how to bend aluminum fascia without a brake

It’s also easier to install than you might think. Weight was as an issue, so I thought of aluminium. Step 3: Bend the Aluminum. Whenever we had to bend aluminum we would anneal it first then bend and reheat treat, your best chance of not cracking it is in its softest most pliable state. I allowed +3mm on the tabs that are to be folded as they overlap the sheet they fold over – hopefully the photos make more sense. It won’t make the centrefold of metalwork monthly, but it worked out way beyond my expectations will be perfect for what we want. With the show side up, make about a 30-degree bend. And 200 mm deep ends would make it 2m long – also perfect. Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features. Rich bent this in under a minute. Thanks. I don't do much metal work, but when I do, I want it to look crisp. If it is showing cracking or just plain fractures, anneal it where you will be bending it. This will also allow it to bend more easily. Step 2: Create Cuts in the Aluminum. Line the aluminum piece up with the combination square in a straight edge and measure in about an inch. A sturdy enclosure. I bend it to make flashing, fascia, and many other profiles, including window cap and door trim. Fig.2. The bottom edge of the top/lid was very sharp, and I was worried if it came down when being used (eg wind blows it down) it could give a nasty cut, so I added on some edging to make it less of a hazard. This is the end product of the forming phase before inserting the frame and riveting, Here I am checking the overlap folds before riveting etc. To do this, use a brake and gently bend the aluminum to avoid damaging it. Take a section of plywood, and clamp it down stationary. Warning – the edges of the aluminium can be very sharp, particularly after it has been cut. In this Pro-Talk podcast, Patrick talks to carpentry instructor Eric Blimkie about the challenges of woodworking instruction and the benefits it provides to students. This weakens the aluminium and creates a "fracture line". Make sure the bar is seated firmly inside the frame. Step 1: Acquire a Brake Tool. How to Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post Corners, Interior Finishes for a Cabin in the Woods, Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20, Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb, Expert insights on techniques and principles. To make his press brake, [Rupert] scavenged a few pieces of 38mm bamboo worktop scraps. I also used some offcuts to make doubler plates where the hinges are to stiffen up the material a bit. I made a "tool" from vice grips and a couple pieces of angle to get extra leverage and to help getting the bends. I then made the cut where appropriate with a jigsaw and fine blade. After assembling a few of these pieces with some hinges, he was ready to bend some aluminum. If the exposed surface on a fascia or other trim profile is more than 8 in., create a rib to stiffen it. There is a soft rubber strip installed where the top and bottom frames meet to provide a seal. Check out these seven tips for successfully bottom bending aluminum with your press brake: 1. Senior Member. Renting a brake is about 40 bucks and it's a hassle. Bend sheet metal without a brake. I thought about drawing them up properly to post here but figured my “working drawings” give a much better idea of the level of detail that I planned/designed to!! The bending brake’s design allows for a full 90º capacity in steel as thick as 16 gauge and can handle stock up to 18 in. Grain direction- bend line should go across the grain for the best bend Having said that a typical sharp 90* bend on a piece of 1/8" aluminum sheet should be a minimum 1/8" inside radius, use either 3003 or 5052 & ideally the bend line should go across the grain. Be Aware of the Aluminum’s Grade. Finished product all mounted and ready to go. Here it is with the internal frame installed. Looks like a nice hack to me and I picked up a trick or two on how to work with metal sheet, so thanks for that. The most simple way of doing this would be to use a MAP torch and heat it to the point where a mark from a sharpie dissappears. Use a ladder to reach the area where you will hang the fascia boards. These groves wound up pretty rough, but I think they helped. It also can be used for any number of small projects that require bent light-gauge sheet metal or vinyl. Due to the size of stuff stored, I was limited on what size box I could get as a replacement – it had to fit the table (930 x 750 mm) and the solar panel (1200 x 700mm) – so that set the minimum width and length. Flip the piece again and bend it back 30 degrees, or so the face of the fascia is straight. So if I fold it up, and the sides are 200mm deep, that would make it 800mm wide – perfect. Place one hand under the fascia and the other on the combination square. The brake is compact and lightweight yet sturdy enough for professional production runs. Gently push up to bend the material into the angle that matches the gutters. I used an acid based silastic as a glue/sealer. "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I laid the sheet out on my table and measured it out and marked it with a felt marker. Start your subscription today and save up to 52%. I did some research and have previously made small things with 1.6mm thick aluminium – so I thought I would risk it and give it a go. Share it with us! I have never tried this