...and then someone yelled "Look....a Squirrel!!!"......A fun way to get even further behind on your "to do list"

[Runs With Scissors]

So whilst checking my 'to do " list and 'multi-tasking" by perusing OTT, I inadvertently clicked on a link one of you scoundrels posted to "SWAG Off Road" and I'll be damned if I didn't get "bit" hard by the "you gotta have a press brake bug".

I really liked their site and most importantly their motto on their website..."MADE IN THE USA BECAUSE IT F#%ING MATTERS" (their words, not mine)

I can't explain it, but using the F word in your advertising is ballsy, and just warms the cockles of my heart. ROFLMFAO

My first order of business was to decide which one to get.

My very first inclination was to get the base model. After all, I really don't "need it", so saving 140'ish bucks was appealing.

However; (and there is always a "however")......The vast majority of my time as an A&P mechanic was as a "tin bender" (AKA structural mechanic) so I have many hours on a Tennsmith "Box and Pan" style brake and I just knew that I would be kicking myself in the arse, the second I needed a "box and pan" style brake and I did NOT have one, just because I wanted to save 130 bucks.

So with the magic that is the interweb, a few clicks later, I had the "Heavy Duty Finger Brake" and 2 spare fingers on their way.

A couple of days later, these showed up.

First a disclaimer: I have no affiliation with SWAG...I bought this with my own money and I will give you my honest impression, good or bad.

Now, off we go!!!!!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

This is so silly....... I'm a grown man and Marine, with more than a few medals and campaign ribbons, but the "little kid" in me loves getting these stupid stickers.

Well I first laid out the parts and did a "half assed" inventory. So far so good.

I'll start of by saying that my first impression was favorable. The "fit and finish" seemed to be pretty good.

I did read through the instructions, because there had been one or 2 guys in the reviews that "screwed the pooch" by welding some parts wrong. So not wanting to be "that guy", I decided to take a few minutes to review my attack plan.

The directions were pretty straight forward, and they seemed to give you ample warning of what to be cautious of.

First you have to put the "alignment pins" in their respective holes and weld them after making sure they are "square"

They say you can either "press" them in, or get a "Flintstone hammer" and bang them in about 1/2 way.

Well being the lazy arse I am, I did not feel like walking up the stairs to the press, so "Flintstone Hammer" it is.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Now for the "about half way" thing.

I decided that I did not want to fiddle around with accidently going too far with the alignment pins, so I came up an idea.

I decide to use some combination of nickles, dimes and/or pennies to make a "go/no go" gauge.

So after digging around in the "piggy bank" I came up with a combination that basically gave me the perfect combination of change that would prevent me from "over shooting" my mark.

Then cleaned the "mill scale" off a little, put them in place and hammered away.

As you can see a little a little adjustment is necessary to get it "square" in both directions.

A few "whacks" with my "precision ground" adjustment hammer and we have what amounts to "good nuff".

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Most people I watched are using MIG, but I am a huge fan of TIG.

I am certainly no "great welder", but I do love the elegant combination of complexity, dexterity, quietness, and "non-smokiness" of TIG welding.

It's by far and away, my favorite type of welding.

So I "plugged" the hole and ground it flat (not pictured)

Then it was on to the lining up the "guide bushings"

Now here is where they warn you to not "accidently" weld the guide bushing to the "Finger clamping bar" because then you can't release the fingers when needed. You also have to "center" the Guide Bushing on the "Main Bar"

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Lining it up only "by eye" did not give me a 'warm and fuzzy' feeling, so that usually calls for "Unnecessarily Over-Complicating" things......and I do not disappoint.

So it's off to the lathe to make what amounts to make my "UOC" alignment tool.

If anyone here has shot Aperature Globe Sights or even "iron sights", you know there is this weird phenomena, where your brain wants to "Auto-magically center" things. (I have no idea what this phenomena is actually called)

So I get this idea to make a tool that will kind of help me "make sure" (at least in my head) that I am aligning things correctly.

In the scrap pile, I find a scrap bar that almost fits into the Guide Bushing, so I take a few minutes to turn it to just barely fit, then use layout dye and "scribe" a "Centering line" on it.

In the pic you can barely see it, but that is my inability to use the camera properly. I could actually see it quite well and it "seemed" to help. Whether it actually did help or not, is open for debate.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Now I "Tack her up" on both sides.

