Building the Ultimate DIY Press Brake - Simple Game-Changing Process You Won't Believe!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- In this video, we’re revealing the ultimate DIY press brake build using a secret, game-changing process that’s simpler than you might think! We’ll show you how this innovative method will revolutionize how these are made in the future. Whether you’re a seasoned fabricator or a complete beginner, you won’t believe how simple it is to create a high-performance press brake right in your own workshop.
Join us as we break down every step, from materials and tools to assembly and testing. You’ll be amazed at the power of this easy-to-follow technique that can take your DIY projects to the next level.
What you’ll learn in this video:
How to build a high-quality press brake from scratch
The secret process that makes this build so unique, simple and accurate
Tips and tricks for getting professional results without the steep learning curve
Don’t forget to hit like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more innovative DIY builds and tips!
Have questions or thoughts on the process? Drop them in the comments below - we love hearing from you!
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Another great DIY project. I had 20 - 4" wide 1/4" straps I needed to bend for a project. The base of the press brake I made is much like yours. However, the moveable upper bar was different. I used 1/2" steel and welded a piece of 1/2" angle to it, a ready made edge. I never thought about using the router and chamfer bit to bevel the steel. Having the round pipe with set screws welded to the top bar allows clamping the upper bar to the post on the press, pulling it out of the way. Think I'll be remaking the upper bar. Can't wait to see the steps installed on the trailer. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks Robert I appreciate it. I'm real happy with the outcome. Everyone I've seen uses a grinder to make the edge on the top punch and they always look perfect. I doubt I would be that lucky so this is definitely a fool proof way to easily get a nice straight edge
Great job Brandon ❤😊
Thanks man!
Wow Brandon! You’re a brave man. It’s so good to see it can be done with a router blade. Gives me a lot of ideas. Way to go!!!
Thanks man! I was pleasantly surprised too!
Thank you! Amazing press.
I love the diy tools! Bench vices, weld carts, fixture tables, 3rd hands, etc. I watch them all... sometimes more than once.
I really appreciate that John! It's views like yourself that keep this channel moving forward and growing!
Awesome build, Brandon! That worked out fantastic!
Thanks man I appreciate it. I'm pretty happy with it
This is great Brandon , good trip through the process, thank you
Thanks brother!
$159.95 at Harbor Freight. Made in China. What you did is far superior and MADE BY USA HANDS!!! Great job, Brandon, and I am saving this video for future reference. What a great tool to have. Be well, be safe, be Blessed!!!
Thank you Jim! With all your builds I'm sure this would come in handy for you. I should have mentioned in the video that the factory punch was 1/2" and I used 3/4" so you could always use half to save even more money. I'm really happy with the results
I was in the process of welding my brake together when I saw your procedure and I liked your method of welding the dies together from the back side first. It worked great. I will weld my dies to the plate today, paint it and try it out. Thanks for the tip and I've enjoyed the videos you have uploaded. Been watching them for years.
I think it adds a lot more strength, especially whereas you cant get to it afterwards. Enjoy your project!
i love the use of the carbide bevel cutter for the punch
It's a game changer for sure. I can see me using carbide more often now
What a good video! I was looking at these the other day and they are not cheap! Ill just make one now
Thanks man! It's definately worth the time building it yourself
Excellent
Thank you Kenneth!
Once again you have absolutely blown me away. AWESOME!!!!
Thank you so much!
Brandon, i love your tips on how to creatively solve challenges by adapting common tools to complete tasks.
Thanks Hal I appreciate it!
Sure glad you built your own press brake Brandon. I like your design and trust your build more. Thanks for sharing with us. Stay safe and keep up the great videos and instructions. Fred.
Thank you Fred. This was my first press brake build so I wasn't sure how it was going to come out. I'm happy with the end result
Great press, works great, thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones
I appreciate that! Same to you Donald
Nice fab up ! I'm tempted to make one myself. 👍
You should! It's a lot of fun!
Great vid and simple solution to DIY issue.
