Bending Aluminium Sheet At Home

Die opening with a relieved profile.

Bending aluminium sheet at home.

Metal shops have brakes mounted at different angles with automated braking arms however it is possible to bend sheet metal at home without the use of a brake. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. When working with sheet metal one particularly useful piece of equipment is the brake. Learn how to bend sheet metal so you can complete home and hobby projects easily without using a sheet metal brake.

For this you will need a table saw with a blade that has as many carbide teeth as possible and preferably sharp. You d probably air bend by using a 3 0 in. A brake is a device that allows you to bend a piece of sheet metal at a particular angle. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line.

Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. In other words if you re bending 1 8 sheet use a tool with a 1 8 radius to form the inside of the bend. Video demonstrating a diy way of bending thin gage aluminum coil stock by making a simple roller using a soft skateboard wheel. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius.

This involves making a score or cut line on the sheet where you want the bend to start. Say you re bending 0 25 in thick 6061 t6 aluminum to a 100 degree external angle 80 degree internal angle. Aluminium cuts surprisingly easy with a decent table saw especially when you use a blade designed for cutting non ferrous metals. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards.

Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. Let s consider a challenging job. Purchase a metal bending brake online or at your local hardware store.