Cutting and bending 6mm sheet steel on a budget

[woodspiral]

Hello!

I need to make some steel straps for a timber house restoration. Some are straight, some will have a right angle bend in them.

I know a little abt metalworking but don't have a lot of equipment. For hole making I have a heavy drill press so that is covered. For cutting I have an angle grinder and a jigsaw and after watching a youtube abt cutting sheet steel I think the jigsaw with the right sort of blade seems to be a reasonable choice. I do own a Hammer woodworking bandsaw but I'm not sure it it would cope with steel. It might even say alu is ok but steel not, if memory serves. I will check on this, but it might not be an option for me right now anyway since my Hammer is three phase and I've moved to a single phase property and have yet to purchase an inverter. I did mention I'm on a budget.

For bending I wonder what people do without expensive equipment or a forge? Is it possible to heat certain steels with say a plumbers mapp gas blowtorch and hammer it over in a vice? What type of steels would be best to use? Does the steel have to be hot to bend or can it be done cold with some kind of lever - I imagine that is not generally possible without heavy machinery?

My motivation here is cost. I had two lots of two straps made which needed to be stainless as they were going to be installed externally and they came out at around £180 and £300 for the two pairs. The seven or so remaining straps are internal only so I'm happy to use bog standard mild steel, for example. I thought it might be quite a nice job that i could tackle myself.

The dimensions and shapes vary but all are 6mm thick and 40mm wide. I could probably make all the straps from a 1/2 meter square sheet.

What type of steel should I use and what are cheap sources? Do people use gumtree or ebay to buy metals?

Thank you,
Woodspiral

 

[flh801978]

I would look for some 6mm x 40mm stock and if you have a good vice on a sturdy bench that will bend cold though a map torch will help a lot
mild steel or stainless..
i use aluminium warehouse for stuff like that…they do steel both mild and stainless

Ian

 

[clogs]

they are already available pre made in galvanised steel.....at most builders merchants....they may have to order, as the average mid size timber brackets are around 2-3mm thick.....
if u need bulk they are even cheaper.....
specials can be made cheaply at a sheet metal shop......
forget the vice and hammer way of working .....it will end in tears and wonkey brackets...
and u def wont bend 6mm stainless steel that way......st/st is very tough.....
I use one of these, it's very old and not made anymore....u may just find just one....

plus u'll need to bolt it down to something very heavy ....my fettling bench now weigh's close to 1/2 of a ton......

 

[Jameshow]

I wouldn't bother cuting from flat plate. Buy as 6x40 bar. Could you ask a local smithy to bend the bends for you

I have a similar job of making 4 security door straps for our men's shed. Straight but a 90° bend at one end. So will follow with interest!!

 

[likeakite]

I agree with Clogs, don't use a hammer and vice to bend 6mm steel cold. You'll either end up as he says with something that's not a right angle or a damaged vice if it's not made for heavy work. I'd be tempted to get them made somewhere if you don't have the equipment.

 

[TFrench]

5 minute job for someone with a press brake. The exacto type bender clogs posted is something I'm after, they always go for a lot of money as they're so good!

 

[Ttrees]

If it's just mild steel straps, then a large cold chisel would do it.
This isn't what I'd suggest to get a nice bend, just showing the blunt chisel which could be used to start off a sharp bend, and get you most of the way there.

Foot is featured because this malarkey below makes a missile of sorts,
but if you had some way of containing say two sledgehammer heads or lumps of steel,
then it would make a better "hardy hole" than the round hole on my anvil or sorts below,
and finish the bend off nicely.
Perhaps you might get some inspiration.
All the best
Tom

 

[Dibs-h]

Hello!

I need to make some steel straps for a timber house restoration. Some are straight, some will have a right angle bend in them.

I know a little abt metalworking but don't have a lot of equipment. For hole making I have a heavy drill press so that is covered. For cutting I have an angle grinder and a jigsaw and after watching a youtube abt cutting sheet steel I think the jigsaw with the right sort of blade seems to be a reasonable choice. I do own a Hammer woodworking bandsaw but I'm not sure it it would cope with steel. It might even say alu is ok but steel not, if memory serves. I will check on this, but it might not be an option for me right now anyway since my Hammer is three phase and I've moved to a single phase property and have yet to purchase an inverter. I did mention I'm on a budget.

For bending I wonder what people do without expensive equipment or a forge? Is it possible to heat certain steels with say a plumbers mapp gas blowtorch and hammer it over in a vice? What type of steels would be best to use? Does the steel have to be hot to bend or can it be done cold with some kind of lever - I imagine that is not generally possible without heavy machinery?

My motivation here is cost. I had two lots of two straps made which needed to be stainless as they were going to be installed externally and they came out at around £180 and £300 for the two pairs. The seven or so remaining straps are internal only so I'm happy to use bog standard mild steel, for example. I thought it might be quite a nice job that i could tackle myself.

The dimensions and shapes vary but all are 6mm thick and 40mm wide. I could probably make all the straps from a 1/2 meter square sheet.

What type of steel should I use and what are cheap sources? Do people use gumtree or ebay to buy metals?

Thank you,
Woodspiral

As flh901978 said best get some 6x40 flat bar - much less messing about.

Have a Google for a machine shop - there should be some about. I would expect them to have an hourly charge (quite modest). Find one with a press brake and if you supply all the pieces marked up and a noddy drawing, they should be able to bend them all. And charge you for an hour's time.

The local shop I used to used charged £25/hr some years ago - so it might be £50-75 now with inflation. Still worth not having to mess about for 7 straps.

