what are my chances of using This cheapy workbench/clamp to clamp 1mm (18awg) and then bend it over to 90degrees by hand/rubber mallet? Im worried the bench is going to colapse or not hold the metal, seems a bit too cheap, but i dont really want to spend more than that as i was initially just looking for a cheap vice.
make sure that the vice has got groved metal, or your alu sheet is just gonna spli straight out of it as soon as you touch it you will of course use bits of high friction stuff in to stop it moving like wooden blocks, but having groves in the metal should make a good difference.
the vice is part of the bench, its made of wood. I only really want to spend about £10 getting something that will help me bend the metal and i see myself using a small work bench in future more than just a small metal vice but then if the benches vice isnt going to be strong enough il need to find a propper metal vice instead which im sure will cost a bit more.
well your sheet will probably be moving all over the place unless you get some serious weight on the bench, i.e 3 people sitting on it
Here's a small metal bending brake that'd be great for case parts: http://www.eastwood.com/itemdy01.asp?Dep_Key1=Mshop&T1=28140&I1.x=36&I1.y=76
You could just use strips of styrofoam from egg cartons and a door frame. If you shut the door on the aluminum with the syrofoam filling in the gaps, you could just bend it without having to buy a piece of equipment you're unsure about.
I use a big hammer and two pieces of wood usually But if that doesnt suit these people in the uk have a bending brake as linked above for 25 quid http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Chronos_Catalogue_Metalforming___Cutting_Tools_122.html Hope that helps
I was going to suggest what the previous post did to an extent... use two pieces of heavy angle clamped to the edge of a table with your metal between them, then SLOWLY beat it down to 90 with a rubber or wooden mallet. If you do it too fast, you will stretch your metal and it'll come out wavy. Just like I"ve suggested a lot on these boards since I've worked in a sheet metal shop for a long time, finding a sheet metal shop might proove advantageous for you if you want to do this a lot. You can buy your metal from them and have them cut and bend it just like you like it. Have them quote you a price first to make sure you're willing to pay for it, but it shouldn't be TOO much depending on how much you have them do (like, if you want internal cuts made with a plasma or laser cutter, it'll be a little more).
I actually use the end of the kitchen breakfast bar! It is very solid, has a nice square edge, and it certainly ain't going anywhere. Place the sheet on top of the breakfast bar (or bench, if your wife/mother won't let you play in the kitchen!), clamp a piece of 2x1 timber on top using woodworking clamps, and tap away with a hammer and a block of wood. Start at one end, working along the sheet with fairly light blows. Only bend it about 5 degrees with each pass. Keep working back and forth until you have the required bend. Keep the block real close to the bend, take your time, and it will be a nice tidy bend. Using a block, rather than just a mallet, allows you to hit the sheet with much better accuracy. Cheers
