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| You can make one of these light-weight, small footprint
brakes without a lot of effort. They're handy for installing exterior
trim on columns and small projects, and for bending step-flashings, etc. |
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| I've made a few of these. The first one's weren't nearly
as effective. Piano hinges work well for attaching the lid (the
lid has the handle on it). In the illustration below, I've shown a piano
hinge securing the lever to the base, too (the lever is the front
board, that you lift for bending metal), but a pair of butt hinges works
just as well (see photos below). By removing the pins from the butt hinges,
the front lever can disconnected, which makes it easier to store this
otherwise awkward contraption. |
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| Mike Guertin suggested I add a metal blade to the brake.
I did that recently, and it improved the sharpness of the bend, and the
bite of the lid: now, with the lid clamped down, the stock doesn't slide
back. |
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| Most of the metal I install needs a drip edge, which I
bend first. I drew a line on the base, about 1/4 in. from the blade, so
it's faster to line up the metal. |
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| Home-made brakes aren't nearly as strong or durable as
a full-size metal brake. Bending the small 1/4 in. drip edge puts more
pressure on the brake because there's less leverage. I clamp the lid down
with the toggle clamps, but I also hold one hand on the handle and press
down on the metal to stop it from sliding back under the lid. |
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| The metal blade is fastened with three screws, in slightly
elongated holes, so the blade can be adjusted tight against the base,
just in case the lid isn't perfectly flat. |
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| I draw a line on the face of the lever, too, so it's easy
to line up the stock for the second bend. |
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| Be sure to sand the back of the lever smooth, so the drip
edge will slide up as you lift the lever and bend the metal. |
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| Without a brake, a carpenter can't install proper flashings.
Stock lengths of L-metal, purchased from a lumberyard, are never exactly
the size you need on a jobsite. Instead of giving up and using caulking
rather than flashing, take a few minutes to build a brake and your exterior
trim will last decades longer. |
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