Bending 1/4" steel plate

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Ive been doing some research on H frame presses and I need some help confirming my thoughts.  Id like to get a 40 ton H frame press and then make or buy a brake so that I can bend 1/4" steel plate to 90 degrees and/or two 45 degree bends.  Something like this: The 1/4" plate will be about 12.5" inches wide.  From what I have read, It looks like you need 20 tons of pressure to bend 1/4" plate @12" wide.   So the 40 ton model should be good.  Im not sure if I can make the brake with angle iron or not...and Im not sure exactly you you safely attach the punch part to the press???  Any thoughts on the brake and if the h press is an ok tool to do what I want? Here is a link to what Im doing:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=22752.  Right now im just heating and bending.  DaveMiller 210Lincoln AC225-sHypertherm Powermax 600
Reply:That press should do you for a while. You can nest a bunch of angle together to come up with a bottom die. (the tighter you nest them the better)For a top punch a section of flat bar (1/2") with a section of cold rolled round welded to it makes a great punch for large radius bends.Good luckTJ
Reply:Check out Northern Tool and Equipment.  They have a website.  They have 2 different sizes of brakes that can be added to a hydraulic press.  And they're made in America.
Reply:This plan does not make any sense if i understand it correctly.Why not just buy the angles, beams, etc., that you will need.To bend 1/4 inch steel plate it will take some real POWER.Go to any steel supplier or large fabrication place and watch a 1/4 inch plate being bent.Last edited by Donald Branscom; 08-25-2008 at 01:08 AM.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:A press should do the trick, and you can bend up tabs and such. But bending 1/4" with a brake is going to be a lot like Donald described- 1/4" sheet is some very stubborn material, and you will need a LOT of power to bend it cleanly. We used to bend up to 1/4" sheet on a 12ft. brake. It was hydaulic, and had a flywheel that spun above it to drive the ram; that flywheel and arm looked like they came of an old steam powered locomotive. When we would hit it to 1/4" steel, you could feel it in the floor from 40 ft away. Pedal down, Wa-BOOM! I still remember that sound like it was yesterday.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Yeh, I don't think the phrase "brake" matches what he wants to do here?? Just a simple punch and die bend huh? Don't know for sure how tight the bend needs to be. Looking at that skid plate in the other thread looks like the bend radius is kinda open yet.
Reply:The bend in the pics were done with heating and bending by hand.  It just turned out very round.  The bend doesnt have to be a perfect 90 and it can have a large radius...but smaller than what I did by hand/heat.  Based on some of the later opinions posted, is it fair to say than that the calculator on http://www.e-ci.com/loadcalc.php isnt really correct when using an h press and brake?  If I did it correctly, using a 2 inch gap die, 1/4 steel plate, and 12" wide you need 15.3 tons.Miller 210Lincoln AC225-sHypertherm Powermax 600
Reply:The die gap is key. I've bent 1x1 solid on my 12 ton press with about a 6" gap. 1x1 solid is 5x as stiff as 1/4 x 12 (1/12 bh^3).Your part dimension beyond the bend will limit the gap. The bend will concentrate at the nose - it will not be constant radius across the gap.Use a round nose to prevent notching the inside of the bend and build a reinforced channel for the die. I made a sketch.The northern tool press brakes feature a good setup for guiding the nose between the press and the plate. Attached ImagesPress Brake.pdf (65.0 KB, 1143 views)Last edited by Brad Blazer; 08-28-2008 at 11:48 AM.Reason: Added picsLincoln SA200, HH135, Lencospot, HF80 Inverter, Rockwell 11x35 lathe, HF drill mill, Kama 554 tractor w/ FEL & BH, Belarus 250AS, lot's of Chinese tools
Reply:Brad, Thanks for the sketch.  Im still looking for a good place/deal on a press.Miller 210Lincoln AC225-sHypertherm Powermax 600
Reply:This one is interesting considering the price of most of the 40 ton units out there:http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96188Lincoln SA200, HH135, Lencospot, HF80 Inverter, Rockwell 11x35 lathe, HF drill mill, Kama 554 tractor w/ FEL & BH, Belarus 250AS, lot's of Chinese tools
Reply:Check out this one.http://www.shopoutfitters.com/Univer...abricator.htmlAnother thing is the bottom die should have an opening 8 times the thickness of the metal to be bent...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio  Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:Northern Tools has just what you're looking for:http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...6970_7902_7902Looks like you could weld one yourself...not very complicated design.Last edited by 69 chevy; 09-05-2008 at 08:46 AM.WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!
Reply:All good stuff, thanks fella's.  I was most interested in making sure that If I pick up one of these presses that it would do the job I was looking for...thanks for all the help.Miller 210Lincoln AC225-sHypertherm Powermax 600
Reply:American Machine Tools web site offers a chart showing how much power you need per linear foot to make 90° bends in various thicknesses of steel along with the optimum die opening.http://www.americanmachinetools.com/pressure_table.htm-MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Great link Mondo.Noticed another HF press in their catalog. 35 ton air/hyd for $500. http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...o?itemid=95865To order online have to "order from printed catalog" here http://www.harborfreight.com/ and enter 95865-1csh.Lincoln SA200, HH135, Lencospot, HF80 Inverter, Rockwell 11x35 lathe, HF drill mill, Kama 554 tractor w/ FEL & BH, Belarus 250AS, lot's of Chinese tools
Reply:Originally Posted by MondoAmerican Machine Tools web site offers a chart showing how much power you need per linear foot to make 90° bends in various thicknesses of steel along with the optimum die opening.http://www.americanmachinetools.com/pressure_table.htm-Mondo
Reply:Just an update, I picked up this Dake 25 ton press off of craigslist for a killer deal.  Im not sure if it works yet. But, I couldnt pass it up for the price.   I got it and then had to go on travel.   But here is a picture of the exact same model (model#6-325 or 6-225) on ebay.  As soon as I get back, Ill take pics of the actual unit I got.   I cant wait to try it out.  Any one know anything about these?  The one I got was made in 1976 and dake said I can still get parts for it.  I know I need 4 pins for the moveable table channels and it looks like the set screw that holds the removable ram nose is snapped off.  The one in the picture doesnt look like it has the removable ram nose on it.Hopefully 25 tons will be enough.  According to the site that mondo provided, it should be plenty.Miller 210Lincoln AC225-sHypertherm Powermax 600
Reply:I got the one that northern tool sells in my 25 ton press.  It works just find for 90% of what little bends I need to do.  Anything else and I take it to my buddy.    I bend up 7 stake pockets for a trailer out of some 4" by 1/4" flat stock.  Took a whopping 10 mins.  Only bitch to the H press brake attachments is the pumping of the manual 25 ton jack.  Your arm gets tired.Lincoln 300 Vantage 2008300 Commander 1999SA250 1999SA200 1968Miller Syncrowave 200XMT350MPA/S-52E/xr-15Xtreme 12vs Millermatic 251 w/30A  Millermatic 251 Dialarc 250 Hypertherm 1250 GEKA & Bantom Ironwokers