rslaback
Well-known member
I'm having a hard time locating a piece of equal angle in steel with 3/8 x 3/8 x 1/16ish dimensions. Any suggestions before I give up and cut it out of a piece of 1"x 16 ga square tube?
It's going to get rolled into a ring so I need at least 36" which is more than my brake widthShear it out of 16 ga. flat stock and press brake into angle. If loading is critical cut it across rolling direction (i.e. 48" direction of the 4'x8' sheet). Use maximum corner radius you needs can tolerate. Most sheet metal shops will have dies able to do this and will have galvanized or galvalum materials in stock.
ksmetals.com
I work mostly with aluminum, so you can understand my aversion to bending down grain. That said, though: ALL steel that has been rolled has very specific grain orientation and is less suseptible to cracking on a sharp bend when following rolling direction. But, you are probably right that the OP can expect few if any problems with anything under 20 point carbon.16ga galvanized sheet will be dead soft annealed and capable of being bent flat on itself (hemmed) without cracking regardless of whether the strip is cut across the sheet or along its length. This is a requirement for the ability to run a Pittsburgh lock on any edge.
Any duct shop with either a Roto-die brake or a Chicago Speedibender brake will have a lower bottoming die with a 1/2" opening width. That said, anyone with a 16ga leaf brake can form the angle by adjusting the position of the upper leaf such that it will form the angle with a near zero inside bend radius.
One of the basic principles of good design is to use materials that are readily available. If there is a viable reason for using a shape which is not commercially available, then you need to cut it down from a larger size.I'm having a hard time locating a piece of equal angle in steel with 3/8 x 3/8 x 1/16ish dimensions. Any suggestions before I give up and cut it out of a piece of 1"x 16 ga square tube?
It's a repair project for a snowblower chute ring. You'll have to take up your concerns about stock sizes with the 1990's engineers at Murray.One of the basic principles of good design is to use materials that are readily available. If there is a viable reason for using a shape which is not commercially available, then you need to cut it down from a larger size.

The angle is to keep the welds out of the root where the retainer has to be able to run unobstructed. It's explained here.Why does it have to be angle, and why so thin? It's been a long time since I ran the old family snowblower and that was a 1980's tank.
Don't duplicate factory, make it simpler and more betterer...![]()