What’s on *YOUR* workbench?

steviejr92 said:
I’m not there yet so far everything I’ve thrown at it I’ve been able to do!
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The disadvantage and advantage at the same time is a very small bending radius resulting from the sharp tip of the brake fingers. You can see that aluminum changes its structure at the bending edge. Also, it would be nice to have some indicator of the bending angle.
And it is quite troublesome to return to the default settings after changing the sheet thickness or generally after turning the side adjustment screws. Easy to change settings, not so easy to set correctly :)
Try not to leave a gap between the fingers larger than 3-5 mm. Sometimes you can see on the bending edge that there was no pressure along the entire length. I'm talking about a situation when one wide finger is too wide (does not fit between side walls) and a narrow one is too narrow. Then you can use two narrow ones, leaving a gap between them. It is best to plan the width of the bends taking into account the sizes of individual fingers. This applies to the bend of 3 or 4 walls - e.g. a box.
 
temol said:
The disadvantage and advantage at the same time is a very small bending radius resulting from the sharp tip of the brake fingers. You can see that aluminum changes its structure at the bending edge. Also, it would be nice to have some indicator of the bending angle.
And it is quite troublesome to return to the default settings after changing the sheet thickness or generally after turning the side adjustment screws. Easy to change settings, not so easy to set correctly :)
Try not to leave a gap between the fingers larger than 3-5 mm. Sometimes you can see on the bending edge that there was no pressure along the entire length. I'm talking about a situation when one wide finger is too wide (does not fit between side walls) and a narrow one is too narrow. Then you can use two narrow ones, leaving a gap between them. It is best to plan the width of the bends taking into account the sizes of individual fingers. This applies to the bend of 3 or 4 walls - e.g. a box.
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Thats an awesome tip!!! I havent played with the different finger configurations yet.

As for the bend radius, I would like to add that the actual changing of the bend radius is a little cumbersome. Having to undo a screw then adjusting with a separate tool adds more time than i would like.
 
steviejr92 said:
As for the bend radius, I would like to add that the actual changing of the bend radius is a little cumbersome. Having to undo a screw then adjusting with a separate tool adds more time than i would like.
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Different radius = new set of the brake fingers, with a different edge. You can try to cheat a little and set the edge of the fingers away from the bending edge, but it won't always work.
 
temol said:
Different radius = new set of the brake fingers, with a different edge. You can try to cheat a little and set the edge of the fingers away from the bending edge, but it won't always work.
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Is it possible to buy fingers with different edges? That would add a whole new layer of customization....especially for wider bends!
 
steviejr92 said:
Is it possible to buy fingers with different edges? That would add a whole new layer of customization....especially for wider bends!
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You can make different radius by taking a small piece of sheet metal of different thicknesses the length of the throat and bending in the shape around the “fingers “ to place over the edge of the fingers giving you a larger radius for proper set back and bend radius… it’s cheaper and quicker to change out, just slip them on and off. Super easy.
 
Paradox916 said:
You can make different radius by taking a small piece of sheet metal of different thicknesses the length the the throat and bending in the shape around the “fingers “ to place over the edge of the fingers giving you a larger radius for proper set back and bend radius… it’s cheaper and quicker to change out, just slip them on and off. Super easy.
Click to expand...
Ahhhh this is an awesome tip! Ive seen something similar with tubing that was welded on but i didnt want to go that route. Thanks for this! Now im going to be experimenting all day :ROFLMAO:
 
steviejr92 said:
Is it possible to buy fingers with different edges? That would add a whole new layer of customization....especially for wider bends!
Click to expand...
It depends on the manufacturer. Good (i.e. expensive) machines have different types of fingers available. And ours... probably not. I ordered mine from a company that specializes in metalworking. But I also have 3D printed ones.
The method suggested by @Paradox916 is OK, I've used it. But it requires moving the fingers back (by the thickness of the insert). In the case of custom fingers you just replace them, no further adjustment necessary.
 
I designed them, but I didn't print them. Basically, it's one type, with a fairly large radius (12mm, I think). They bend a little but are still usable :)
 
temol said:
It depends on the manufacturer. Good (i.e. expensive) machines have different types of fingers available. And ours... probably not. I ordered mine from a company that specializes in metalworking. But I also have 3D printed ones.
The method suggested by @Paradox916 is OK, I've used it. But it requires moving the fingers back (by the thickness of the insert). In the case of custom fingers you just replace them, no further adjustment necessary.
Click to expand...
the brake I used had a wheel on the side for adjustment that you could do very easily, if the brakes you guys are using don’t have that I could definitely see that being a pain.
 
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