I appreciate it neil! Thank you!
@BrandonLund All good matey, I find even as a tradie myself your ideas and insights are interesting and helpful to many and I enjoy your vidz.Keep up the good work mate.
I appreciate your support Neil! 🙏
That works awesome, great build. I'm amazed with the router cutter, I'll have to give that a try. Thanks for the tip.
You bet! It's a game changer for sure!
Great job Brandon. Being new to this I am still adjusting to steel being sold by weight, not shape. I'm headed over to the tool building vids. I'd love the challenge of building the press to use that brake in!
Thanks man. I built a press about 28 years ago using 12" eye beam as the uprights. It was way over built but you could literally press anything. It could have pressed 100 to easily if I had a jack strong enough. I love tool builds also
Nice! Can’t believe the router trick, so you have another subscriber.
Right on man! I was shocked how well it worked also. Thanks for the sub!
Awesome job 👏👏👍
Thank you Kenny!
We nice project Brandon! Well done!
Thanks Earl! It's always a little needed wracking trying something new, but I'm happy with the end result
Awesome job! Your excitement building this press was worth the watch ! YeS!
I was pretty pumped once I realized it was going to work. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Been waiting for this build. Simple but effective. Now how about that rolling mill I talked to you about so I can roll the metal for my grill smoker. Thanks man, till next time.
I've been thinking about that rolling mill and I think it could work!
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Your very welcome!
This is awesome, I wanted one that was bigger and affordable than what I found online, I’ll take one please lol, you did an amazing job my friend 👍😁
Thanks, Dave! It was really straight forward once I decided on materials.
Good job
I appreciate that!
Nice job
Thank you! I was really happy with how it turned out.
Really Awesome Brandon!!..I always come back to your cast iron welding video...Great stuff...-John
I really appreciate the support John! It's a video I'm very proud of
I was thinking bout building one but you beat me to it!! Really kewl how it came out for you. I was surprised you use 45 degrees bit and cut metal? Gee whiz! That helps a lot!! Interesting. Nicely done!
I was surprised too! The 45 degree bit works way better than I expected.
@@BrandonLund.. me too. Sure make the job easier !
For sure!
Thanks!
You're very welcome!
That was awesome!!! I would not have thought abot using the router bit. COOL
Thanks Jimmy. I wasn't quite sure if it was going to work at first because there is nothing on the internet that I could find. TO my surprise it worked remarkably well!
Always like the style of your work. Real. High quality diy.
I really appreciate that!
Great job, I'll be building one!
The cool thing is that the punch edge can be renewed.
Thanks for your work, and sharing the details. I never would have considered the router approach.
I'm glad you like it! The router approach seemed pretty risky at the time, but I'm glad I took the gamble.
Nice build video. Now you need to make a finger bending option so you can bend metal boxes and drawers. You will have to do a little design, but I can see a finger press as the perfect setup... Thumbs Up!
Thanks Gary. I was really considering this, but I don't do a lot of shapes. I still might build a new top die for fingers and use the same bottom piece just for the experience.
Nice idea with the router bit.
I would consider flame hardening the edge.
Hit the edge with a torch, get it Cherry red, quench in oil, and draw the temper back out of it.
I've been considering that. I don't have much knowledge on hardening so my only concern would be accidentally making to too hard causing it to become brittle.
Awesome sequencing. Very stable and inline.
Thanks Phillip. I'm very happy with the outcome
A great build Brandon
Thank you!
MM77 Approved 👍🏼 👍🏼…………………………………………………………….WOW! I’ve used wood bits for aluminum, but never thought about using them for steel. I thought you would have a super secret way to grind the 45 on. LOL I guess you did!
It worked surprisingly well, even though I wasn't sure if it would.
Awesome video and very informative. Nice work 👏
I appreciate it! Thank you!
That's pretty awesome job
Thanks man!
@@BrandonLund you are very welcome Brandon
Nice project. Will build one for myself .
You will love it. It's a fun project for sure.
Freaking awesome
I need a list…..
