Welding and Metalworking - home solution for making brakes

I'm looking for a very inexpensive way to make brakes in my home shop. Either a very small and cheap press, or dies that could somehow fit into my vice. I'm working with carbon steel 1/4" max and usually not wider than a few inches. Any ideas? Thanks ahead of time.

Brakes?? Are you talking about automotive brakes?

Jim

I'm looking for a very inexpensive way to make brakes in my home shop. Either a very small and cheap press, or dies that could somehow fit into my vice. I'm working with carbon steel 1/4" max and usually not wider than a few inches. Any ideas? Thanks ahead of time.

My guess is bending brakes. Hopefully the carbon steel is fully annealed, or it will crack unless heated red-hot.
A pair of 1/4" x 2" angle irons held in a big, solidly mounted vise may do well for 3/16" and thinner. Use flat bar magnets to hold the top faces in alignment until the vise is cranked tight. I'm thinking the clamp-n-bang method, a 2-lb ball peen hammer being called for. An actual brake, with a third lever-operated bending plate, would take some engineering.

1/4" needs something more robust than a vise unless under 1 1/2" or so of width. The force needed for bending depends on the width.

An arbor press with hydraulic jack, or power ram ideally, and male-female forms would be nice for the thicker stuff if it isn't too wide.

Now, if you WERE referring to automotive brakes, I just wasted ten minutes typing this :rolleyes:

Assume your are thinking along these lines:

http://www.millerwelds.com/interests/projects/ideagallery/project/965970285/


Have other examples.......send me a PM for further info.