Thank you. I can't believe how this has turned that brake into a really useful tool. I think it would work on one of the 18" brakes too. Thanks so much for watching.
For best cutting thread results, go 3/4 turns forward and 1/4 turn back every time until your through. No need to wind it all the way out, clean up and go back in again. The back and fourth breaks of the chips in small pieces
I agree with the threading process. I learned in metal shop 50+ years ago to go in 1/2-3/4 turn then back out 1/4-1/3 turn to clean cuttings, and continue.
I recently picked up the HF 18” model and have been researching YT for mods. I feel that your use of the toggle clamps is the best mod out there. Definitely will incorporate it into my mod. Thanks
I gotta admit I wasn't following where you were going with this but then the light bulb turned on. I could see Northern offering that as an upgrade kit! Toggle clamps are really handy for making all sorts of time saving fixtures.
Hi Pete, I love toggle clamps! I wish I would have done this when I first got it. That gas pump cabinet would have been a lot easier. Thanks for watching.
Awesome upgrade, Gene. That transforms the usability of that brake. I've got some 3ft lengths of angle sat in the corner of the shop which will, one day, become a press brake. I'll certainly be adding those toggle clamps to my design! All the very best, Roy.
Gene, This is the KISS principle at its finest on this generic 30" sheet metal brake that is sold by many different distributor's everywhere. Mods only requiring a little drilling, grinding & tapping with no welding required. This has greatly enhanced this sheet metal brake.👍👍 Once your video goes viral, I expect that there's going to be a run on this brake, toggle clamps & some 2x2 angle iron happing soon. I just waiting on HF to post some good coupon discounts on this item, hope its by Memorial Day week. I've got a few Andrew Jackson's wanting to get out. 😁 Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much. It really is a simple solution and is fun to use. And you are right about this can be done on so many brands of the same basic brake. Thanks again for watching.
Nice modification, Gene! This video brought back memories for me. I used to repair factory machinery and we were constantly modifying the machines to better suit our needs. Btw...I was just thinking about buying one of those, yesterday. Good timing for the video. Thanks!👍🙂
Got to hand it to you ! This is what the tool should have been in the first place! I cant help thinking when using mine that I only have half a solution and now it is clear that I am right! You just showed us the other half. I Will adaptating your solution in due course.
I just finished modifying a Harbor Freight metal brake with your upgrades and some modifications of my own. I welded a 1/4" piece of flat bar to the 2x2 angle iron. I then bolted the 2"x2" and flat bar subassembly to the blade with 5 1/4 bolts. With the addition of the 1/4 " flat bar it was too heavy to lift with the handles on the toggle clamps so I added a handle in the middle of the 2x2 up-right. that makes lifting really easy. Thanks for the video. This is going to make a really good metal brake. OLD) Just an FYI, your link to the angle iron takes you to 48x2x2 aluminum. Great video.
Grat modification which I will be doing to my brake. One more upgrade would be to cut the original flat bar into sections, so you can remove a piece to bend boxes. This of course would require a few more tapped holes, but I think it would be worth it.
Great job! I have the 18" and did something similar. One addition was welding a piece of 1/4" X 1" X 6" at the bottom so it simply goes in my 6" wood vise so no need to clamp it to the table. One quick turn takes it on and off.
Great mods. Love the clamps you found. Looks like you are more of a woodworker with hand saw, tapping... I will be using the cutting wheel for all and welding. Thanks!
You are spot on. I am more of a woodworker. This brake mod could be done much more efficiently by a metal worker. But the concept stays the same. Thanks so much for watching.
Another GREAT job Gene! Don't know how it took me 6 months to see it !? As I check your channel regularly for new videos. I think YT plays so funny games sometimes.
Great Mod Gene, I've been looking for something simpler than welding to the edge bar (possible warpage) and using springs and sleeve nuts to clamp down the plate (little space to work). This is a much better solution. I will be doing this to my HF 30" unit in the next week or so. Mine struggles to bend 24ga sheet metal with some bending to the edge bar. But with this mod using 1/4" angle iron, I think it would handle 20ga easily. Also, a portable band saw is a great tool addition if doing a lot of metal cutting.
