I’ve never owned a sheet metal brake or press brake, but man I wish I did. There are tons of times where I could have used one instead of fabricating brackets from separate pieces that had to be welded together. Hell, my vice surely wishes I had used a press brake instead of bashing metal in it to make the shapes I needed. Even and simple L shaped bracket can be a tough one depending on how thick the material is. Having a press brake like this one would be a big help. This particular press brake kit comes from the guys at Certiflat, who make amazing welding table kits and such, and looks like a really neat project that also will help you build all kinds of fun stuff.
Check out the video below as the Fab Forums puts one together.
Neat-O design and the price is right…but for very specific uses. The short width and not being able to form box shapes means you wouldn’t want this as your only brake, if you only intend to have one.
I went for some time with a 24″ clamp-in-top-die setup made from solid rect. bar pieces, which slid into an H-frame press that was handy for other things also. It was so useful I’m afraid to get rid of it even many years after it’s last time in. Said by a guy w/ a 45-ton Verson and an RG-25 Amada now.