My wife's always complaining that when I want/need a tool I just go
out and buy it . She says it never gives her the opportunity to buy me
something ... so this year I'm giving her a list . Top of the list items
are a benchrest rest for my rifles , and a slip roll . I'm looking at
the benchrests , but I'm not real conversant on slip rolls . I'd like to
roll up to 16ga , max probably 12-18" . A friend had a wider HF unit , I
was less than impressed . Might have been a lemon ... one of my first
projects will be repair parts for my 20+ year old smoker . That'll be
16ga probably 12" wide . Smoked a lot of butts on this rig , can't find
one with steel this thick any more for less than a small fortune .
--
Snag
Men don't protect women because they're weak .
We protect them because they're important .

On 11/6/2023 6:17 PM, Snag wrote:
>   My wife's always complaining that when I want/need a tool I just go
> out and buy it . She says it never gives her the opportunity to buy me
> something ... so this year I'm giving her a list . Top of the list items
> are a benchrest rest for my rifles , and a slip roll . I'm looking at
> the benchrests , but I'm not real conversant on slip rolls . I'd like to
> roll up to 16ga , max probably 12-18" . A friend had a wider HF unit , I
> was less than impressed . Might have been a lemon ... one of my first
> projects will be repair parts for my 20+ year old smoker . That'll be
> 16ga probably 12" wide . Smoked a lot of butts on this rig , can't find
> one with steel this thick any more for less than a small fortune .

I can tell you stainless sheet is a lot harder to bend/form than mild
steel if that makes any difference.

--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

--
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"Snag" wrote in message news:uic36j$mo71$1@dont-email.me...

>A friend had a wider HF unit , I was less than impressed . Might have been
>a lemon ...

I have the 30" Central Machinery model, with some Dayton replacement parts
the previous owner tried before giving up on it. The Dayton manual gives the
adjustment procedures but like welding bandsaw blades, having someone show
and correct you would be better.
https://www.grainger.com/ec/pdf/13W869_1.pdf

With care and attention lemonade is possible. Mine has rolled stainless into
stovepipe. It struggles with its rated maximum thickness but works
reasonably well with thinner stock, such as 0.050" 5052. It's been happy
with bending 22 ga galvy for some under car rust repair, though I cut it
with an 8" Enco scissors shear that should be less trouble to sharpen. I
formed the radii by reversing the die and pressing the proper size of rod
stock into the sheet with its flat edge. Along with the HF spotwelder it's
let me copy some difficult 3D curved shapes such as the intersection with
the inner fender well.

Before I bought it I had a Pexto shear and a finger brake available at work,
plus a 24" "Triok" model of the 3-in-1 that was built properly in Taiwan. If
I had the space I'd own US versions of the separate machines, but I don't
except for a Whitney corner notcher and have learned to manage with the CM,
which will do almost as much, just not as easily. Adjustments are fussy and
don't hold for long, especially on max stock. It helped to have learned how
to adjust the Pexto to cut paper. The CM was definitely an assembled kit
that needed to be cleaned up to work properly. Sheet metal work can be
tricky with a learning curve even with good equipment, it was part of my
machine design apprenticeship plus I learned a lot of it in 7th grade
drafting class. Save the scrap for practice pieces, such as bend allowances.

"Snag" wrote in message news:uic36j$mo71$1@dont-email.me...

one of my first
projects will be repair parts for my 20+ year old smoker . That'll be
16ga probably 12" wide . Smoked a lot of butts on this rig , can't find
one with steel this thick any more for less than a small fortune .

---------------------------------

If you can make replacements their lifespan doesn't matter much compared to
the ease of making them. I get a few years from shop made 22 ga steel heat
shields in my woodstove. It was the top rail and uprights on a scrapped
above ground pool. Acetone removes the paint for spotwelding. When the
plastic sliding gate assembly on the pool owner's seed spreader broke I made
a replacement from his old pool metal.

Water heater shells were good sources of large steel sheets back when the
insulation was fiberglass, but now the foam sticks to the steel.