At 11:02 PM 9/16/2003 -0400, Steven Trovato wrote:
>I am wondering... how does one bend steel? Oh, sure, I know about the
>techniques used for sheet metal. Everything from the English wheel to
>sheet metal brakes to hammers and dollies. I'm talking about heavier
>stuff. Suppose one wants to fabricate a plow blade, a heavy equipment
>bucket or who knows what else. I'm sure the biggest factories have giant
>presses and machinery for these operations. The question is, are there
>techniques for doing these operations in the small shop environment? Or
>do I have to limit my imagination to stuff I can build from flat pieces
>welded together?
When I was learning to weld at the local community college a couple of guys
were using big torch tips and large bottles
to cut anvil blanks out of 1 foot thick plate. I also saw them use a
portable forge with a propane bottle about 5 feet tall to
heat and bend a piece of 2 inch square steel bar. One of the guys who made
an anvil is on this list. Maybe he'll comment.
Steve Shipley
Seattle, WA
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