So I don’t have to watch / pause / watch / pause
against again and again
I have needed one and wanted one forever. Just didn’t have a easy step process
Freaking awesome dude
Thanks man I appreciate it. I will be putting one together over on our Facebook welding community page
@ crap. I didn’t know about FB. I’m new to that
@toddp8164 facebook.com/groups/brandonlund/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
Thank you.
Yes sir! I very much like the idea of making my own tool when possible. 😊
Ts definitely a rewarding feeling!
Awesome project - thanks! Try a larger shank router bit next time.
That definitely would helped. Those 1/4" aren't too strong.
Great job Brandon, it's a very very nice press and likely easy to make, my thoughts are, can you use the hand saw to make the dye, if you have no router? Thanks for the great video and wish you a very nice weekend, stay safe and take care. Greetz.
I've seen them built using a grinder but that's the only other way I've seen. Thanks, Christian!
@@BrandonLund How about a circular saw with an abrasive disc, set at an angle of 45deg.
That's and interesting concept. It could probably be made to work but a fence guide system would need to be used to keep the edge. I think the router is probably the simplest setup.
Did something similar, but used a piece of channel on top of a baseplate, then used 1/4" angle for the die, however I set it up so I could stack or nest 1/4" angle of different widths within the channel, to allow diiferent bend radiuses, dependent on thickness of the metal being bent.
I was not smart enough to use a router for the punch edge though. Brilliant. Always wondered if it would work and you've proven it does.
At some point, I want to make a punch with fingers.
Good job.
Thanks man! I was considering fingers but I really don't make shapes often. The good part with this, you can make another upper section with fingers and slide it onto the pins. That way you have one setup for a straight press brake and another setup with your finger width.
Thanks a lot Brandon for offering us such an easy to-use Press-Brake. As soon as I've time I'll buy myself a jack. Now I've only have a 2-tons one. Think a 5 tons would be better....Definitely worthwhile making for which big thanks...Won't be as beautiful as yours but we can give it a try.. Merci and greetz from Holland...Marcel Knippers😀💯💯💥💥
I've seen your work Marcel over on the FB Welding Community Page. I'm positive you can build one just as nice!
Wow that's cool. I just bought the Harbor Freight press and will use it until I can follow your lead. Thank you...
That HF press is nice. Your going to be happy with it. It's a well-built tool. The die is expecially nice also. I just wish they made it a little wider like the one I built.
well done job NUno Portugal
Thank you very much! 🙏
Nice welds
Thank you!
👍
Thank you!
How long did it take you to bevel that edge. Amazing! I have to try that.
Surprisingly it went very fast. Maybe 15 -20 minutes going slow taking my time and taking measurements. I was amazed how well and how fast it went
@BrandonLund Next level!
I’m curious to know what blade you are running in your portable bandsaw? It looks much beefier than the one that’s in mine. Great build, I love the clarity on your video.
It is a 1/2" wide blade with 14 teeth per inch.
I have used the router trick before, Smoothing out welds on a bumper instead of grinding them. Used a round over bit for that. I also did a home brew press brake about 16 years ago, unfortunately grinding. If I were to do it again today, I’d mill it & the bottom die. I have a milling machine in my garage & full access to a pretty set up machine shop with a Haas VF-2 & VF-3
It's amazing what you can do in your workshop or garage!
@@BrandonLund You ain’t kidding
Amazing! Did you use a slow speed on the router?
Nope. Wide open. This is an older model router. It's either off or full speed ahead LOL. Seriously though, I think whereas this only has 2 cutters, the wide open speed helped keep it from chattering. I was originally concerned it was going to burn up the bit but I kept it cool with wd-40 and it worked like a charm.
Great job on the press, I could use one of these
If your ever looking for a video idea; a can crusher would be neat. I attempted to build a heavy duty one and didn’t engineer it properly
Thank you! That would be fun!
To prevent weld blow through, use ceramic backers. The unglazed part in that V will allow you to get full penetration welds without excess weld filler.
