Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
Online Community of Zenith Builders and Flyers
How big of a bending brake to build?
First post! I'm getting organized to start a from plans Cruzer build. You know the drill, finish ALL of the honey do list, clean out the area I'll be working in, build a table and so on. All of this will take time. While I'm doing all of that I'm chipping away at buying the tools I don't already have. But I'm planning on making my own bending brake. The Dave Clay no weld kind. I don't weld, at least not yet. How big does my brake need to be in order to handle maybe 90% of the bends? My EAA chapter has a good brake and I live within relatively easy driving distance of Zenith. So it would be easy for me to buy the really hard to make parts from them rather than struggle to make an iffy example myself. Not making a monster brake is as much an effort at saving shop space as it is trying to save money by not buying the rediculously expensive steel. Thoughts? Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Chris Boultinghouse on
-
I made mine 8' long, and it worked for most of the items I got around to before selling the project. I did buy the horizontal stab spars, and in hindsight I wish I'd bought the vertical fin spars (because I made them 3 times...)
You can find some pictures of it on my blog site: http://justplanechris.com/airplane_section/tools/
-
Permalink Reply by Dan Hill on
-
If I could have only one brake in the shop it would be the homebuilt help brake. While it is a welded up brake it has about a 52" capacity, and produces really good results for the time and money invested and takes up relatively little space. Dan.
-
Permalink Reply by Clint L Gosch on
-
Hi Dan, I made a 9' "David Clay" brake. I made all my parts on it. Longest piece on my STOL build was 8.5' (Stabilizer spar 0.040"). I clamped a hardwood forming shoe between the L's, allowed me so easily swap bend radius for thicker material. Worked quite well as long as you take your time getting everything lined up properly before bending. It will never make perfectly straight bends on thick and long material, but everything I built was acceptable. If you have access to a good brake for long bends, build the homebuilt help brake and save the shop space. Good luck!
-
Permalink Reply by Brian Thomas on
-
I am using a 30-inch harbor freight brake loaned to me by a friend for the small stuff. I am lucky to have access to an 8-foot brake, although only during normal business hours.
Thinking about aircraft, there are a lot of fuselage parts that would work on a 4-foot brake.
Having said all that, you will probably make more than a few parts more than once - it's just part of the scratch building process.
New from Zenith:
Classified listing for buying or selling your Zenith building or flying related stuff...
Custom Instrument Panels
for your Zenith:
Custom instrument panels are now available directly from Zenith Aircraft Company exclusively for Zenith builders and owners. Pre-cut panel, Dynon and Garmin avionics, and more.
Zenith Homecoming Tee:
Flying On Your Own Wings:
A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design, by Chris Heintz
Builder & Pilot Supplies:
Pro Builder Assistance:
Transition training:
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty for all your building and pilot supplies!
How to videos from HomebuiltHELP.com
Developed specifically for Zenith builders (by a builder) these videos on DVD are a great help in building your own kit plane by providing practical hands-on construction information. Visit HomebuiltHelp.com for the latest DVD titles.
© 2024 Created by Zenith.Aero.
Powered by
