My DIY press brake 1

[Joe from N.Y.]

Here is my cheap solution for my need to find a way to bend some ¼” aluminum diamond plate for some brackets I needed to make. I made it after seeing some examples of DIY press brakes online. All welding was done with my MM211 with .035 wire. The die I made from an old piece of ½” thick railroad scrap I found at the local Rail Road crossing.




The 3/16” x 1 ½” and 3/16” x 2” angle iron and ¾” round bar I had left over from other projects. The ¼” steel base plate I cut from the edge of a larger piece I was using as a welding table top. The round pipe was scrap left over after relocating some steam radiators in my house.




I cut the railroad scrap down to about 12’ x 2½” with a cheapo 4 ½” Harbor Freight/Northern grinder with a good quality cut-off disk. I started out by using my plasma cutter on it, but found that the low-tech method of using the grinder and cut-off wheel worked better, leaving a beautiful clean edge.

[Joe from N.Y.]

I then used the plasma at an angle to get a rough point along the edge, and then finish ground the point with another cheapo grinder with a grinding wheel. (They are so cheap, I keep four, each with different disks and brushes on them for different needs. It is easier than swapping the disks.)








I cut two pieces of the 1 ½” angle iron to the same length, and welded them, butted up against each other to form a c-channel, almost to the edge of my ¼” steel plate. Then I cut the ¾” bar to two pieces of the same length. These got welded into the angle iron to act as structural support to go underneath the bottom die.

[Joe from N.Y.]

[Joe from N.Y.]

Then I cut and welded a piece of 2” angle iron to be the cradle of the brake.




After aligning the top die to the bottom of the angle iron forming the base, I cut two pieces of the pipe and welded one to each side of the die.

[Joe from N.Y.]

Then I cut some more ¾” rod for the pipe on each side of the die to ride on, and welded them in place on the ¼” base. I used a cheap Northern grinder attachment that turns it into a mini chop saw.

[Joe from N.Y.]

The top gets slid onto the posts, and that’s it. I welded it along the edge of a larger piece of 1/4" plate i am using for my welding table, and just cut the edge of the plate off the table when I was done. (The table fits better in my garage now). I will add suitable springs under the pipe on each side when I can scrounge some up somewhere. In the mean time, it works for me. It bends 3/8” flat stock like butter

[Joe from N.Y.]

(This is the last of the multi-part post.)

[aametalmaster]

Nice job there Joe. Are you left handed?...Bob

[Joe from N.Y.]

Nice job there Joe. Are you left handed?...Bob

No, why, does something look backwards?

[Bob the Welder]

By Joe from N.Y.

No, why, does something look backwards?

The handle on your grinder.