Simon
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| posted on 10/5/20 at 10:46 PM |
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Sheet metal folder suggestions...
..or recommendations please
Going to be doing some cardboard aided design on beetle bodywork (internal panels) and would like to be able to fold my own steel (have a sheet of
1.2mm arriving tomorrow).
I'd like to get something up to a metre long (though suspect I may only need 2/3rds that) and have seen ebay items for around £130. Has anyone
got/used of these things and are they ok. I could indeed build one but would rather spend my time sorting the bug 
Cheers
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 11/5/20 at 06:41 AM |
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I have a SP folder which must be 30 years old that is similar, however if I had space I would look out for an old free standing folder
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steve m
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| posted on 11/5/20 at 08:17 AM |
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what would be the longest fold in one go be?
As I did all my bodywork in alui. a lot softer with two lengths of 25mm RHS bolted together to make a square edged 8
and slide the metal into the slot, and tighten the bolts at each end
Pop the whole lot into or clamped to a workmate and with a club hammer and piece of wood bent the lip over
worked fine, and that was with a fold of over a meter long
steve
Thats was probably spelt wrong, or had some grammer, that the "grammer police have to have a moan at
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macc man
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| posted on 11/5/20 at 10:02 AM |
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I built a metal folding machine from heavy angle iron. This will take material up to 30" long. It tends to flex in the middle so I put a g clamp
on it to stop the flex. It works great with fairly thin material but struggles with long heavy duty material.
Unless you intend to do a lot of bending I would look for a metalworking shop who will bend it for you. A good folder is expensive and bulky. The
cheaper ones from machine mart etc are not that much use.
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jps
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| posted on 11/5/20 at 06:45 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by macc man
I built a metal folding machine from heavy angle iron. This will take material up to 30" long. It tends to flex in the middle so I put a g clamp
on it to stop the flex. It works great with fairly thin material but struggles with long heavy duty material.
Unless you intend to do a lot of bending I would look for a metalworking shop who will bend it for you. A good folder is expensive and bulky. The
cheaper ones from machine mart etc are not that much use.
I made one recently as well - to take a panel just over a metre. Mine also bends, which I know is sortable - but in all honesty I think I probably
would have been better off just going off to somewhere I could get the bend done... I did look to buy, but it's a big piece of kit cluttering up
the garage, which will get little use.
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MikeR
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| posted on 11/5/20 at 10:39 PM |
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randomly this came up tonight after reading this thread earlier,
https://www.facebook.com/SuppercoolStuff/videos/252950159158052
colin furze has also made one
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voucht
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| posted on 12/5/20 at 07:28 AM |
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... or you can make you own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggy1DHwAh_0
It is fun to watch too 
https://vouchtroadster.blogspot.com/
https://cafrazx550.blogspot.com/
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907
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| posted on 12/5/20 at 10:16 AM |
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I never grudge money spent on tools, well second hand tools anyway.
I bought a s/h Sahinler 1.25 x 16g finger folder about 10 years ago for £450.
Over the years I have made various bottom bed sections and now have quite a collection. Also made the odd shorter top fingers
so that I can bend thicker bar. 50 x 6mm is well within reach. My U shaped chassis suspension brackets I bent in 4mm plate.
So what did it really cost ? I bet that come my retirement when I sell my treasure it will still be worth what I payed, if not more.
As for space, how many garages are brimmed full of freezers, lawnmowers that no longer work, and the kids bikes that they rode
when they were a foot shorter.
I know of one bloke in the village who has converted his dining room into a machine shop and does a very nice trade in making orreries.
Paul G
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MikeR
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| posted on 12/5/20 at 10:20 AM |
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Is the bloke still married?? I know I wouldn't be.
It's a fair point about the garage and it's a battle I have periodically with the wife. I've relented to two fridge/freezers and
storing some smaller stuff.
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907
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| posted on 12/5/20 at 11:41 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
Is the bloke still married?? I know I wouldn't be.
It's a fair point about the garage and it's a battle I have periodically with the wife. I've relented to two fridge/freezers and
storing some smaller stuff.
Yes, still married to his childhood sweetheart.
He has a 6 room (3 bed) cottage, and the kids have flown the nest. Plenty of room for a man cave.
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Simon
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| posted on 12/5/20 at 07:40 PM |
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I think I'm going to need to make lots of stuff (see Binky, but for my Beetle ) so a) don't want to make b) needs to be a sensible size
and c) forgot what that was….
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