Swag Press Brake

[ChickenRammit]

has anybody tried one of these yet?

i'm interested in picking one up.

just want to hear some feedback first.

http://swagoffroad.com/20_Ton_Press_Brake.html

 

[Z71paramedic]

I'd never even heard of it but I want one now! Thanks for putting $150 more on my wish list...

 

[Deuling]

Oh I want one

 

[ryoken]

it's on my list.. I've seen it recommended in a couple forums...

 

[sweetk30]

hummmmm

i have the press in my garage now just need the kit

fyi nice press so far for the 200 buck range. and no it didnt come with the cool stickers. i removed the china stickers and added the cool ones.

 

[mtnman210]

In! Thanks for the chance

 

[blazinzuk]

I have used one that is very similar, works as advertised.

I will be getting one hopefully next week. Just gotta wait and see if I have enough money to go to Moab, buy tools I need, and still get this thing

 

[olanchamedic]

Just reviewed in one of the 4x mags, they liked it.

 

[ChickenRammit]

well i'm glad i was able to help fuel the sickness.

 

[90'K5]

I've been eyeing the HD for a while, spoke to a few with each and they said to spend the extra few bucks for the HD version. They said the 20 ton brake is fine on the 20 ton HF press, but suggested adding a some support to my HF press for the HD version.

 

[Joe Blaze]

i looked at that one last year, but i thought it cost way too much for what it is. In built my own out of mostly scrap laying around. see my thread here:

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78651

 

[Joe Blaze]

In case anyone cant see all the photos in the above post on another site, here it is again (we are limited to 20 images in a post here, so the last 5 photos will follow in the next post):

Here is my cheap solution for my need to find a way to bend some ¼” aluminum diamond plate for some brackets I needed to make. I made it after seeing some examples of DIY press brakes online. The die I made from an old piece of ½” thick railroad scrap I found at the local Rail Road crossing.

The 3/16” x 1 ½” and 3/16” x 2” angle iron and ¾” round bar I had left over from other projects. The ¼” steel base plate I cut from the edge of a larger piece I was using as a welding table top. The round pipe was scrap left over after relocating some steam radiators in my house.

I cut the railroad scrap down to about 12" x 2½” with a cheapo 4 ½” Harbor Freight/Northern grinder with a good quality cut-off disk. I started out by using my plasma cutter on it, but found that the low-tech method of using the grinder and cut-off wheel worked better, leaving a beautiful clean edge.

I then used the plasma at an angle to get a rough point along the edge, and then finish ground the point with another cheapo grinder with a grinding wheel. (They are so cheap, I keep four, each with different disks and brushes on them for different needs. It is easier than swapping the disks.)

I cut two pieces of the 1 ½” angle iron to the same length, and welded them, butted up against each other to form a c-channel, almost to the edge of my ¼” steel plate. Then I cut the ¾” bar to two pieces of the same length. These got welded into the angle iron to act as structural support to go underneath the bottom die.

Then I cut and welded a piece of 2” angle iron to be the cradle of the brake.

After aligning the top die to the bottom of the angle iron forming the base, I cut two pieces of the pipe and welded one to each side of the die.

Then I cut some more ¾” rod for the pipe on each side of the die to ride on, and welded them in place on the ¼” base. I used a cheap grinder attachment from Northern that turns it into a mini chop saw.

The top gets slid onto the posts, and that’s it. I welded it along the edge of a larger piece of 1/4" plate i am using for my welding table, and just cut the edge of the plate off the table when I was done. (The table fits better in my garage now). I will add suitable springs under the pipe on each side when I can scrounge some up somewhere.

 

[Joe Blaze]

In the mean time, it works for me. It bends 3/8” flat stock like butter

 

[munepit]

Nice work Joe!!

 

[Joe Blaze]

Well it did what i wanted it to do. I bent up some aluminum diamond plate that i need to use where it will be exposed to salt water air. Now i am going around the garage looking for crap that needs bending...

 

[Engineered Vintage]

I used to work with Troy (owner of SWAG) at WARN - good guy, and he will stand 100% behind his stuff.

I haven't used his brake kit first hand, but I know he has been selling on Pirate for awhile (which should say something in itself).

 

[Smokinthehippies]

been really wanting one of those, just gotta get the press first, would have been handy last night instead of doing the bend in vice and abuse with hammer routine...

 

[muddysub]

Damn I just saw this in peterson's, looks like a pretty trick tool.

 

[BadassBlaze]

This thing has been making the rounds. I found it last week on Pirate and now I got 3-4 friends wanting to buy one.

 

[Fordum]

The die I made from an old piece of ½” thick railroad scrap I found at the local Rail Road crossing.

Aha, that explains this:





Seriously though, looks good.