If you need to bend heavier material, something like this might do. (from files I have saved).
Thanks for the tip, although I'm afraid that these will have a very tough time with actual plate steel vs. just sheet metal? I already have a finger box/pan brake, and while it's definitely not really heavy duty at around 300 lbs, it does already struggle with narrow pieces of 2mm steel. No way to bend anything in the 5mm range, so I'm afraid the ones you show here are meant more for sheet metal as well, unlike press brake that can apply >20 tons to bend the metal.
Some DIY finger brakes I bookmarked:
Been working on this for a while now when time was available and more important projects weren't getting in the way. The original design was by Jr. Joe Williams that was modified by Mike Ward and was featured in The Home Shop Machinist as a three part series staring with the March/April 2008...
www.hobby-machinist.com
I have been wanting a sheet metal brake for quite some time , but they are expensive and won't handle anything very heavy. After searching off and on for a couple of years, I settled on the one designed and built by J. R. Williams. The only thing I would change is I want it to be a finger pan...
www.hobby-machinist.com
Thank you as well, both looked like really nicely designed units, however will likely have the same limitations as my (non-press) finger brake.
Seems like folks are suggesting box/pan sheetmetal brakes but OP wants to bend thicker metal. The SWAG brake he links is a press brake meant to be used in a hydraulic press.
First off OP, I want to make sure you know that SWAG offers a kit with all the pieces Laser cut but not welded or assembled. It's both cheaper to buy and cheaper to ship. If you have the tools/skills to make one from scratch, you should have the tools to assemble the kit.
I say this because I often make things from scratch and have all the tools necessary right in my own shop but in this case, between sourcing all the steel and the time it would take, I don't think I could reasonably save myself too much mobey and certainly would spend a LOT more time making something from scratch. The SWAG kit is tried and tested, and it has a lot of accessories that you may want to add on later (gooseneck dies, adjustable bottom v die, etc.) that would be a lot easier to use if you start with the swag design.
If course if you're looking for a project, that's a different story. I'm just saying I've thought about the same thing and reached the conclusion that it would be cheaper/better to just buy the kit.
Fair point for sure GeoBruin, and it's something I have also thought about. In this case I was already talking about $700 for the SWAG
kit, which I'd then still have to assemble and weld up myself, the fully welded one would be $1000+.
I am estimating there is about $100-200 worth of steel in the kit depending on where you buy it, and the pieces don't look that complex, so if you want to build something similar you should be able to just cut up in a chop or band saw. The only machining that I foresee is for the dies themselves as well as some mounting system to hold them? I can justify quite a few hours of my own labor for around $500, as you said this is cool project as part of my wrenching and fabrication hobby anyway.
For everybody that doesn't know what I mean by press brake, as an example this is what the SWAG kit looks like when finished:
I do have a band saw, welder, and access to a mill (for cutting the angle on the dies etc) at my local maker spacer, so I am happy to invest some time to find some suitable materials at the scrap yard and make my own.
