Technique to bend 1/4" plate without a press.

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Just thought I would share this. I am sure many of you have done this but it might help someone.Little backstory.Needed to make some large "feet pads" for a fuel tank stand I am building (more on that later in a different thread) and I wanted the edges to have a angled lip because it will sit inside a rubber containment bladder. And I dont want to chance punching a hole in it. Now I do have a big hydraulic press I built a brake attachment for, but it dont work well with a box type bend, so I figured just do it this way.First lay out your cuts. I used a plasma but it CAN be done with a torch or deathwheel.  I wanted a 1" lip so set a straight edge at 1.5" for the guide and used clamps and a bit of scrap for stops.Next lay out the corner copes. I wanted the lip to set at 45 degrees so two 22.5 degree cuts.Next step, use a deathwheel (zip wheel, cut off tool, whatever) and run it down in the cuts to clean them up. Thin the little bits you left as connectors to about 1/2 the thickness. and dont forget to cut out the corners. Then just bend it until the corners line up. I used my sheet metal brake but another good way is clamp it in a vise and use 2 crescent wrenches on the lip. There you have it, a nice even lip all the way around without a lot of cutting/fitting/cursing. Just tack and weld up the crack.  You can see the steel in the connectors DID crack on me. But its not really an issue (your gonna weld it anyway) and can be avoided by heating the area with a torch. Hope this helps someone someday. LarpIf you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:I have made a foot pad kind of like that before. Same shape totally differnt construction. I basically made a picture frame out of angle, dropped the plate in the center and welded it all up.This looks like its a lot faster, simpler and easier.Last edited by mad welder 4; 02-04-2014 at 06:12 PM.
Reply:@ larphead - using the same protocol for a custom Jeep bumper build.   Ran into the into looking into DIY (WIY) Jeep bumper kits.   Slick concept, using an internal "tab" to allow flexure of the planes and ultimately welding lines.  Thanks for sharing!"Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:almost like putting together a cardboard box
Reply:I have done similar, but i score the pattern with my plasma cutter, bend while hot if possible, then weld up...fast and ez....
Reply:Thanks Larp!   Awesome idea!Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:nice idea.. i will use it .. thanks !
Reply:Nice. Here's another idea along the same lines.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ithout-a-BrakeDenny is doing it alum in this post, but he does the same thing with a zip wheel and steel in a couple other threads of his.Shame Denny isn't posting up anymore. He did a lot of great instructional fab threads. Denny if you are reading this, you need to start posting up again..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:Thats  a good tip there man. Nice work.
Reply:Steve I doubt Denny could stand "retiring". My guess is he's still "puttering around", but just doing stuff when he wants now. I think when he stops working for good, they'll be burying him within the next month.My guess is like a lot of really good older posters, he got fed up with the BS and either quit posting, or went elsewhere..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:Thanks for the comments guys. I know its not a ground breaking technique or anything. I think I first saw precut and slotted parts for a C notch kit to lower a truck. I cant recall seeing someone put kind of a "how to" up on here. So I figured I could give a bit back. Originally Posted by DSWSteve I doubt Denny could stand "retiring". My guess is he's still "puttering around", but just doing stuff when he wants now. I think when he stops working for good, they'll be burying him within the next month.My guess is like a lot of really good older posters, he got fed up with the BS and either quit posting, or went elsewhere.
Reply:I like it!Now to remember to use it!