The portable band saw would be a great addition for me. I’m pretty sure there is no real difference between the Northern Tool and the Harbor Freight brakes. Ha be fun and let me know how it turns out. Thanks for watching.
This is the best setup I have seen. I watched many others and this will definitely make this much more functional. What is the purpose of the shims? I have watched the video a few times and not sure why they are needed.
Thank you! I did the same thing. I watched a lot of Mod videos and thought there has to be a better way. The purpose of the shims is for clearance of the 2” angle iron over the ends of the brake. The blade is not thicker than the sides. I hope that makes sense. You could also use fender washers for shims. Thanks again for watching!
Thanks for this video, I need something portable for building plenum transitions on the job site, I’m going to grab me one and modify it similarly to what you have done.
nice job, my brothers brake has a similar clamp that came from factory. Its a 10' brake designed for commercial use. Hack sawing angle iron is laborious!
I was completely disappointed when my partner and I purchased this tool for our new shop. That you have to supply your own "C clamps" to make it work is almost unbelievable. Your hack, however, is by far the best on TH-cam. I have watched a number of them and yours is Elegant genius at its finest. Honestly, I would pay double the price if this brake was made with the pieces you added. This is my first time at your channel but I am now a new subscriber and will take time to look at some of your other videos. Thanks for such an awesome build.
Suggestion ; You improved the brake, your next improvement should be to purchase a Lennox high tension hacksaw paired with bi-metal blades of different pitch. This style hacksaw will give better cuts that are straighter and blade life improves immensely. The style hacksaw you have does this. On the forward stroke, the blade behind the point of contact can bend from stretching ever so slightly coupled with a holding device that allows the blade to twist which causes your cut to go off course. The more pressure you apply amplifies this. If you get one, I doubt you will want t0 use your present one even for wood projects. Your call. My Lennox is an older model and after the blade is placed over the pins and slack is taken up with the crank in thew handle, the crank gets 8 additional turns. it is solidly held. I picked up a Stanley high tension frame and it is inferior to my Lennox. Nice work on the bender. Using angle is a good idea for getting clearance in the front. The clamps are also a good idea.
@@DIYGene I finished the project and it does actually work really well! It has all the adjustable spots like a more expensive brake! I had considered the tool nearly scrap metal for two years! This project total cost me under $100. Thanks again
The blade has a slight angle to allow a slight over bend but you could cut or grind the blade to a 45 if you need more. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
I like the idea of what you did but if you try and bend the max gage (16 gage) it wont work so well. You need to be able to move the blade forward and backward to accommodate the thickness. With the bending bar in a vertical position you should be able to slide the metal between the vertical and horizontal bars easily. Great video.
Great point. And you can move the blade forward and back by adjusting the top bolts on the clamps. I may a a minute but once you do, you don’t have to adjust again for that thickness. Thanks so much for watching.
Thanks for the great ideas Gene! I was looking for a solution to the clamping dilemma and this brilliantly solves it without reducing the material width capacity. Does this also increase the brakes ability to bend thicker material? If not, would stronger clamps or a thicker backing plate (attached to the pressure plate) do the trick?
Great approach and detail, thank you! Is the thickness on that 2" angle metal really 1/18" gauge, as provided in the discription? I seems a little thicker in the video.
@@DIYGene ok, I was wondering, because I thought at first maybe that was the case, but then I saw you cutting notches with what looked like a cutoff wheel -- maybe it was just a grinding wheel. Anyway I started to wonder if there was a benefit I had not ever considered from using a hacksaw. lol
I don’t have measurements printed out. This is really simple and may need to be adjusted because of the size and even the brand. Basically 2”x2” angle iron. 2 cut 4.25” and 1 cut 35”. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene Yeah I had already ordered it not thinking and then realized how light it was when I picked it up, lol. So, you don't think the aluminum will be strong enough?
