Bending Aluminium Sheet At Home

For most applications with stainless steel or aluminum you can get away with a zero radius bend on anything under 0 050 thick.

Bending aluminium sheet at home.

Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. When working with sheet metal one particularly useful piece of equipment is the brake. Video demonstrating a diy way of bending thin gage aluminum coil stock by making a simple roller using a soft skateboard wheel. This involves making a score or cut line on the sheet where you want the bend to start.

With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. Learn how to bend sheet metal so you can complete home and hobby projects easily without using a sheet metal brake. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius.

Die opening with a relieved profile. Metal shops have brakes mounted at different angles with automated braking arms however it is possible to bend sheet metal at home without the use of a brake. Say you re bending 0 25 in thick 6061 t6 aluminum to a 100 degree external angle 80 degree internal angle. In other words if you re bending 1 8 sheet use a tool with a 1 8 radius to form the inside of the bend.

For this you will need a table saw with a blade that has as many carbide teeth as possible and preferably sharp. Purchase a metal bending brake online or at your local hardware store. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. You d probably air bend by using a 3 0 in.

Aluminium cuts surprisingly easy with a decent table saw especially when you use a blade designed for cutting non ferrous metals. Let s consider a challenging job. To make this easier you d start with your 6061 material in the soft t 0 state.