You did a great job on this, turned out as expected. 👍🏼👍🏼
I have some 1/2" copper bars that work pretty well also.
Can you list where to get the springs?
Ebay
Will you harden that edge to be more ware resistant and, if so, how?
For now, I'm going to wait and see if it's necessary. If the edge gets deformed, I will run a couple passes using this process. A viewer suggested if it needs hardening, to do case hardening with either oil or a brine solution heating it to around 900 with a torch
If you open up the bottom gap a bit, you'll get more over-bend, plus, maybe, a bit softer corner, which relieves the stress in the material, especially important for aluminum.
Just another thought.
That's why right before welding that bottom die to the plate, I plowed out a shallow troth at the bottom. After closer examination, I noticed that's what had been done on the factory die so I wanted to duplicate it before I welded it to the plate then my 7/8 rods would have been in the way
Perfeckt!! Brandon If yall wood build a log lift with the same detail it would glean a Lot of views/subs. A hydraulic lift for the box store type log splitters, Valve, Cylinder, and metal work! Thanks bud!!
You never know! I might not have a use for one but I always have customers asking me to build stuff.
Nice job. To get a tighter angle than 90° just pack out the die…lay some shim stock on each side leaving the bottom valley uncovered..that will allowed “punch” to press the metal deeper and make a tighter angle….
Nice idea. That's basically why I left that gap at the bottom then ran a few passes with the grinder wheel to troth it out.
If your going to do diamond plate make some sacrificial 90 degree pieces out of even 16ga to lay over top of your lower angles or one for the upper depending on which side is up. This will protect the dies from the diamonds.
That's a really good idea. I'll have to keep that in mind! Thanks for sharing!
For an even simpler top die use 1x1x3/16 angle point down welded to your top punch.
Awesome build. I would like to learn welding just for a hobby and making stuff in my garage. Are you using a flux wire feed welder? I know this is a metal fab video, so Im just researching people more experienced than me. Thanks if you can advise!
The welder I'm using will use flux core or gas shielded, but I'm using gas shielded in the video. This project could be done with flux core also.
That should work beautifully. What i would like to have is an Edwards Ironworker. We have been to a few shows where they have and sell them. A guy I've watched on TH-cam for years and he lives north of you in Newfoundland in a city called Bay Robert's. His channel is called Paul and Kathy Short. A lot of his business is making after market items for Kubota tractors. I've always wanted to go there before I die. He reminds me of my grandpa but he's younger than me.
I will have to check him him out. I love stuff like that. Thanks for sharing.
I thought that it might be good to "stack" two of the angles for each side of the die, to increase the rigidity... Maybe not necessary, just a thought.
I'm sure it couldn't hurt. I watched a bunch of videos before tackling the build to get some ideas. Most seem to use this bottom die design or some variation of it. I went with 1 1/2" material for the die to mimick the factory die spacing which was rated to bend 3/8 steel at 6" width
Hi Brandon;
Hoping that you are doing well...
🇨🇦 With 🦷🦷 ...
Nice build. You've got several pieces of equipment that I don't have, but it's great when you recommend an alternative.
I don't know what shaft size your router was, I do have an 8 mm one, and it's probably vibration that took out yours... maybe lower speed as you get more feed depth, since it's cutting more metal...
I think your right about the vibration. This router doesnt have speed control. Mine is the smaller of the two available size shanks. Once I realized it was going to work, I think I was getting a little too greedy with my feed pressure. It probably wouldn't have broke if I continued to be careful
I have the Swag Offroad version of this. The die is not hardened.
Interesting! Thank you very much for sharing. I was curious if heat treating is necessary or if it would make it brittle.
My only thought was to work harden the blade of the die.
I'm torn on this. Part of me thinks it should be hartdened, but then I worry it will become brittle. Another commenter said he had one that wasn't hardened so I guess time will tell. Good part about this process is that its easy to restore the edge using this method in case it should need to be hardened in the future.
Hey man what price do you sell them for?
