Is this a candidate for a jiggly machine?

[Chazza]

I have just made 14 of these ribs for some customers; the end profile is like that of a top-hat purlin as used in buildings.

I can do 3 of the bends in the magnetic brake but the fourth one has to be bent using hand tools. Despite my poor photograph, the flange in question is below the vice grips. I start the bend with a custom-tool like the one Peter uses on the Monaro wheel arch; then I knock it down with the copper mallet because it is 1.2mm steel and then planish on an anvil and remove unwanted stretch.

This is all rather time-consuming and painful on my ligaments.

Could I tip the flange on a jiggly? if so I had better think about making one because these ribs are popular,



Cheers Charlie

[neilb]

if you make some dies yes you could make that with a jiggly machine



some dies i made for my machine, ended up making this...

[Peter Tommasini]

Can you show the profile of the panel ?
Peter

[Chazza]

Thank you Neil and Peter.

The rib is about 30mm high, so I think to make all of the bends on the jiggly machine, would be time-consuming and noisy.

In the pic above, the hand-turned flange is the scruffy one, lower right. Probably two dies shaped to about 80 degrees might work, to do that one bend.

Any thoughts?

The other thing I need to do, is finish making the English Wheel, which would help with smoothing the hammer marks,

Cheers Charlie

[neilb]

you could do the last fold in a machine after the first 3 in a folder

[Peter Tommasini]

Does the two downwards sides have to be at 90 ? What you could do is do all the angles except one downwards side.. then take all of them to a place where they use a downwards brake (pan brake ) and do the last fold
Peter

[Chazza]

Thanks Chaps, looks as if a jiggly machine might be the best solution!

Cheers C

[OldnEK]

Chazza, the way I have managed to do it on the mag brake, is leave the sheet long, as in don't cut it to lenght yet. Do all your folds, 1st flip over 2nd so on till the last the lenght of sheet will be enough to support the last fold, then cut the flange to the width you need.
I had heaps of trouble with these hat channels, due differing thickness in blade and apron. Tried the bend 124 with 3 last then 123 and 4 didn't work and the machine has no power on clamping that thin flange.
Cheers Reedy, from Alaska.

[Chazza]

Chazza, the way I have managed to do it on the mag brake, is leave the sheet long, as in don't cut it to lenght yet. Do all your folds, 1st flip over 2nd so on till the last the lenght of sheet will be enough to support the last fold, then cut the flange to the width you need.
I had heaps of trouble with these hat channels, due differing thickness in blade and apron. Tried the bend 124 with 3 last then 123 and 4 didn't work and the machine has no power on clamping that thin flange.
Cheers Reedy, from Alaska.

Not really following you Reedy – do you mean width, rather than "length"?

My machine is strong enough to clamp the narrow flange, but in the process for the last fold, it damages the previous ones, or it can't be clamped in the right place.

I think if I start the break in the folder for about 2 degrees, as I have been doing, then fold it to at least 45 degrees on the bench and then get a smoother result perhaps on a jiggly machine, might be the quickest, neatest and less painful way to go.

Thank you for your suggestion,

Cheers Charlie

[Kiwi john]

Reedy is doing the big OE In Canada right now but will be right back after this commercial break ..............