Made a press brake today

admin

Ive needed a press brake for a while, and finally got around to making it today. Nothing fancy, just functional for my needs.20" bending capability3/8" base plate (I might upgrade later)1/4"x1"x1" angle for the base.3/4"x4" flat bar stock. Milled (Thanks Paul)3/4" round bar for guide posts.1" .120 wall for guides.Tig welded Attached ImagesMiller Synchrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255Hypertherm Powermax 45Torchmate 2x2Victor O/A
Reply:Originally Posted by Legacy3/4"x4" flat bar stock. Milled (Thanks Paul)
Reply:Nice set-upUA local 32Team weld-coolTeam miller elite tack upMiller pro-staff
Reply:It looks pretty much exactly like the one I bought from Northern Tools. Maybe even better. Nice Job.ZT, how exactly do you mill that? I have zero machine experience. i would like to see a step by step sometime on the work guys do here. That would be cool.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Originally Posted by ZTFabLooks great Tony!!You probably have less time building that whole brake than I had in just milling that damn top die for you!!
Reply:Originally Posted by LegacyHaha.... I guess now would be a bad time to bring up my plans for a bottom die then?!?
Reply:Originally Posted by ZTFabLYou probably have less time building that whole brake than I had in just milling that damn top die for you!!
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWFunny, when I first saw this I was thinking "Here's a good project to bang out on the mill at the tech school while I have access to the machine shop this term!" All I have to do is figure out how to jig this up and then run the power feed back and forth over it a few dozen times with the big carbide face mill in the collet, flip and repeat. I've been too cheap to buy one of the die sections I've seen at the used tool place for an "around to" project. I'd be curious to know how you set this up or if you just tilted the head on the mill Paul.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWFunny, when I first saw this I was thinking "Here's a good project to bang out on the mill at the tech school while I have access to the machine shop this term!" All I have to do is figure out how to jig this up and then run the power feed back and forth over it a few dozen times with the big carbide face mill in the collet, flip and repeat. I've been too cheap to buy one of the die sections I've seen at the used tool place for an "around to" project. I'd be curious to know how you set this up or if you just tilted the head on the mill Paul.
Reply:Thanks Paul. I'll take a closer look at the mill in the machine shop on Wednesday. The full size Bridgeports have way more adjustments than my little table top mill does. I've been thinking about doing some angle milling for my next project anyways and I think the instructor will let me do something different since I'm way ahead of the rest of the guys. I just need to see if I can't get the spare mill up and running and dig out some material in the shop..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by ZTFabAs Tony said, I just "nodded" the head of the mill.I have no formal training as a machinist but feel that I can work my way around the shop fairly well. There are probably better ways to accomplish the same thing but here's what I did;- Trammed the vise along the back, fixed jaw on the x-axis with my Mitutoyo test indicator.- Trammed the "nod" and tilt of the head to zero using my Edge products Pro-tram spindle square.- Set the flat bar in the vise and swept the top to verify level.- Using my digital angle finder I zeroed it out on the front face of the head and "nodded" it to 30 degrees down. ( I don't have a sine bar) - Using the power feed on the x axis and a conventional cut I made a series of passes at 300rpm with a .750" HSS roughing end mill and ran a final pass with 4 flute HSS (my tooling is limited).- Once the first side was done I took the part out of the vise and turned it 180 and machined the other side.- I use a misting coolant system to keep the cutter cool.Hope that helps. Maybe someone with more machining experience can point out any potential problems with what I did or faster methods for you to use.
Reply:Originally Posted by ZTFabAs Tony said, I just "nodded" the head of the mill.I have no formal training as a machinist but feel that I can work my way around the shop fairly well. There are probably better ways to accomplish the same thing but here's what I did;- Trammed the vise along the back, fixed jaw on the x-axis with my Mitutoyo test indicator.- Trammed the "nod" and tilt of the head to zero using my Edge products Pro-tram spindle square.- Set the flat bar in the vise and swept the top to verify level.- Using my digital angle finder I zeroed it out on the front face of the head and "nodded" it to 30 degrees down. ( I don't have a sine bar) - Using the power feed on the x axis and a conventional cut I made a series of passes at 300rpm with a .750" HSS roughing end mill and ran a final pass with 4 flute HSS (my tooling is limited).- Once the first side was done I took the part out of the vise and turned it 180 and machined the other side.- I use a misting coolant system to keep the cutter cool.Hope that helps. Maybe someone with more machining experience can point out any potential problems with what I did or faster methods for you to use.
