The box and pan brake is a genderal purpose tool for making bends in sheet metal. It is 48" wide and can be used to bendup to 16ga. mild steel, 20ga. stainless, and 1/8" aluminum.
A membership or day pass is required to access the Metal Shop.
The box and pan brake is not currently covered within a Shop Safety class at Open Works. Members and day pass users must check in with a Community Technician to be trained on the box and pan brake.
The box and pan brake does not require a machine reservation and is available on a first-come first-serve basis.
Short workpieces should be bent in the center of the brake. This equalizes strain on the machine. Never force the clamps down.
¶ Acceptable Materials:
16ga. and under Mild steel
20ga. and under stainless steel
1/8" and under Aluminum
¶ Forbidden Materials:
over 20ga. stainless steel
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
Sturdy, close-toed shoes must be worn at all times.
Long hair, jewelry, and loose clothing must be tied back.
Safety glasses are recommended.
For more information on shop safety visit Metal Shop under "Safety."
Mark your material and know the angle of the bend you want.
Setting the fingers
The fingers can be removed and repositioned on the holddown assembly by moving the clamp handles fully to the rear and loosening the finger clamp screws. Reposition the fingers to assemble the desired width and secure the fingers to the holddown by tightening the finger clamp screws. Be certain that the tops of the fingers are flush and parallel with the milled edge on the holddown and that the finger clamps are parallel with the bottom edge of the holddown. As a general rule, use the wider fingers first and fill in with the narrower fingers. Small gaps between the fingers may be left with no adverse effect to the work piece. The maximum depth of the box or pan, which can be bent, is four inches.
Set maximum angle or Set stop for repeat bends
Adjust the collar on the guide rod on the back right of the machine to set the maximum angle. The stop collar is secured in place with a setscrew.
The maximum degree of bend is approximately 140 degrees. Due to the ”spring back” in various materials some overbending may be required to get the desired bend angle.
For 16 to 20 gauge materials allow a clearance equal to twice the thickness of the material being worked.
For lighter gauges, allow a clearance equal to one and one half times the thickness of the material.
A larger bend radius can be accomplished by increasing the clearance.
All machine maintenance pages are only accessible to Staff. All machine maintenance is only to be done by Staff.
Straighten the angle stop out
The counterweight on this brake can be adjusted to balance the apron for ease of operation. Loosen the setscrews and raise or lower the counterweight to achieve the desired degree of balance. Be certain to retighten the setscrews thus securing the counterweight in place.
The holddown assembly should be moved back on the end where the overbending occurs by slightly unclamping the clamp handle, loosening the bracket lock screw and turning the adjusting bracket screw. When the correction is made retighten the bracket lock screw. When your brake was assembled at the factory it was adjusted for proper operation. Due to handling and repositioning, the brake may require adjustment and alignment. Read the adjustment and operating instructions completely before making any adjustments. Operate the brake and bend some material first before attempting any major adjustments.
The clamp block on the base of the brake should be straight. This is the reference point for all of the other alignment operations in adjusting the brake. Raise or lower the center of the brake by adjusting the center truss rods.
NOTE: Your brake has four truss rods, which facilitate adjustment of the brake’s three primary weldments. The holddown has two truss rods bracing the top and rear of the weldment. Adjustments are accomplished through rotation of the nut located on the studs mounted perpendicular to the weldments.
The forward edge of the fingers on the holddown assembly should be even and parallel to the edge of the clamp block on the base. Release any clamping pressure on the holddown assembly by pushing the clamp handles slightly to the rear. Loosen the bracket lock screws at each end of the holddown assembly and turn the adjustment bracket nuts to move the forward edge of the fingers to the forward edge of the clamp block. Check to see that the forward edge of the fingers are flush with the edge of the clamp block on the base along the entire length of the brake. The central portion of the holddown assembly can be adjusted forward/backward and up or down via truss rod adjustment.
All troubleshooting pages are only accessible to Staff. All troubleshooting is only to be done by Staff.
Instructions adapted from TK 1648 Box & Pan Brake manual.