This actually turns out a little harder than was expected, due to the "gap" between the "Main Bar" and trying to avoid welding to the "Finger Adjustment bar".

Now I weld her up with multiple pass's, being mindful that the "Finger Bar" has to be able to "clamp down" properly. they do suggest in the directions that if your welds are a little "proud" you can bevel the "finger bar" ever so slightly.

I took a "butt load" of pics, so here they are in order of "First Bubble gum looking weld" to "beveling of "finger bar"

In my defense, I did get a little better as I finished up.

On to the other side and "middle"

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Next you have to put the "Alignment Table" attachment bolts in and weld them in place.

After welding the "Big V" in place you can not access them any longer, so I welded them up "permanent like", but found that after putting the "Big V" in place the weld was a little too 'proud" so I had to grind a little off.

 

[Ping]

Got my popcorn.....waiting to see how this one ends. A Finger Press Brake has been on my with-list for a while. Just waiting for a project to justify the $.
Regrads.

 

[Smokeydog]

Great write up! SWAG makes good stuff.

Been looking for a wagon wheel roller for some time before finding their horrible freight mod. Didn’t want jail bar deck railing.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Now for the pièce de résistance ......Welding the "Big V"-

They say that you might have to grind part the bottom part of the V to make it sit properly, but with mine it sat perfectly so no need to grind anything.

Since it is such a long weld, you basically have to weld a section and then go to a different section to minimize warping.

Well, I have always had a difficult time "stopping and starting" my welds and making them look like one "continuous weld", so here is my chance to practice.

I start off buy welding small sections of opposing corners then small middle sections.

I am really NOT liking the way these are turning out. It seems to me that there is too much "under cutting" (I think its called that) at the top of the weld.

No matter what I try to adjust, the "under cut" is till there.

It's not "Hideous" but I'm just not happy with the results so far.

Then it dawns on me, to try a different size rod.

I stepped it up to a 3/16 rod, but that seemed difficult to control the weld puddle with. It seemed to cool it off to quick and would "stick to the work" so I dropped down one to a 1/8 and then that seemed to help a lot.

The RH side now looks a lot better (at least to me)

From there on out I pretty much have it as "dialed in" as I am capable of.

It's not "pro work" but I am a happy camper.

I pretty much went over the whole thing again, trying to make it look better.

It took my little machine a long time to get through this with it's low duty cycle, but I was having fun.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Adding the "top circle" thing was pretty straight forward. You just don't want to weld it all the way around because, again, you would not be able to get the "finger holder bar" off to add or subtract fingers.

And here she is, "all dressed up and nowhere to go"...yet.

I forgot to mention, I also ordered that "knob"....I was gonna make one, but for $13.99 from the Big A, it was a "no brainer" to just buy it.

My first "test bend" 1/4 inch "mystery steel" about 3.25" wide.

OMG....I just noticed how awful my shop looks.....

I would like to say that "that's not normally what it looks like" but that would be a lie....

If I won the lottery, I would keep making sh!t, but I would hire people to clean my shop everyday.

 

[skeets]

lots of RCBS stuff on the wall

 

[Pawnee]

You would make a great neighbour RWS.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

lots of RCBS stuff on the wall

That was for "pre- boating accident"

 

[Runs With Scissors]

So over-all I am very happy with this brake. I haven't actually made anything with it yet, but I am impressed with the "kit" and its "robust'ness"

It was fun and nice to not have to do any real measuring/cutting/drilling and nice to basically have all the problems already solved for you.

Pretty much a "mindless" weld-fest.

It gets you into a press brake fast and easy, for what I consider "relatively little money"

I like it a lot.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Great write up! SWAG makes good stuff.

Been looking for a wagon wheel roller for some time before finding their horrible freight mod. Didn’t want jail bar deck railing.
View attachment 113605

That looks great!

 

[tsp159]

Neat! How many dollarbucks did this set you back?

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Neat! How many dollarbucks did this set you back?

Out the door, with 2 additional "spare fingers" ( a 2" and 4") $389.95

 

[tsp159]

Out the door, with 2 additional "spare fingers" ( a 2" and 4") $389.95

Not too bad!

 

[skeets]

That was for "pre- boating accident"

Ahhhh I see just empty memories