Easiest Way To Shape Sheet Metal

How to bend sheet metal without a brake.

Easiest way to shape sheet metal.

The work shown here is a fine tuning operation in the final stages of forming and flattening a surface. Then bend the sheet back and forth a few times to snap it. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Mark a bend line and place the sheet metal on the edge of your bench.

Clamp the wood on top of the metal to the workbench. They look like big scissors and work the same way. This photo shows hammering on dolly but in this case the dolly is rubber clad. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.

Steel is an impressive material. You can shrink steel or you can stretch steel. If your project requires curved cuts make an easy economical and adjustable. Next place the wood parallel and slightly behind the bending line.

How to bend sheet metal without a brake in 4 different methods with minimal or homemade tools. Determine the thickness of your sheet. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards. If your sheet metal is too thick you may need special machinery like a brake or a torch to bend your sheet into the desired shape.

Hammering off dolly is a precision operation that is used to shape metal without stretching it. Cutting your own copper shapes can be easier than you think. Clamp or hold a straightedge or square along the cutting marks and score a line with the tip of a sharp utility knife blade. If you want a sharp 90 bend tap along the crease with a mallet.

Bolting on a fender may be the easy way but for some there is no substitute to actually working the metal back into shape. Place the sheet metal on top of the workbench and lay out your pattern using a tape measure pencil and straightedge. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. It s strong and flexible.

For higher gauges meaning thinner copper you can easily do it with standard hardware store metal snips. This measurement will be necessary for calculating your bend allowance. For thicker copper sheet you would want to use a jewelry saw it s a bit slower but gives you a nicer finished cutting edge.