Oh, sorry. I bent up what I had floating around including some 16 ga. and so 1/8” strap but I don’t think it would handle that thick in a wide format. I hope that helps.
Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 159 sentadillas son unos XX18LIKE.Uno muchas y un buen ejercicio. Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortalesv abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer.k
@@PinkslipDaddy, I think it would struggle with.016 in 30”. I have bent .016 in about 6” and it does fine but I haven’t tried 30”. I’m afraid the center would round off.
Honestly the best mod I've seen on TH-cam and I've watched dozens. If you mass produced that break you would put all others out of business.
Thank you. I can't believe how this has turned that brake into a really useful tool. I think it would work on one of the 18" brakes too. Thanks so much for watching.
Do you have this moel...if so did you modifird it?
I saw you get out that hacksaw and I groaned! As affordable as a band saw is today I wouldn't go one minute without one.
Why I didn’t at least use the angle grinder, I don’t know. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGeneJust watched this and that was my first question as soon as you took out the Angle grinder…. Uhh they cut really well and fast. 😂😂
@@wirefeed3419, I do know what I was thinking, or in this case, not thinking. LOL🤪
For best cutting thread results, go 3/4 turns forward and 1/4 turn back every time until your through. No need to wind it all the way out, clean up and go back in again. The back and fourth breaks of the chips in small pieces
excellent advice! Thanks so much for watching.
I agree with the threading process. I learned in metal shop 50+ years ago to go in 1/2-3/4 turn then back out 1/4-1/3 turn to clean cuttings, and continue.
Exactly how I learned it too, but that was 57 years ago 😅@@reddivrbob
I recently picked up the HF 18” model and have been researching YT for mods. I feel that your use of the toggle clamps is the best mod out there. Definitely will incorporate it into my mod. Thanks
I gotta admit I wasn't following where you were going with this but then the light bulb turned on. I could see Northern offering that as an upgrade kit! Toggle clamps are really handy for making all sorts of time saving fixtures.
Hi Pete, I love toggle clamps! I wish I would have done this when I first got it. That gas pump cabinet would have been a lot easier. Thanks for watching.
The hack saw and the splitting maul… two tools that remind us of our age 😂
That is the truth! Why I didn’t just use the grinder, I will never know. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene good idea lol
@@rdspeedfab, it really made an almost in-usable tool into a really useful brake.
Awesome upgrade, Gene. That transforms the usability of that brake. I've got some 3ft lengths of angle sat in the corner of the shop which will, one day, become a press brake. I'll certainly be adding those toggle clamps to my design!
All the very best, Roy.
Thanks Roy! I can’t believe what a big difference it made. Thanks again for watching.
Gene, This is the KISS principle at its finest on this generic 30" sheet metal brake that is sold by many different distributor's everywhere. Mods only requiring a little drilling, grinding & tapping with no welding required. This has greatly enhanced this sheet metal brake.👍👍 Once your video goes viral, I expect that there's going to be a run on this brake, toggle clamps & some 2x2 angle iron happing soon. I just waiting on HF to post some good coupon discounts on this item, hope its by Memorial Day week. I've got a few Andrew Jackson's wanting to get out. 😁 Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much. It really is a simple solution and is fun to use. And you are right about this can be done on so many brands of the same basic brake. Thanks again for watching.
Nice modification, Gene! This video brought back memories for me. I used to repair factory machinery and we were constantly modifying the machines to better suit our needs. Btw...I was just thinking about buying one of those, yesterday. Good timing for the video. Thanks!👍🙂
Thanks Dart Man! I only wish I would have made these mods earlier. It would have saved me a whole lot of time.
@@DIYGene yep!🙂
Got to hand it to you ! This is what the tool should have been in the first place! I cant help thinking when using mine that I only have half a solution and now it is clear that I am right! You just showed us the other half. I Will adaptating your solution in due course.
