MushCreek
Well-known member
I'm making an attachment for my old Cub Cadet. It's a grill guard that swings down and becomes a carrying platform. Anyhow, I needed to bend the 1/4" X 2" steel bars about 2" from the end; maybe 45 degrees. I clamped a block to the bar 2-1/2" from the end (the upper die on my homemade bending jig is 1" wide) and used that as a guide. I pushed it up against the upper die, and put some pressure on it to hold it while I removed the guide block. I did a test piece, and when I got the bend I wanted, I stacked up gauge blocks to limit the travel. Pump the jack until it hits the gauge blocks, and you're done. They all came out the same, and the bends were nice and square to the bars. The first pic shows the guide block clamped in place, the second one shows it in the die, the third one shows the gauge blocks to limit travel, and the last pic is of the project as it stands today. You just have to make do with what you have!
