint or your favorite Photo Editor and hit paste or (Ctrl+V) 
4. Now you be able to print it 
or to convert it to (.pdf) file 
or to save as picture. 
Do the same at the rest desired points.

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## sawswood

Hi,

Just wanted to say how much I enjoy Home Made Tools. I didn't realize it was a requirement to post a project in order to be a member of this forum. Remove me name if you must!

Steve

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dkrisatis (Jan 12, 2023)

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## kbalch

Hi Steve,

Welcome!  :Welcome: 

No, it's by no means required to post a project, though we do like for each of our members to at least say hello. The camaraderie here amongst the builders in our community is a huge part (and a fantastic resource) of our essential character. So…

What sort of homemade tools are your favorites? Are you working on anything at the moment?

Ken

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## G.Paul

Nice job I think i may build one. How much thickness will it bend

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## kbalch

Hi G.Paul,

Welcome!  :Welcome: 

What sort of project do you have in mind for the brake? Are you working on anything at the moment?

Ken

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## kess

Hi G.Paul,

The bigger bending thicknesses that I have tried without any problem:
a. Simple version 
0.8mm stainless steel AISI 304 & AISI 430 at 800mm width
1mm regular steel at 380mm width.
b. Modified version
1mm stainless steel AISI 304 at 800mm width
The max useful capacity of this sheetmetal brake is 805mm (at both versions).
The sheet metal on demonstration at part3 video 
is 0.90mm regular galvanized steel,
the bending is 5mm from the edges, and I think that is a very good bending.
(the smaller the height of bend the most difficult the job for the brake)
Also keep in mind that Stainless steel needs about 4x more force per mm² than a regular sheetmetal steel to formulating.
(I am not sure if I have used the correct terminology in English, but I believe you have understood what I mean).
My needs till now, are only from 0.40~1mm at SS sheet metals, 
so I haven’t try it at bigger thicknesses yet, 
but I am sure that can do the job good enough for bending regular steel, aluminum, copper.
At what thicknesses/materials plan to be use it?

Regards
Bill

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## G.Paul

I have a home machine shop, every now and then i get into projects of metal bending. I like to be able to bend 10Ga tats why i asked what gage the brake can handle. I am also interested in a rod bender i can build.
Thanks

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## G.Paul

Thanks Kess

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## G.Paul

Oh forgot. If this brake can bend 5mm that's 3/16 that should do me

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## kess

Hi G.Paul,

You can see 2 of my post here at HomemadeTools.net
a. Ring Roller Bender with Hydraulic Assist (DIY)
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/r...sist-diy-37027
b. DIY Metal Bender
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/d...l-bender-37753

Hope to help.

Regards
Bill

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## kess

Hi G.Paul,

You can see 2 of my posts here at HomemadeTools.net that can be helpfoull to you

http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/d...l-bender-37753

http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/r...sist-diy-37027

Regards
Bill

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## kess

No, 5mm is to mucth for this brake.
You need a Hydraulic sheetmetal brake.

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## kess

> SheetMetal Brake Free full set Plans and materials.
> The basic plan is the same for the simple and the modified version.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can view the whole step by step building process at the previus three video parts.
> Part1 
> Sheet Metal Bender Brake The Make (DIY) & First Use Stainless Steel BBQ
> ...



These are some photos with bends that have made it by this brake.
The sheet metal is Stainless steel AISI 304 at 0.70mm thickness.
  
  
 
  
 

Also you can watch the brake in action on this video:

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## dwbachor

10 gauge is pretty ambitious for a standard style brake, you might want to consider a press brake. Many plans around for hydraulic press add on ones
.

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## G.Paul

> 10 gauge is pretty ambitious for a standard style brake, you might want to consider a press brake. Many plans around for hydraulic press add on ones
> .



One more. How did you grind the bending edge

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## kess

Hi G.Paul, 

Mount the clamp onto a flat and stable metal surface (I had use my hydraulic portable table) using two pieces of angle-iron (e.g. 30x30mm or 35x35mm.

 

Be sure that the hypotenuse (BC) of the triangle (ABC) of your clamp is absolute parallel with the surface of your base and do welds to keep it all in place.
Clean up the paint or the rust at the inner sides of angle iron about 10-15mm from corner. Paint with Aniline paint and wait for a while to dry.
Using a caliper or a Vernier, mark a straight line at the entire length on both inner sides at 4mm from the corner.



(Aniline paint is a very thin paint that used for clean and easy to view marks at metal treatment. You can make it, using 400ml Alcohol, 50ml Shellac, 18~20ml Aniline and very good shake.)
Place a square tube and lock it with clamps so as to using it as slide-base for grinder.
Place a flat bar 3mm thick onto the tube.



According to dimensions of your grinder the height of the slider (tube+flat bar 3mm) must be so as the grinding disk to be absolutely parallel to surface of base and be adjacent to both sides of angle-iron.
Don’t use a flat bar thicker than 3mm, but you can use a combination of bars one over the other, (the top bar must be the 3mm thick bar).
The total height of grinding is 3mm but we need to make only 2.8mm leaving the rest 0.2mm for the final sharpening by file.
So when start the grinding, watch the lines, and be careful, to not exceed the limits.
The use of a new unused 180mm grinding disk is required for best performance.
Start grinding sliding the grinder gently from one end to other.
At starting do not use any pressure on the grinder, let it work with its own weight, and then push it very gently and with the same pressure from one end to other.
If you are not sure that you can control your pressure just slide and let it to work alone. May be take little more time but we need a very good grinding without gaps.
After some passes and when the grinding sides, start to have different width or have already grind about 1.5mm of the height, remove the (3mm) flat bar and continue to slide the grinder direct up to the tube.

According to setup (main base, clamp, and grinder slide-base) the grinding axis is parallel to main base.
The more grinding, the most offset of the grinding axis to downwards,
(The center is: at the point that the grinders handle, be adjacent to the slider).
The side of angle iron that is closer to slider has less grind (or more height) from the far away side. 
But we need 3mm grind at the both sides. 
Removing from the height of slider 3mmt (the flat bar), the grinding axis will move upwards creating an opposite offset that equate the grinding height on both sides.
When the grinding axis becomes parallel to main base, then the height will be the same at both sides of angle-iron.
Using a flat file refine the last 0.2mm.




Regards

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Jon (Dec 15, 2017)

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## G.Paul

Thank you Kess

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## pmt101

Hi, Such great work Thank you .

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## kess

Thanks a lot.

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## gigabyte1

Hi I have been a member for a while and not active in posting . I made a Metal Brake 10 years back that was constructed out of Offcut material at my work . Was Abel to bend Up to 6 mm Mild steel on 900mm W I love this site with all the ideas and tools that others made. And yes there is room for improvement on my design .thinking now I need to start maby making Metal Brake 2.0 lol .Pardon my spelling English not my First Language .

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