This has made this tool into a totally useful machine. Thanks so much for watching.
I just finished modifying a Harbor Freight metal brake with your upgrades and some modifications of my own. I welded a 1/4" piece of flat bar to the 2x2 angle iron. I then bolted the 2"x2" and flat bar subassembly to the blade with 5 1/4 bolts. With the addition of the 1/4 " flat bar it was too heavy to lift with the handles on the toggle clamps so I added a handle in the middle of the 2x2 up-right. that makes lifting really easy. Thanks for the video. This is going to make a really good metal brake.
OLD) Just an FYI, your link to the angle iron takes you to 48x2x2 aluminum. Great video.
Thanks for the heads up.
Grat modification which I will be doing to my brake. One more upgrade would be to cut the original flat bar into sections, so you can remove a piece to bend boxes. This of course would require a few more tapped holes, but I think it would be worth it.
Excellent suggestion. Thanks so much for watching.
I was really facinated by this build, I'll definitely watch it a few more times. Great content and great editing. Thanks & Take Care: Shawn
Thanks Shawn! This mod really makes a big difference and is so easy to do. Thanks again for watching.
Great job! I have the 18" and did something similar. One addition was welding a piece of 1/4" X 1" X 6" at the bottom so it simply goes in my 6" wood vise so no need to clamp it to the table. One quick turn takes it on and off.
That’s a great idea. Thanks so much for watching.
That came out great. Nice little project. Very satisfying!
Hello Swetty Spaghetti! This was a very fun and much needed modification. Thanks so much for watching.
Very nice job 👍 the best mod I’ve seen on this
@@timsmith4519, Thanks so much. I t really made the brake a useful tool. Thanks again for watching.
Very nice modification
Thanks so much for watching.
Great mods. Love the clamps you found. Looks like you are more of a woodworker with hand saw, tapping... I will be using the cutting wheel for all and welding. Thanks!
You are spot on. I am more of a woodworker. This brake mod could be done much more efficiently by a metal worker. But the concept stays the same. Thanks so much for watching.
Another GREAT job Gene! Don't know how it took me 6 months to see it !? As I check your channel regularly for new videos. I think YT plays so funny games sometimes.
Hello Donscott, Great to hear from you again.
Great Mod Gene,
I've been looking for something simpler than welding to the edge bar (possible warpage) and using springs and sleeve nuts to clamp down the plate (little space to work).
This is a much better solution. I will be doing this to my HF 30" unit in the next week or so. Mine struggles to bend 24ga sheet metal with some bending to the edge bar. But with this mod using 1/4" angle iron, I think it would handle 20ga easily.
Also, a portable band saw is a great tool addition if doing a lot of metal cutting.
The portable band saw would be a great addition for me. I’m pretty sure there is no real difference between the Northern Tool and the Harbor Freight brakes. Ha be fun and let me know how it turns out. Thanks for watching.
Angle Iron is some hard stuff, Hacksaw will keep you in good shape though :)
@@PinkslipDaddy, LOL, why I just didn’t use the angle grinder, I don’t know.
This is the best setup I have seen. I watched many others and this will definitely make this much more functional.
What is the purpose of the shims? I have watched the video a few times and not sure why they are needed.
Thank you! I did the same thing. I watched a lot of Mod videos and thought there has to be a better way. The purpose of the shims is for clearance of the 2” angle iron over the ends of the brake. The blade is not thicker than the sides. I hope that makes sense. You could also use fender washers for shims. Thanks again for watching!
Thanks for this video, I need something portable for building plenum transitions on the job site, I’m going to grab me one and modify it similarly to what you have done.
This has changed the whole game with this brake. Northern should do this mod. Thanks for watching.
nice job, my brothers brake has a similar clamp that came from factory. Its a 10' brake designed for commercial use. Hack sawing angle iron is laborious!
Hi Megtooth! Thanks for watching. How are the light sabers coming?
@@DIYGene I have made a bunch!!
