KF5002 Steel Bending Brake Sheet Metal Bender ...

Before deciding to purchase this "KASTFORCE KF Steel Bending Brake Sheet Metal Bender 28 Inch", I noted in the Amazon reviews that some people had some issues with it. But those issues, IMHO, seemed manageable. My evaluation was that if I was willing to put in a little time and effort to work through a few possible issues, then the end result would be a good sheet metal brake to add to my shop at a price point that I was comfortable with.

Like others, my unit arrived with two broken knobs, and an improperly threaded handle. But the unit itself was in good condition. I contacted the seller, KASTFORCE, and Nancy from customer service was very helpful in getting replacement knobs and handles sent to me right away, with no need to hassle with returning the original ones (although it took a couple of weeks for the replacements to arrive). While I would have preferred never having to deal with a problem in the first place, I was happy with this customer service interaction.

The brake was mounted to a wooden board, covered in plastic, and then boxed in cardboard. It was also coated in oil to protect the metal from oxidation. Additionally, some of the areas of the tool, such as in and around the threads, bolts, and springs related to the hold-down bar, were a bit gritty. So while I was waiting for the replacement knobs and handles to arrive, I spent some time cleaning and properly lubricating everything, and then applying a coat of T-9 Boeshield for protection.

Once cleaned and properly lubricated, and the replacement handles and knobs in place, the tool was ready for use. So far, I've used it to create a replacement part for my outdoor grill. I used it to make multiple bends of different angles in 25" wide, 0.1" thick aluminum. The tool performed well, and I am very happy with the results. It's also just the right size to clamp to my table saw, which provides it with a nice heavy base when in use.

I can recommend this tool, as long as you have the right expectations up-front. The knobs and handles can be a problem, but customer support will make it right if you do have a problem. (At least that was my experience.) You should also expect to put in some time and effort cleaning and lubricating the tool before its first use. Once these issues are addressed the brake seems to work well and, in my opinion, is a good value for the money. I only wish I could find a good metal shear for a similar price point.

A note about the broken knobs: The problem seems to be a design issue. Since there is no internal stop inside the knob, the knobs can break if they are tightened too firmly and the handle threads are long enough to allow the handle rod to push against the inside far side of the plastic knob. Unfortunately, the factory doesn't seem to have figured this out since mine arrived broken due to this very issue. This problem can be avoided by first threading a nut onto the handle shaft to act as a stop limit so that the knob bottoms out on the nut before breaking. The other way to prevent the problem would be to have better quality control over the handle thread depth, thereby avoiding the problem altogether (a shorter thread acting as a stop limit similar to the added nut).

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I am a steel furniture fabricator in Colorado and my volume has gotten to the point where I need to be more of a production shop than a one-off fab shop. I use a lot of symmetrical Eames era hairpin bends in my pieces. I currently use a manual bender (think harbor freight style, but not from hf) to do most of my bends, but this is time consuming and not so accurate. About 99% of the material being bent is 1/2" cold rolled round, 3/8" cold rolled round, and 1/2" square bar. My current process is: cut material to length, mark center point, align material in bender, make bend, check if the "legs" are even, trim if necessary, jig and weld. I would like the process to be: cut material, slide material against a stop in bender, pull lever, jig and weld. The primary objectives are accuracy and repeatability, but it needs to be affordable. I already have the cylinder and the means to drive it: 2" bore, 10" stroke, 1.125" rod, psi.

My initial design is using double acting hydraulic cylinder to pull the forming die through two adjustable rollers. This allows the material to bend away from the operator and cylinder. I know with the cold rolled steel there will be quite a bit of spring back, so I'm not quite sure how to deal with that yet. Here's a very crude and rough sketch of what I want to do:



I'm looking for some design feedback. If this is a stupid design I'd love to hear why this will never work. Thank you for your time.

Whenever I have a fabrication question and start searching on the internet, most often I seem to find the answer on practicalmachinist.com so I decided it is time to join the forum. Thank you for all the past answers!I am a steel furniture fabricator in Colorado and my volume has gotten to the point where I need to be more of a production shop than a one-off fab shop. I use a lot of symmetrical Eames era hairpin bends in my pieces. I currently use a manual bender (think harbor freight style, but not from hf) to do most of my bends, but this is time consuming and not so accurate. About 99% of the material being bent is 1/2" cold rolled round, 3/8" cold rolled round, and 1/2" square bar. My current process is: cut material to length, mark center point, align material in bender, make bend, check if the "legs" are even, trim if necessary, jig and weld. I would like the process to be: cut material, slide material against a stop in bender, pull lever, jig and weld. The primary objectives are accuracy and repeatability, but it needs to be affordable. I already have the cylinder and the means to drive it: 2" bore, 10" stroke, 1.125" rod, psi.My initial design is using double acting hydraulic cylinder to pull the forming die through two adjustable rollers. This allows the material to bend away from the operator and cylinder. I know with the cold rolled steel there will be quite a bit of spring back, so I'm not quite sure how to deal with that yet. Here's a very crude and rough sketch of what I want to do:I'm looking for some design feedback. If this is a stupid design I'd love to hear why this will never work. Thank you for your time.

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