 

[Spectric]

The dimensions and shapes vary but all are 6mm thick and 40mm wide. I could probably make all the straps from a 1/2 meter square sheet.

what is your application, there may be alternative options out there such as angle iron. You are not going to bend 6mm steel over any length without the tools and something like a promicam brake press is very expensive.

 

[Lons]

what is your application, there may be alternative options out there such as angle iron. You are not going to bend 6mm steel over any length without the tools and something like a promicam brake press is very expensive.

Or a pretty quick and simple cut and weld joint which is what I'd do. I have an old stick welder which does the job but these can be picked up s/h for well under £50 and useful to have to hand.

 

[Spectric]

But if the application is structural then even fabricated straps will need to be done by a welder because you don't want rat shiete welds holding your house up.

 

[Sideways]

Heavy duty hold down or restraint straps - hot dip galvanised - seem to be a commodity building product with a standard 30x5mm section. As long as you want, flat or 90 bent, etc. They are cheap. If they are not on display, couldn't you just use these in pairs side by side instead of the 6x40 specials ?

 

[clogs]

T French,
bought that bender prob 40 years ago....just a few quid then.....
now about a £100 if u can find one.....
if u want dimentions to make one just ask.....
I used to have a proper scoller thing as well,very similar qual but it got nicked.....

 

[woodspiral]

Thank you for all the replies

To clarify I'm not planning on using stainless, I specifically made that point in my OP. I will just use regular mild steel.

Two of the straps could be formed from straight 6x40 stock material with them having a simple 90 bend in the right place. The other 5 will have to be cut out from a sheet as they follow an S shape, or zig-zag shape, and then a 90-ish in the right place and possibly other subtle bends. I will make a template for these from wood before I start. I think I can handle the cutting part OK from what I saw in the vid.

I like very much the idea of hiring the use of a workshop with a press brake for and hour maximum when I've got all my pieces ready to go. I will see if I can find such a place. We are a bit rural here - Suffolk on the Norfolk border so if any members know of somewhere like that in East Anglia that it would be very handy to know.

Thank you
Woodspiral

 

[Ttrees]

what is your application, there may be alternative options out there such as angle iron. You are not going to bend 6mm steel over any length without the tools and something like a promicam brake press is very expensive.

I unintentionally, sharply bent some 8mm offcut the other day without anything but hitting it with hammer simply on the flat,
which I used it for protecting the plate I was bashing the twist out of below, and had to choose the ovalish offcut from it after a single wallop, (IIRC, can check to see if it was indeed a single strike)
It kinked it like it was a piece of cardboard.

 

[TFrench]

Thank you for all the replies

To clarify I'm not planning on using stainless, I specifically made that point in my OP. I will just use regular mild steel.

Two of the straps could be formed from straight 6x40 stock material with them having a simple 90 bend in the right place. The other 5 will have to be cut out from a sheet as they follow an S shape, or zig-zag shape, and then a 90-ish in the right place and possibly other subtle bends. I will make a template for these from wood before I start. I think I can handle the cutting part OK from what I saw in the vid.

I like very much the idea of hiring the use of a workshop with a press brake for and hour maximum when I've got all my pieces ready to go. I will see if I can find such a place. We are a bit rural here - Suffolk on the Norfolk border so if any members know of somewhere like that in East Anglia that it would be very handy to know.

Thank you
Woodspiral

Cobra engineering are in wisbech, fantastic guys, we work with them a lot on food industry projects. Alternatively draw them up and I can quote them for you but shipping might have to be a pallet, depending how big they are (I've got a 25 ton promecam brake at work)

 

[Jameshow]

Thank you for all the replies

To clarify I'm not planning on using stainless, I specifically made that point in my OP. I will just use regular mild steel.

Two of the straps could be formed from straight 6x40 stock material with them having a simple 90 bend in the right place. The other 5 will have to be cut out from a sheet as they follow an S shape, or zig-zag shape, and then a 90-ish in the right place and possibly other subtle bends. I will make a template for these from wood before I start. I think I can handle the cutting part OK from what I saw in the vid.

I like very much the idea of hiring the use of a workshop with a press brake for and hour maximum when I've got all my pieces ready to go. I will see if I can find such a place. We are a bit rural here - Suffolk on the Norfolk border so if any members know of somewhere like that in East Anglia that it would be very handy to know.

Thank you
Woodspiral

That makes more sense now.

 

[Ttrees]

Apologies for the hold up, been busy all day teaching Joe Rogan how to play Karate

Indeed it only took a single belt with a hammer, though I cannot remember which one of those was used, judging from how totally inaccurate the witness mark is, it was likely the big maul which doesn't even have a sharp edge whatsoever,
and a big big NO, I wouldn't use my cheapo parkie "engineers vice" for this malarkey.

Perhaps I'm just talking auld hay, and/or the rest of the bend couldn't be done without bender machines????

 

[eribaMotters]

Spiral, you should have a choice of two steels. The first is FCBDMS, Free Cutting Bright Drawn Mild Steel. This is shiny and square edged. the free cutting bit relates to a % of added lead that makes the steel easier to work. The second is BMS, Black Mild Steel. This is as the name suggests black and to you will look like what you think wrought iron would look like. It feels nicer to touch and gives a more Artisan appearance. It is nice to work with and generally used for traditional exterior metalwork such as gates, brackets and heavy door furniture.
Your problem may lie in sourcing from a meat merchants due to the bar length. I think we used to have it supplied in 6.4 m lengths and you had to have a full length. I'd advise a trip around your local industrial estate to try and find a friendly engineering or metalwork firm who will sell you a few odd bits. They would also be able to advise on any technical cutting/bending issues you may have.

Colin

 

[Phil Pascoe]

BMS is usually Bright Mild Steel.