Press Brake Attachment

D. Kent

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
56
Does anyone have experience with using a press brake accessory that fits to a manual press, like a 20T from HF?
I am considering purchasing to bend some 1/4 mild steel:
And I'm curious if anyone has used this sort of accessory (or similar brake) with decent success? TIA
 
They do work. It's not "the real thing", but if you're willing to put some effort into setup and micro manage the bend a little... I built one instead of buying, kinda different but the same in principal, I've bent a LOT of stuff...

To my knowledge, the "ratings" for width and thickness of what you can bend is slightly but not horribly over rated, but I believe they'll all do near to what they say they will.

From my experience- I've only used a factory version for a year or so, when a co-worker had his personal one stored with the press at work. (We're a small ish company, Leaving personal stuff out is fair trade for personal use of the shop on nights and weekends...). Anyhow, that one was from SWAG Off Road. He had the plain (not finger) brake in the DIY version. That one was good. I can't speak for any other (except the one I built). They've also got "finger brake" options, which of course are not "the same" as having a finger brake, but they look useful....... So I offer this link as something you should look at, I don't have any other first hand experience to say they're better or not, only that that one was good. I'll link you to the 20 ton stuff geared towards harbor freight since you've said it, but they've also got 12 ton and "real hydraulic press" versions.

 
They do work. It's not "the real thing", but if you're willing to put some effort into setup and micro manage the bend a little... I built one instead of buying, kinda different but the same in principal, I've bent a LOT of stuff...

To my knowledge, the "ratings" for width and thickness of what you can bend is slightly but not horribly over rated, but I believe they'll all do near to what they say they will.

From my experience- I've only used a factory version for a year or so, when a co-worker had his personal one stored with the press at work. (We're a small ish company, Leaving personal stuff out is fair trade for personal use of the shop on nights and weekends...). Anyhow, that one was from SWAG Off Road. He had the plain (not finger) brake in the DIY version. That one was good. I can't speak for any other (except the one I built). They've also got "finger brake" options, which of course are not "the same" as having a finger brake, but they look useful....... So I offer this link as something you should look at, I don't have any other first hand experience to say they're better or not, only that that one was good. I'll link you to the 20 ton stuff geared towards harbor freight since you've said it, but they've also got 12 ton and "real hydraulic press" versions.

Do you have any pictures of the one you built? Curious as I just acquired a 50 ton press and was thinking of making a brake attachment for it.
 
Does anyone have experience with using a press brake accessory that fits to a manual press, like a 20T from HF?
I am considering purchasing to bend some 1/4 mild steel:
And I'm curious if anyone has used this sort of accessory (or similar brake) with decent success? TIA
There is quite a few of the hot rod fabricators on YouTube who have the SWAG press brake and they seem to love them.
 
I bought the SWAG brake as a kit (welding required). I haven't used it a lot, but it works.

GsT
 
Do you have any pictures of the one you built? Curious as I just acquired a 50 ton press and was thinking of making a brake attachment for it.

No, I can't get you pictures, because I carried the good one to work years ago when the fellow who had one left us, and took his with him... I can show you the prototype that I still use at home to this day. And while this approach to building one could still be quite useful, I'm thinking (not knowing, just thinking) you might have to limit the material some, because you might just have enough press there to find some limits....

This one (prototype, not ideal) has several issues. First, the attachment to the press is too tall, as my Harbor Freight press has a crooked little dingus end under the jack, so it's oversized, with two screws to keep it level. And second, the alignment bars are too long. So the only practical way to set it up (which works well ONLY if your blocks are square...), is to set it up awkwardly high. Otherwise you've got to set it up and move the table up a notch. And last, the big one, I was guessing at sizes. What you see here is literally two pipes, welded in to a piece of channel. And filled with expanding grout. Or maybe hydraulic cement. Something like that. They're stout (and pointed well away from the operator while in case that crap was gonna explode out the ends of the pipe, but it's well vetted at this point....) But they're too big, the gap isn't enough. That limits it to quarter inch steel, and it starts to press geometrically harder as that comes towards 90 degrees, so that's the max.

Here's what I did different with the final one- Which I could soon enough get pictures of if you want/need that- First, it's on a different press that (almost literally) uses a porta-power ram, so the "guillotine thing" is made to just fit into the end of that nicely, and hold in with the same set screw that holds the original flat end. I elected to NOT use alignment bars, I don't mind the manual alignment, and that makes it quicker to set up for the one time bends that I tend to do. (I'm in repair more than fabrication). But clearly this is home brewed stuff, so whatever works... The base, that worked out VERY well with a standard 5 inch channel, and a pair of 1.500 solid bars. I used old cylinder rod, that's held up amazingly well. Instead of welding them in, I just countersunk a couple of screws into each one from the bottom, 'cause "where's it gonna go". That's more to keep it together in storage than it is to keep it in place when you're pressing. You've still got to get an apron plate or two under it, but it sets up and sits nicely with the plates laid down flat like they oughtta be. That dimension between the bars (I've never measured it), with the standard 5 inch channel and two 1.5 inch rods, it bends 3/8 stock with confidence to well past 90 degrees, until the work piece gets wider than the press can bend, and still is narrow enough to bend a "reasonably" short piece, as well as adequately support thinner material..