Reply:We make our own tops at the shop I work at. We have 10' mechanical verson. When we make pans/counter tops/hoods etc. we almost always have to fit in somewhere, so we make 10' sections then cut them up as we need to.We set a 10' 16ga bottom in the machine then put in 1/2X4 flat bar in the top, and jamIt. Then come up on the screws, and put a nice piece of 5/8" true bar, and jam the flat bar down onto the true bar. Spray everything down with anti spatter and tack every 6"
Reply:Interesting project - post some photos of your formed materials when you can? I'd like to see what it can doThermal Arc Fabricator 2101970 Lincoln RedfaceMiller 150 STLStill need a Syncrowave and a plasma and a milling machine and a lathe and a bigger shop and a....
Reply:Looks real good.  You folks are fortunate to have a mill or access to one.  I had to cut mine on a track torch and hand clean.  I never have been able to get the return springs to work correctly.  Mine keeps binding and I have to love tap it for the return...not much just a little. Anyway, looks good and these things sure are handy.GeezerPower Mig 255C185 TIGBlue 175 MIGRanger 8 Kohler 20HP1974 5K Lincoln/Wisconsin Powered (Cherry)Victor/Harris O/AK 487 Spool Gun
Reply:is the top die single sided? Im having a hard time telling in the pic, and if you dont mind me asking what is the angle on the die? where did you get the springs? I also want to build one.thanks bud
Reply:Originally Posted by astaindsoul5446...if you dont mind me asking what is the angle on the die?
Reply:HI all ! i have a much simpler solution, i know not everybody has one but i have a tilting table that i used when i made my small  press brake you clamp the part in there at what ever angle you want and mill one side and flip it over and do the other  this keeps you from having to sweep the  head back in when you are done allot quicker and easier .good luck Chris
Reply:Originally Posted by ct from shawneeHI all ! i have a much simpler solution, i know not everybody has one but i have a tilting table that i used when i made my small  press brake you clamp the part in there at what ever angle you want and mill one side and flip it over and do the other  this keeps you from having to sweep the  head back in when you are done allot quicker and easier .good luck Chris
Reply:more pics   Sorry, I got one twice.  Anyway, they show another method of cutting the angle. Attached ImagesLast edited by Dave1941; 03-11-2012 at 03:10 PM.HF Dual Mig 151 with Bluewelders and Galaxieman's modsHF Digital Plasma TorchHF Blue Flames Hood70's era Craftsman 230 stick welderVictor 100 OA
Reply:Originally Posted by astaindsoul5446is the top die single sided? Im having a hard time telling in the pic, and if you dont mind me asking what is the angle on the die? where did you get the springs? I also want to build one.thanks bud
Reply:DaveI like your sine plate...thats a clever idea. That's looks like a piece of Aluminum you are cutting with a two flute endmill. Did you just put it in there for the photo?  You had mentioned it was for a log splitter, so I'm pretty sure you made that from steel, but for those not too familiar with machining a 2 flute endmill won't last very long machining steel....mike
Reply:Originally Posted by mikeeDaveI like your sine plate...thats a clever idea. That's looks like a piece of Aluminum you are cutting with a two flute endmill. Did you just put it in there for the photo?  You had mentioned it was for a log splitter, so I'm pretty sure you made that from steel, but for those not too familiar with machining a 2 flute endmill won't last very long machining steel....mike
Reply:My apologies to Legacy.  I didn't mean to trample on your thread.  I just meant to show another means of milling an angle on a part.HF Dual Mig 151 with Bluewelders and Galaxieman's modsHF Digital Plasma TorchHF Blue Flames Hood70's era Craftsman 230 stick welderVictor 100 OA