Will need
Since we are going to work with thin materials, the bending forces will not be too great. Taking these factors into account, we select materials:
- corner 25×25 mm, length 500 mm;
- rod with a diameter of 8 mm and a length of 250 mm;
- two hanging loops 25×60 mm;
- two bolts 6×50 mm with nuts;
- four screws;
- wooden beam 50×100×300 mm.
To complete all operations, you will need a drill with drills with a diameter of 3.5 and 6.5 mm, a band saw, welding equipment, a vice and clamps.
Manufacturing process of mini bending machine
We cut the 25x25 mm corner with a band saw into five sections: three 125 mm long and two 62.5 mm long. We also cut a 250 mm long piece from a steel rod with a diameter of 8 mm to make a handle.
We fold two 125 mm steel angles with their shelves down and clamp them in a vice. We place the third on one of the two, clamped in a vice, so that the outer side of the vertical shelf coincides with the line of connection of the two lower corners, and we compress them with clamps.
We place hinged loops in the inner corner formed by the three elements. We press them tightly to the shelves and weld them to the metal through the holes for the screws. We make sure that the hinges fold and unfold freely.
We fold the hinges again and transversely rest a steel rod in the center against the vertical shelf and weld it to the horizontal shelf from the outside.
On the corner shelf without a handle, drill in the center, 12 mm from the ends, one hole with a diameter of 6.5 mm. We place this element on the longitudinal corner of the wooden beam closer to one end so that the shelf with the holes is on top. Using this corner as a template, we drill two through holes in the beam, which is clamped at the other end in a vice.
In the third corner, using the same drill, we also make two holes at the same distance from each other as in the second corner. It will be attached to it so that its angle is directed away from the hinges. But we shift the centers of the holes in the third corner to the edge of the horizontal shelf by the thickness of the material for bending.
In our case, the displacement value should be 1.6 mm.
In two short corner blanks, we drill holes with a diameter of 3.5 mm at the edges and screw them to a wooden beam so that they rest against the longitudinally fixed large corner and make 90 degrees with it.
Our machine is ready for work.
Machine testing
We loosen the nuts securing the corners and insert a strip of metal into the gap formed between them, which needs to be bent. To make the bend even, press the strip against the guide angle.
After this, tighten the nuts, avoiding overtightening the far nut and skewing the clamping angle. The gap between the corners should be the same along their entire length.
We raise the handle, which was still hanging vertically downwards, to a horizontal position. In the process of moving it from the first position to the second, the metal bends.
Loosen the nuts and release the material being bent. After this, we remove it from the machine if the bending is completed, or we move it to another position and continue bending operations.
Original article in English