Very nice. Even looks good!
Thank you. It turned this into a really useful tool. Thanks so much for watching.
I was completely disappointed when my partner and I purchased this tool for our new shop. That you have to supply your own "C clamps" to make it work is almost unbelievable. Your hack, however, is by far the best on TH-cam. I have watched a number of them and yours is Elegant genius at its finest. Honestly, I would pay double the price if this brake was made with the pieces you added. This is my first time at your channel but I am now a new subscriber and will take time to look at some of your other videos. Thanks for such an awesome build.
I’m so glad you found it helpful. I hope it helps. Thanks so much for watching and subscribing?
@@DIYGenelisten to the background of u talking between 8:50 and 8:57 .. u have a spirit voice watching u ..
LOL!
Best brake mod I've seen so far!
Thanks it has really made this brake so fun to use.
Now I'm all caught up.. lol .. they should hire you to design that for them 😁👍
I have to say, it completely changed how well this tool works.
@@DIYGene thats good!
Awesome upgrade! Thank you for the advice on the tap use.
Thanks for watching.
Really helpful and well made.. thank you for sharing your ideas. 🙏
Well thanks Sure Power and thanks so much for watching.
Suggestion ; You improved the brake, your next improvement should be to purchase a Lennox high tension hacksaw paired with bi-metal blades of different pitch. This style hacksaw will give better cuts that are straighter and blade life improves immensely. The style hacksaw you have does this. On the forward stroke, the blade behind the point of contact can bend from stretching ever so slightly coupled with a holding device that allows the blade to twist which causes your cut to go off course. The more pressure you apply amplifies this. If you get one, I doubt you will want t0 use your present one even for wood projects. Your call. My Lennox is an older model and after the blade is placed over the pins and slack is taken up with the crank in thew handle, the crank gets 8 additional turns. it is solidly held. I picked up a Stanley high tension frame and it is inferior to my Lennox. Nice work on the bender. Using angle is a good idea for getting clearance in the front. The clamps are also a good idea.
Thanks for the great suggestion. I will look into it. Thanks again for watching.
This is awesome and I have already picked up some toggle clamps thank you!
It truly made the brake a usable tool. Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene I finished the project and it does actually work really well! It has all the adjustable spots like a more expensive brake! I had considered the tool nearly scrap metal for two years! This project total cost me under $100. Thanks again
@@Branhawk That is so cool. I hope you use it as much as I use mine. Thanks again!!
Came out nice but what about when u got to go past 90degrees?
The blade has a slight angle to allow a slight over bend but you could cut or grind the blade to a 45 if you need more. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
I like the idea of what you did but if you try and bend the max gage (16 gage) it wont work so well. You need to be able to move the blade forward and backward to accommodate the thickness. With the bending bar in a vertical position you should be able to slide the metal between the vertical and horizontal bars easily. Great video.
Great point. And you can move the blade forward and back by adjusting the top bolts on the clamps. I may a a minute but once you do, you don’t have to adjust again for that thickness. Thanks so much for watching.
great mod! Inspired me to make one. thanks for sharing
This has really become a useful tool. Thanks so much for watching.
Thanks for the great ideas Gene! I was looking for a solution to the clamping dilemma and this brilliantly solves it without reducing the material width capacity.
Does this also increase the brakes ability to bend thicker material? If not, would stronger clamps or a thicker backing plate (attached to the pressure plate) do the trick?
Thanks so much. I think if I was going a lot thicker material, I would get heavier clamps. Thanks again for watching.
Great approach and detail, thank you! Is the thickness on that 2" angle metal really 1/18" gauge, as provided in the discription? I seems a little thicker in the video.
curious, if you replace that square stock to round for radius bends.
@@motomarcel1, that is an interesting suggestion. I know that now this tool is a very useful piece of equipment in my shop. Thanks for watching.
Any chance you would put one together and sell it? I'm handy but not that handy lol
Curious as to why, if you had an angle grinder, you didn't just use a cutoff wheel instead of the hacksaw?