As I said, I'm not 100 percent sure how that would scale to a larger press. But on the other hand, I use this prototype a lot more than I ever thought I'd use a finished one. It's done pretty well for me at home, where the opportunity for bending larger than quarter inch stuff really doesn't tend to come up much... Although if/when I address the crooked dingus on my Harbor Freight press, I will remake the top of the prototype one as well, as that alone is my biggest dissapointment in it. Not a big enough dissapointment to do anything about it (yet), but it'd be awful nice not to choose between standing up the apron plates, or moving the apron up a hole with the bender installed and assembled, and then having to reverse that to get it back out.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20241207_173428146.jpg
    IMG_20241207_173428146.jpg
    215.4 KB · Views: 35
  • IMG_20241207_173346806.jpg
    IMG_20241207_173346806.jpg
    247.3 KB · Views: 35
  • IMG_20241207_173255553.jpg
    IMG_20241207_173255553.jpg
    216.7 KB · Views: 36
No, I can't get you pictures, because I carried the good one to work years ago when the fellow who had one left us, and took his with him... I can show you the prototype that I still use at home to this day. And while this approach to building one could still be quite useful, I'm thinking (not knowing, just thinking) you might have to limit the material some, because you might just have enough press there to find some limits....

This one (prototype, not ideal) has several issues. First, the attachment to the press is too tall, as my Harbor Freight press has a crooked little dingus end under the jack, so it's oversized, with two screws to keep it level. And second, the alignment bars are too long. So the only practical way to set it up (which works well ONLY if your blocks are square...), is to set it up awkwardly high. Otherwise you've got to set it up and move the table up a notch. And last, the big one, I was guessing at sizes. What you see here is literally two pipes, welded in to a piece of channel. And filled with expanding grout. Or maybe hydraulic cement. Something like that. They're stout (and pointed well away from the operator while in case that crap was gonna explode out the ends of the pipe, but it's well vetted at this point....) But they're too big, the gap isn't enough. That limits it to quarter inch steel, and it starts to press geometrically harder as that comes towards 90 degrees, so that's the max.

Here's what I did different with the final one- Which I could soon enough get pictures of if you want/need that- First, it's on a different press that (almost literally) uses a porta-power ram, so the "guillotine thing" is made to just fit into the end of that nicely, and hold in with the same set screw that holds the original flat end. I elected to NOT use alignment bars, I don't mind the manual alignment, and that makes it quicker to set up for the one time bends that I tend to do. (I'm in repair more than fabrication). But clearly this is home brewed stuff, so whatever works... The base, that worked out VERY well with a standard 5 inch channel, and a pair of 1.500 solid bars. I used old cylinder rod, that's held up amazingly well. Instead of welding them in, I just countersunk a couple of screws into each one from the bottom, 'cause "where's it gonna go". That's more to keep it together in storage than it is to keep it in place when you're pressing. You've still got to get an apron plate or two under it, but it sets up and sits nicely with the plates laid down flat like they oughtta be. That dimension between the bars (I've never measured it), with the standard 5 inch channel and two 1.5 inch rods, it bends 3/8 stock with confidence to well past 90 degrees, until the work piece gets wider than the press can bend, and still is narrow enough to bend a "reasonably" short piece, as well as adequately support thinner material..

As I said, I'm not 100 percent sure how that would scale to a larger press. But on the other hand, I use this prototype a lot more than I ever thought I'd use a finished one. It's done pretty well for me at home, where the opportunity for bending larger than quarter inch stuff really doesn't tend to come up much... Although if/when I address the crooked dingus on my Harbor Freight press, I will remake the top of the prototype one as well, as that alone is my biggest dissapointment in it. Not a big enough dissapointment to do anything about it (yet), but it'd be awful nice not to choose between standing up the apron plates, or moving the apron up a hole with the bender installed and assembled, and then having to reverse that to get it back out.
Thanks for the info!
Ultimately I will design my own but it's very helpful to see different approaches. I really like the use of pipes or round bar for the bottom die. Anyway, I have a ways to go restoring the press before I build the brake. Just want to start process...
 
Last edited:
I built a press brake and had trouble with uneven bends (90 degrees on one end with 90+ degrees on the other end. I welded coupling nuts on each end of the upper die and installed bolts which bottomed out the bend on each end resulting in consistent upper die travel and accurate bends.
 
I have the one the OP posted and it works great for my minor needs. It definitely take care to get the bend in the right place.
 
Does anyone have experience with using a press brake accessory that fits to a manual press, like a 20T from HF?
I am considering purchasing to bend some 1/4 mild steel:
And I'm curious if anyone has used this sort of accessory (or similar brake) with decent success? TIA
I use mine all the time. Unfortunately the press brake is a little longer than the width of my hydraulic press frame and it has to sit on the bed at an angle to the uprights. Mine was a Northern Tool purchase.
 
Back
Top