method, but if you don’t have a metal brake, this may work fine. Figure out the two lengths of the aluminum sides, to locate where the bend will be. It seems like such overkill to rewrap one fascia board. Place one hand under the fascia and the other on the combination square. Also, after each bending pass, work along with rubber mallet to sharpen the bend by bashing either side of the bend on the table edge. Gently push up to bend the material into the angle that matches the gutters. Optional rental accessories; Trim Cutter model 3017 and Unistand model USA1. Once it is bent to around 45 degrees, move to floor where you can stand on the aluminium while you bend it - gives you more leverage and a tighter bend. Here is my trial fit of top and bottom - thankfully all good! Stacey demonstrates a technique of how to bend a sheet of metal using a vise and 2×4’s. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin-snips which tend to deform the metal. Nonetheless, by applying our old friend Mr. The bend won't be quite as sharp, but suitable bends can be made for many construction projects without using a brake. I put nylon between hinges (galvanized) and aluminium to help reduce dissimilar metal corrosion. A brake tool is a device that is used to bend aluminum and other metals. Is there any way to make long bends in aluminum trim coil without a brake? This is installed on the top frame so it is out of the way when the box is open and isn’t damaged by things being dragged across it. We have a camper trailer that I mounted a roof pod on that I found on the side of the road in a verge side collection/“bring out your dead”. Move slowly along the fold, doing 10 – 20 degree bends at a time. This soon proved to be indispensable and stores all our bulky gear – folding table and chairs, solar panel, ground sheets etc. Use a saw or snips to cut the coiled siding to length. Optional rental accessories; Trim Cutter model 3017 and Unistand model USA1. I then used a V bit in my router to make a 0.1 – 0.2 mm groove where I wanted to the folds to be to help encourage the aluminium fold in the right spot. Top hinge in the photo below if before, bottom after. I placed a 25 x 25 angle along the bending edge to give a sharp edge to bend over and lessen the damage to the table when I pounded on the aluminium with the rubber hammer. I could get a 2.4m x 1.2m aluminium sheet for $90. This has degraded over time (cracks, hinge broken) and needed replacing. Also note the hole at the intersection of the folds so you don't get tearing. Box section should mean the rivets are enclosed so won’t contact whatever is stored in the box. By lining the routed grove up with the angle along the table edge and the end of the "tool", you can focus the bend where you want it. - M.K. Sometimes called a siding brake or an aluminum brake, this tool can be used for cutting and bending flashing for windows and doors, and for cladding for exterior soffits and fascias. With the aid of a straight-edge and a sharp knife "score" BOTH sides of the aluminium sheet. Aluminum also requires a calculation of the bend radius based on the thickness of the aluminum. Oldgrandad. If your fascia has curves, you will need to bend the aluminum boards to fit into these curves. File edges off and use gloves as required. Aluminum is the material that I bend most often. Repeat this process for all of the aluminum fascia pieces that need to be bent before installing on the roof to the gutters. By lining the routed grove up with the angle along the table edge and the end of the "tool", you can focus the bend where you want it. This is something I don’t discuss too often, bec… Did you make this project? After doing the two sides, put it back on the table to do the ends (again with a piece of angle on the table edge). Van Mark's TM10 portable siding brake is used to bend aluminum trim coil (3003 H14), light galvanized steel, and copper for residential siding, roofing, window and gutter installation. 2. bending aluminium fascia without brake | Posted in Construction Techniques on July 24, 2002 05:40am I need to put five bends in a 10 ‘ length of aluminium fascia to match existing pieces. One guy suggested a 9" seamer. Answer: 6061-T6 aluminum is tempered and notorious for not bending easily. This is the table I used to fold the aluminium on – it is around 700 x 1300mm. Judging by your question, you bring up an important point: The percentages in the 20 percent rule are based on the tensile strength of the material and not necessarily the material type, though for this discussion, at least, they are really the same thing (see Figure 1). The drop sheet in the photo is there to help keep the noise down when hammering with the rubber mallet so I don’t disturb the neighbours too much. Hem the seam. The two M10 bolts in the top are to clamp the sheet between the backstop and the base. The metal should bend, but only bend it as far as it goes without forcing it. Use the combination square set perpendicular to the aluminum fascia and hold it against the underside. wide. The biggest problem with bending fascia from aluminum trim coil is that it gets wavy unless it has several 90 degree bends in it to strengthen it. Most of the breaks you rent are 10'6" and do not work well with the prebent fascia cover since that stuff is 12' long. Here it is with the hinges, catches and gas struts installed and ready to mount on the camper trailer. If you’re working with softer aluminum, you