Because I didn’t have a cut off wheel and was too lazy to go by one. LOL. 🤪 Thanks for watching.
@@DIYGene ok, I was wondering, because I thought at first maybe that was the case, but then I saw you cutting notches with what looked like a cutoff wheel -- maybe it was just a grinding wheel. Anyway I started to wonder if there was a benefit I had not ever considered from using a hacksaw. lol
Every full turn of a tap, you should go in reverse 1/4 turn to remove the chips
If you already have a grinder, why didn't you use a cut-off disc instead of hack-sawing?
Yah, that would make sense, wouldn’t it.
Genius!
It has made a sub-par product into a really usable tool. Thanks so much for watching.
Interesting Video. I might have to try that, except weld the stuff in place. that is a good idea though.
Creative. How well do the flip clamps stand the test of the challenges of a 30”, 16g steel without flexing or breaking?
It works better the using the old C clamps. 16 ga. Steel is going to tough at 30” with this brake no matter what clamps Thanks for watching.
How do I get the measurement print on make this. I have a 30 inch. H.F. one
I don’t have measurements printed out. This is really simple and may need to be adjusted because of the size and even the brand. Basically 2”x2” angle iron. 2 cut 4.25” and 1 cut 35”. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
What is the benefit of the angles cut on the bending bar??
Probably more for looks. You could just cut a notch to clear the clamps as well. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
Excellent job!
Thanks so much for watching.
That's pretty cool
Thanks so much for watching.
The link for the angle iron is aluminum, is that correct?
Thank you for catching that!
3' 2" x 2" Angle Iron: creatoriq.cc/46xOfb2
@@DIYGene Yeah I had already ordered it not thinking and then realized how light it was when I picked it up, lol. So, you don't think the aluminum will be strong enough?
Wow, I’m so sorry you ordered it. They have it at Lowes and Home Depot too. I don’t know how well aluminum will work.
@@DIYGene I guess we will find out, lol
I'm not going to watch past the 2.20 mark untill someone explains to me why would he not use the angel grinder and a cutoff wheel to cut the angle???
Angel grinder? Sounds like a heavenly tool to own.
Why didn’t you use your grinder with a cut off wheel for the first cuts?!
Oh that would have been too easy. LOL. Thanks for watching.
nice
Broken link -> The link for the 30" Brake does not lead to it.
Thanks for catching that. I have fixed it amzn.to/3nPSDg2. Thanks again for watching.
Why didn’t you demonstrated bending some Baker metal?
I'm sorry, I don't know what baker metal is?
@@DIYGene OK Gean you’re funny,break some thicker metal, I don’t think you’re a stupid person you know what I ment.
Oh, sorry. I bent up what I had floating around including some 16 ga. and so 1/8” strap but I don’t think it would handle that thick in a wide format. I hope that helps.
I don't think that it was any fault of your self with tap, Irwin tapes are junk.
But when you go to the big box store, it’s all they carry. I wish there were more options. Thanks so much for watching.
❤
@@Vaniya.a ❤️thanks for watching.
👍👍👍
Thanks so much for watching.
a welder would go a long way...
Oh, absolutely. But if you don’t have one… Thanks for watching.
"easy to do!" proceeds to take 3 minutes of video time to cut angle with a hacksaw
I could have used power tools but I wanted to show the simplest way possible. Thanks for watching.
The best part is him cleaning the cuts after with an angle grinder. That really blew my mind.
@@yakswelding86 , well there is the right way and the DIY Gene way. LOL. Thanks for watching.
Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 159 sentadillas son unos XX18LIKE.Uno muchas y un buen ejercicio. Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortalesv abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer.k
how does it do with 0.016" thick 30 inch wide Carbon Steel?
@@PinkslipDaddy, I think it would struggle with.016 in 30”. I have bent .016 in about 6” and it does fine but I haven’t tried 30”. I’m afraid the center would round off.