It wouldnt be profitable. Shipping would cost a fortune.
I tried that an failed so i used soild sq bar instead of angle iorn mich better and no flex also a kefr or a little bit of heat would make life easy
Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing. This does just as good of a job, if not better than the one I just paid $170. I have no complaints. I'm going to see if I can bend some 3/8. That will be the real test.
I built that brake 15 years ago. I can brake 5/8 steel that’s 3 inches wide. I built my brake 17 inches
That's incredible! I was thinking 3/8 might be a struggle. I'm real curious to try now! Was it a 20 ton press also?
You could have just punched a few holes from the back side on your die and then button welded it. I'm sort of interested to see how long the dies last obviously you're not going to be bending any 10 gauge but that is a nifty idea
The factory bender I showed in the beginning was rated for 3/8 steel at 6" wide. I'm going to see just how much abuse this will take.
You commented about removing mil-scale. This is something that drives me nuts. What is the best way you have found to remove mil-scale.
Mill scale drives me nuts too. I know they make specialty discs but they are expensive, so I just end up using 40 grit zirconia flap discs.
Uh, whut? Carbide router bit in a router to bevel mild steel? Yes, that's right. Carbide cuts mild steel. Friggin genius! Mental notes being made over here.
I can't get over how well it worked, especially considering how much material it had to remove.
@BrandonLund It looked like that was a 1/4" shank router bit. I'm sure you've already figured a 1/2" would be more robust.
@markhedquist9597 I was just using what I had. Once I knew that the bit wasn't going to burn up on me, I was about 90% complete on the second side, I started getting a little greedy with my feed pressure. Well, we know what happened next lol. Luckily that router kit has 2 - 5/8 chamfer bits in it. 1/4" bits work great, you just can't lay into it to speed up the process.
You needed to use a router that is capable of using larger 1/2” shank bits. 1/4” shank bits aren’t strong enough for doing this kind of work.
Yah, but I'm not going out and buying a 1/2" router when I already own the one i used. Not to mention that there is nothing on the internet of anyone using a router to mill out steel, so I wasn't even sure if it was going to work. 1/2" would be ideal, but I think I proved it works just fine if all you have is 1/4". The reason it broke is I was probably getting a little too greedy towards the end once I knew it was going to work and the edge was going to remain sharp and I just used too much force while taking too deep of a cut
Heat treating isn't that difficult
I'm sure it isn't, I'm just not knowledable about it. Basically I don't know enough and I don't want to make it brittle and dangerous
@@BrandonLund I can explain it to you very easily if you would like to do a simple case hardening you can do that with a rosebud on your torch assembly the trick is getting it to the right temperature and then quenching it correctly so quenching it too fast we'll make it too brittle too slow it's not hard enough for that kind of steel 900 degrees is plenty you're looking for a dull red and then quench it have a tub full of I probably go with oil Or Brine (saltwater) so you get it up the temperature and then dunk it that's a good respectable case hardening type of hardening and you don't need anything special to do it but if you're just spending mild steel you built that thing strong enough I'm sure it'll last quite a while the other thing is that you really only need to do the working surfaces you don't have to harden the entire piece an inch up from the working edge would be plenty
Thank you very much for the explanation! This is what I needed. I will probably see how it goes after using it for a while and if it gets too deformed i can now easily put a new edge on it using this process, then I will video the case hardening. Thank you again! 👊
Why not just buy a Swag weld up press kit?
Because building stuff is fun, you gain knowledge and skills, plus myself and the rest of the world would have never known that you can build the punch using a router. I'm still amazed at how well it worked and how well the bit held up considering it was designed for wood! LOL
slick trick with router. congrats on being so foolish to try that - and make it work...
I was amazed how well it went. I tried to research online to see if it would work and there was nothing. It looks like this was a first.
Thought you were nuts trying to put the knife edge with a router but surprised the hell out of me, 👍
Considering the bit is made for wood, It surprised me too! I'm still amazed the bit held its edge.
👍