Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Other than a pair of snips, a carbide blade on a table saw, and a small band saw, our team doesn't have any tools for working with sheet metal. I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for what we should acquire as I'm largely ignorant of what's out there.

Three tools I've come across are a press brake, a shear, and a slip roll. They look pretty straightforward, but I have no experience. Harbor Freight has a 30" all-in-one model for $400. Would we be smart to get one? Does anyone have any experience to share?

Another tool I've found is a bead roller. Eastwood has one for $150. Harbor Freight also has an economy model for a bit more. It looks like one could use thinner sheets of aluminum, and create the rigidity of a thicker sheet using this tool, but without the extra weight. Does anyone have any experience to share?

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Not to knock harbor freight too much, But anything with HF in the name will not handle the heavier gauge AL that most of us use. That is not what they are made for. The same goes for most of the multi-function sheet metal tools.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Thanks. The HF model shear can only cut up to 20 ga., so not much. It can bend and roll thicker gauges up to 16.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

My teams has this, and it's been a bit of a pain. The press brake works nicely, but the shear and the roller are another story. The rollers aren't the easiest to adjust to produce the correct bend, and it's not the greatest construction. The shear can work, but it's awful hard to cut anything, and we were able to crack the bottom table cutting some sheet metal.

So, overall, I don't know if I'd recommend it. It works and it's rather cheap for all the machines it combines, but I'm sure there are other options that could work better.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Thanks for the review. That's what I need to know and I'll keep shopping. I'm guessing that a shear, a press brake and a slip roller of a better quality would be good tools to have. Are they worth it for the money?

Any comments on bead rollers in general, or the Eastwood and HF models in particular? Are they useful? Is my assumption correct?

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

For those that have a press brake in-house, what do you have and up to what length and thickness can you bend for 6061 Aluminum and/or 5052 Aluminum?

We don't have a sheet metal brake in-house, but I would really like to have one so that we can bend more parts...

Based on the reviews for the heftiest brake on HF (http://www.harborfreight.com/36-inch...nd-91012.html), it sounds like folks can usually bend 16ga (.050" AL), but it will often struggle with sizes up to 12ga (.080" AL). Does anyone have experience with this bender, and if so, what do you think its limitations are? What thickness can it handle if they're short little brackets (bend length ~2" maybe)?

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Grizzly makes a few sheet metal combo machines. They are import machines as well but I have found that their quality is much better than HF. Anyone have any experience with the Grizzly 3-in-1 machines?

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

The Grizzly 3-in-one models look identical to the HF model, but the price indicates a better quality. They're out of our budget this coming season, but possibly next year. They still only cut 22-20 ga. mild steel. How does that translate to the much softer aluminum? 18-16 ga.?

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

This will be harder to find, but keep your eyes on the lookout for used heavier duty shears and brakes.

Look in industrial or government auctions - often times companies that go out of business or government agencies that have old stuff will auction them off, and you can pick up stuff for pennies on the dollar. You can pick up used, 20-30 year old equipment that's much better quality than new HF stuff for the same price.

Also, ask around at local machine shops and see if they have any older/mothballed equipment that they might donate to your team.

I once used one of those $300 all-in-one shear/brake/roller and it barely lasted a year of VEX and FRC use before the cast housing cracked.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

I am not sure because we rarely use sheet under an 1/8", but it should be noted that steel is slightly thicker than aluminum of the same gauge. See here

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Thanks Art. Do you, or anyone, have any thing to share about bead rollers in general? My assumption is that one can use it to add rigidity to thinner sheets of aluminum without adding weight. Am I correct in this? Once again, I have no experience in sheet metal work aside from repairing/replacing flashing on my roof.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Thanks Art. Do you, or anyone, have any thing to share about bead rollers in general? My assumption is that one can use it to add rigidity to thinner sheets of aluminum without adding weight. Am I correct in this? Is it a useful tool in your experience? Once again, I have no experience in sheet metal work aside from repairing/replacing flashing on my roof.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Remember sheet aluminum usually comes in 48" widths. A 30" shear won't work.
You need a very good shear. If the blade moves even a little bit, the shear turns into a shear/bend :ahh:
If you get a break, be sure it comes with different width blades. You can mix them up for different width bends. You also need a good flat piece of steel to align the blades whe you set them up.
You also might consider a good flange plier. These are used for short bends but also can be used to straighten wavy bends.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Thanks Wayne. I just got off the phone with a metal fabricator in Bakersfield, CA. He said he might have some old machines that he could donate. Hope it all pans out.

Re: Sheet metal fabrication tools
 

Our local sheet metal supplier gives us free cuts (if I remember right my story right), and will strip the material down for us into 1' x 4' strips, or smaller. This makes it much more manageable for us.