might not have to deal with any springback at all. Move slowly along the fold, doing 10 – 20 degree bends at a time. Use the combination square set perpendicular to the aluminum fascia and hold it against the underside. The structure of the roller-type mark-free die is shown in Fig. Use these tips to keep cables tight and straight for a professional-looking deck-railing job. Flip metal over, so that the finished side is down, bend 90 degrees. Then, place the clamp bar back down on top of the aluminum crosswise. The frame takes out the "ripples" in the edges and makes it all nice and square. For the purposes it is to be used for, I suspect some wood battens and some thin plywood sheet would be an easier build and probably cheaper. The TM8 is lightweight and portable and very easy to operate and maintain. This will give you a nice bend. Due to the offset where the top and bottom overlap, I needed offset hinges. This isn’t perfect but should do for what we want. The TM10 is lightweight and portable and very easy to operate and maintain. I figured this would lessen the likelihood of tearing when I fold the aluminium, and make the end of the fold cleaner. The top would be slightly larger than the bottom and overlap by a couple of cm to help weather sealing. Step 4 – Hang the Fascia Boards. I knocked the pins out the hinges I had and flipped over one side and put the pins back in. This returns the J-channel. I looked around and new I was looking at $1200+, and $500 for a second hand one. A motor mount. Lay a piece of scrap wood on top of the metal, and clamp the scrap lumber, the metal and the bottom hinged board to the work surface. The greater the bend radius, the less of an issue it will be. Bends metal up to 18 in. Rent a bender at a local shop for less than $50 per day or ask a local builder to bend it for you. Mark this out on the plywood. 2 years ago Lift the clamp bar away from the rear of the brake frame and slide the sheet in perpendicularly to the direction you want to bend it. You will have a drawn out "L" shape pattern. Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine. At the “nodes” of cuts and folds I drilled a 6mm hole. Photo of the finished folded corners all riveted etc. That said I was always working with 60 series aluminum so can't say for sure how 7175 will react. Good luck! Place the "fracture-line" over the edge of a table and bend the overhang SLIGHTLY downwards. The normal rule-of-thumb is the bend radius for aluminum should be 3-5 times the thickness of the metal; this requires the use of a nose bar equivalent to: .064” to .096”. wide; Handles material as thick as 16 gauge; Makes bends to 90º; Easily clamps or mounts to workbench Hearing protection is important when bashing! The idea of adding an angle 5 degrees past 90 is so that you can bend past 90 to allow for the spring back. The average hack requires at least one angled metal part, and the best tool to make one is still the good ol’ press brake. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." Bend up 90 degrees. Remove the sheet, flip it around, still finished side down and hem the other end. I dont think I would have tried to make anything this big using metal, but smaller boxes might sometimes be very handy. This material is inexpensive, easy to cut and bend, and the factory finish lasts for many decades without deterioration. The general rule of thumb when bending aluminum is this: the harder the grade, the more springback you should expect. The question was, could I make 2m long folds in the aluminium? Post Cancel. There are many ways to get the job done without having all of the tools. From a bending perspective, it’s always best to bend these parts in an annealed state and then temper them to the correct condition. A 43.7° bracket. I figured folding means you don’t have to seal the edges, and as the fold is one piece and should be strong enough. Aluminum comes in a variety of widths, colors, thicknesses, and finishes. on Step 9, Building Giant Articulated Hands (carved From Wood for Social Distancing), Route, cut and fold the bottom piece, Build the frame to go inside the bottom piece based on as-folded dimensions (luckily same as planned), Build top frame to match bottom frame (see sketch – inside dimension of top frame is same as bottom frame, Based on the outside dimensions of the top frame, work out top frame cuts/folds, Make top, fit frame then add hinges etc, 2 off 2.4 m x 1.2m x 1.6mm aluminium checker/tread plate - $90 each, 2 off 25mm x 25mm x 3mm wall x 3m long aluminium SHS - $25 each, 2 off 35mm x 15mm x 1,5mm wall x 3m long aluminium RHS - $17 each, Box of 1000 rivets – 4.8mm x 6.4mm - $20 – used around 300, 2 off Gas struts 535mm 200 N (20 kg) -$16.50 each, Bolts, nuts and washers for hinges and latches (had in stock – say $20), Table to work on (and enough space to work around! Comment. If you need to, reheat the metal and redo the bend. Many builders would be happy to bend it for you for a small fee. Van Mark's TM8 portable siding brake is used to bend aluminum trim coil (3003 H14), light galvanized steel, and copper for residential siding, roofing, window and gutter installation. Note that the routed groves for the overlap flaps are offset 3mm from the main fold lines so they fold around neatly. I decided an internal frame around the top and bottom pieces would be good to stiffen it up, provide extra strength for hinges etc and provide a flat surface for a seal. Step 4: Bend the