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Box/Pan Brake vs 3 in 1's

Avery4jc

Avery4jc

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So I've been keeping myself busy with little side jobs for guys and I'm really starting to get into it. It's not a real money maker by any means but it's making enough to reinvest in some new/cool tools.

So something I'd like at this point is a little box and pan brake. I've looked at some of the little bench top 3 in 1 units with a shear/roller/brake and I've read good and bad reviews on just about all of them.

For small stuff I like the idea of having a shear as well vs just buying a good box/pan brake AND a shear.

Anyone have experience with these small units?

Bolton tools, Woodward Fab, JET, Northern Tools, etc all have what appear to be very similar units.
 
I'd get the Baileigh one myself. 3 in 1's are a very affordable way to get multiple peices of fab equipment for cheap. Sure they have their limitations like capacity but if this will do what you need it to do then get it. When buying equipment, I always try to buy the most for my buck. My dream shear would be say about a 120" width capacity and I'd be happy with a 1/2 thickness capacity shear. I doubt I'll do any fabrication with material thicker then 1/2 in. But I don't have an extra $35K laying around, so I bought what I could afford.

Years ago I came across a deal on two brand new National brand hydraulic heavy duty shears, One a 36" X 12g capacity, the other was a 52" X 16g capacity shear. I REALLY wanted the thicker capacity shear but of course realized I could not cut a standard piece of sheetmetal. I'd have to have a piece sheared before I could shear it, so the 52" X 16g was the best choice for what I wanted to do.

Capacity is everything with equipment IMO. And in this case the width capacity outweighed the thickness capacity. So really take the time to think about what you really want and need and base your decision on those facts. It may do you well, it may end up being too light duty for you too. You can always save for another month or whatever and get a bigger 3 in 1 too. I think a 52" 16g 3 in 1 would do you much better in the long run. May not be a hydro but it will do what my shear will not and thats of course roll or bend sheetmetal.

I WIIIILLL be getting a box & pan break someday. Would not mind a sheet metal rolling machine either. We have an awesome one at work that just get moved around and no longer used. I want it so bad it hurts, but they will scrap it out before selling it to an employee. A holes :angry1:.
 
Watch Craigslist. I picked up a sweet pan/box brake. Not sure what brand it is (it's not marked) but it's very high quality and appears be domestic production. All surface ground fingers, high quality castings. It's at least 400 lbs. Heck, the eccentric shaft is 2" in diameter. Anyway, it appears to be new/old stock. A bit of surface rust but doesn't appear to have ever been used. Got it for $500 but it looks like at least a $1500 unit.

I also wanted a shear but since they are so limited in what they can do vs. the cost I decided that my plasma cutter plus a straightedge clamped to the sheet works good enough.

IMG-20121102-00022.jpg
 
Yeah I hear you guys, I watch Craigslist all the time but not much comes up within a reasonable distance or they want a fortune for it vs what I could buy new for.

I have a big Enerpac press I'm building a press brake setup for so anything big and heavy I'll just use that but I have some stuff coming up where I need to make some purely cosmetic covers that will basically be shallow boxes with some flanges to run a bolt through which is what made me start looking at these little 3 in 1's.
 
So I contacted Baileigh about their 30" wide 3 in 1 and I'm sold on it BUT...

They want $400 for residential delivery or $250 for a dock delivery (I could go pick it up at some big local shipping place) which is fine with me but even that is $250.
Seems steep to me. I know it's slightly heavy and they probably box/crate them but good grief.

They're only 4 hours south of me. For $250 I'll make a day of it and go check out their showroom while I'm at it. Does that seem right or you think they mis-quoted me?
 
Sounds about right for truck freight for 300 lbs or so. They are keeping the discount.
 
I'd keep contacting the same sales rep and keep hounding him on the $250 fee. let him know you will buy but that you feel since YOU are picking it up there should be either no fee or it should be far less. If they just wont budge then either just buy it or go somewhere else. when I drove from Los Angeles to Reno NV to pick up my 52" National hydraulic heavy shear I was not charged a dime to pick it up.
 
The $250 was if I picked it up at a shipping terminal here in town. I'm out of town now but when I get back I'll probably just pull the trigger on it. I have three jobs sitting in the garage and I could use this on two of them.
 
Ah ok, I didn't realize that I guess. Well it does cost gas money and driver labor to deliver it to a pick up terminal among other expenses so I guess $250 ain't that bad. God knows I've pissed more away at a strip club so for a cool tool, yeah I'd pop for it too.
 
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