Press / Brake - Homemade

This is for Tools - Homemade or Modified or tools used to make your plane building easier
Post Reply
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

Ok... Where I was working... They were throwing out LARGE pieces of steel in the scrap bins...

I asked if I could buy some of it ( at scrap prices )

My Supervisor asked , what are you going to make ?

I said "I don't know".... But I'll think of SOMETHING !!!!

Anywho, I didn't have a "Press"... and since we were going to be moving

up North to the cabin... I thought I could also use it as a "Log Splitter"

The Company had a special "Drill Press" that drilled "4 inch Channel "

through both Flanges... So , I took advantage of that during Break and Lunch time.

You can see I needed to "Splice" the channel to get the length I needed...

Oh... Did I mention... They told me NO CHARGE for the steel... FREE !!!!

I made the press in pieces... and Bolted it together at home...

I bought a 20 ton pneumatic /Hyd Jack ( About $90 bucks at HF )

The way the Jack is attached at the top , it's loose enough to slide either way...

It doesn't need to be in the center.

The cross channels that are used as the pressing platform... Adjust up or down

by moving the Pins that fit into the Flange holes...

The Platform was made a PINCH wide.... and it locks the pins in place by

sandwiching the washer that's welded on each pin... a little safety feature.

I made two sets of pins...

.
Gotta Fly...
.
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

Instead of using the Jack handle to release the pressure...

I made a knob out of Chromemoly tubing and a washer...

I put some grind gouges in it for grip... ( Works very good )

You can see the press moves side to side...

Gotta Fly...
.
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

When I first tried this... I thought it would crush the can better...

Actually... It will... I noticed later that I was out of "Stroke"

In fact , I need to make a STRONGER cross platform , because it BOWS this 3 inch one...
.
Gotta Fly...
.
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

.
Here's a cool attachment...

I've scrounged up a few "Brake" parts over the years...

and I put together a small Brake.... using my press...

The bottom die can flip over ... Big or small "V"

For strength... the tubing was a heavy wall Chromoly...
.
Gotta Fly...
.
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

Here it is in action...

I've made a lot of brackets for shelves in my shop

The material in these pictures is 7 ga ( 3/16" )

Nice , clean bend... The picture doesn't look "90"

It "Does" press and OVER press 90

Someday...( yeah ) I'll make a Longer Brake... maybe 12 inch across...

It could be longer and still fit in the press... It might be restricted bending

thicker pieces that long...
.
Gotta Fly...
.
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

Another Brake Attachment thingy...

OK, When I made the long - one piece blade for my BRAKE...I used 4130 Chromoly...5"X 1/4" same size as the fingers that came with the 40"BRAKE

Still had some left...

I had a piece that needed bending...but off the edge...Hmmm, Big BRAKES can do this...Mine can't.

So...With a little spare metal...here's what happened.
.
I had two 1" X 7" aluminum blocks.... ( Drops from a water jet cutter )

I use a 12" X 5" X 1/4" piece of Chromemoly...( More stuff I salvaged...)

Between the Blocks of Aluminum...I use !/4" Key stock material as a lower die spacing... THAT could be adjusted EASY 3/8", 1/2" Just different size bar for spacers.

To hold the Knife Die/Blade... I "T 'd" it with a piece of 1- 1/2" flat bar 1/4"

I EXTENDED the flat bar further on each end...leaving plenty of room to clamp it to the press.

Springs on the press...all they do is RETURN things...

With the extra weight...I added a bungee cord to each side...it worked great.

Because of some clearance that was needed on the bottom die , I used heavier clamps...lower

Gotta Fly...

PS Some of those ODD BALL saves come in handy in a small shop like mine... Hell...THAT'S how I built THE PRESS...
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

.
Examples of why "over the edge" was needed...(Or OFF the end)
.
Gotta Fly...
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
User avatar
planecrazzzy
Site Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Press / Brake - Homemade

Post by planecrazzzy »

.
Nice Fit...
.
Gotta Fly...
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
Post Reply

Return to “Tools”