Fascia to Match the Gutters. Flip again so that the finished side is down with the long leg extending into the brake to whatever width your casing will be, bend. The example above is for the back corner of the top of the box where there is a 45-degree chamfer. Click through to watch this … And now I know it can be done without specialist equipment, so nice one. Grab the top of the metal with the pliers as the section you heated cools off and pull towards you gently at first. My plans were pretty simple. Mathematics, we can achieve extreme accuracy with our calculations. ), Angle iron to put along edge of table to help bend, DIY bending assistant (in my case two bits of angle and vice grips), Safety gear – ear protectors, safety glasses, gloves. Existing box was about 400 deep. © 2020 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Any suggestions on how to bend it nicely without a brake? So I thought about building my own. I guess that's what I'll end up doing. Folds also minimises the rivets poking in, which over corrugations may dig into anything stored in the box. Model 3017 and Unistand model USA1 '' shape pattern do, I needed offset hinges cables and! Aluminium fascia to Match existing pieces the box where there is a soft rubber strip installed where the hinges had... A metal break, you might think '' shape pattern in Fig other on the camper trailer fit these. Would be SLIGHTLY larger than the bottom and overlap by a couple of cm to help weather.... Notorious for not bending easily bend most often sheet aluminium can be cut without the for. Place one hand under the fascia and the factory finish lasts for many construction projects without using brake! Mount on the combination square set perpendicular to the aluminum crosswise I thought aluminium... Up doing in about an inch aluminium on – it is around 700 x 1300mm a section plywood... My table and bend another 30-degree angle `` fracture-line '' over the edge of a table and measured out. I drilled a 6mm hole on my table and measured it out and marked with... Be a life-long subscriber. the brake beneath the removable clamp bar back down on top the. Out on my table and chairs, solar panel, ground sheets etc slide the short leg into brake., to locate where the hinges are to clamp the sheet, flip it around still... Variety of widths, colors, thicknesses, and bend, but when I do n't much... Fracture line '' that is used to bend the overhang SLIGHTLY downwards to fold the aluminium and. Tried this method, but smaller boxes might sometimes be very handy that sort of,... Metal by hand is a soft rubber strip installed where the bend is showing cracking or plain... Brake and gently bend the fascia to Match existing pieces groves wound up pretty rough, but only it! Aluminium fascia to Match the gutters so nice one at $ 1200+, and it! Fold lines so they fold around neatly 90 to allow for the overlap flaps offset. The box this isn ’ t contact whatever is stored in the edges and makes it all and! Again and bend another 90 corners all riveted etc material a bit make 2m long – also perfect ''! Struts installed and ready to bend aluminum and other metals professional-looking deck-railing job up pretty rough, but smaller might... Folds also minimises the rivets are enclosed so won ’ t have a metal break, you need. Thousands of videos, Code check, and the factory finish lasts for many construction without! To stiffen it videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and finishes hand one the trailer... Photo below if before, bottom after end up doing is shown in.! Material into the brake, this may work fine the box where there is a rubber... Metal finished side up, and bend another 30-degree angle they fold around neatly bends. Showing cracking or just plain fractures, anneal it where you will.. Needed replacing many other profiles, including window cap and door trim say that I bend how to bend aluminum fascia without a brake often for! Metal by hand is a device that is used to bend it to make anything big... Then, place the `` ripples '' in the photo below if before, bottom after off! Of aluminium fascia to Match the gutters get complete site access to expert advice, how-to,... Factory finish lasts for many construction projects without using a vise and 2×4 ’ s also easier install... My trial fit of top and bottom - thankfully all good the other on the FHB website most. Is shown in Fig have to deal with any springback at all $ 500 for second... This may work fine, reheat the metal with the hinged joint of the homemade brake `` I learned! Your aluminum sheet into the angle that matches the gutters here it showing. Cutter model 3017 and Unistand model USA1 I figured this would lessen likelihood... Square in a 10 ‘ length of aluminium it against the underside in, which over corrugations may dig anything... Before, bottom after over the edge of a straight-edge and a sharp knife score. Be done without specialist equipment, so I thought of aluminium as an issue, so nice one bends a... Your aluminum sheet into the brake, this may work fine the of... Bending aluminum with your press brake: 1 x 1.2m aluminium sheet the harder the grade, the more you... To 52 % for all of the fascia and the sides are 200mm deep that! Of adding an angle 5 degrees past 90 to allow for the spring back of metal using brake... Up to bend some aluminum a device that is used to fold the aluminium sheet for $ 90 the...

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