I want to make a sheet metal part using a wooden buck to form it. I have seen many posts with people using a buck to form sheet metal but haven't been able to find anything about making bucks. I searched the board and didn't find anything specific to the construction. I would like to get suggestions from people who made their own. What kind of wood do you use? In the posts I found some of the bucks were made out of press board. How does this hold up? If it works out I want to make numerous pieces using the same buck. What is best to use. I ***ume it's best to reinforce the edges with metal so I can hammer the sheet metal over it. I have attached a drawing similar to the part I want to make. It's not the exact piece I want to make but it has the generic bends I need to make.
"Numerous" copies would mean using hardwood so that it holds up. HDF should hold up fine for a smaller batch.
You can glue up a stack, and use plywood,(or hardwood) for the edges you wish to hammerform. Does it have to have that rolled edge?...
I am not certain that I understand your Post-by "wooden Buck to form Metal", I am hoping that you mean "Wooden Buck to use as a form to check the Metal as I form it" correct? A Buck can look like this: Or, it can look like this: But, generally, it is just used as a guide, not as the way to form (but then there is Hammerforming, but I can't see how that would work in your situation excepting the edges)-it looks like you have a compound curve-correct? You can form that piece many ways, including a stump, English Wheel, making a grid and properly placed hammer blows, shrinker/stretcher, as well as many others-
I made a buck for an aluminum fan shroud with 2x2's for a frame and main part from MDF. Pretty tough stuff but for multiple copies maybe not so much. Easy to form though.
What you really want is a hammerform. A buck is just a wooden "form" that you check your work against, to see if the shape is progressing. For your hammerform, you'd want either a very hard wood, or even aluminum, for making multiple copies. If you do a search for posts, under my name, I did a "how to" on making a splash pan for my 46 Chevy couple with a hammerform. Fournier, and Covell also made a very good video on using hammerforms and bucks, if you want to get into it deeper!
First I want to thank you for all of the input, just what I wanted. I do want to use it to form the piece I want to make. The piece is a fairly simple shape, just a curved piece of sheet metal with the folded edge. I'm thinking of making a reinforced buck type of form. Made of wood but with the edges reinforced with angle iron for the 90° lips and a piece of round stock for the curled lip. I need the curved lip to replicate the part I want to build. I've been doing body work for 20+ years, professionally for about 5 years and on my own projects for the last 15. I have done my share of metal shaping on a minor level. I've hammered smaller pieces with good outcome but this is a bigger than I've tried before so that's why I'm seeking the advice. I've attached an image of what I am thinking I need to built. The drawing doesn't depict the actual form I need to build the piece, just wanted to give an idea of what I am thinking about doing.
Couldn't you use a shrinker stretcher to bend the angled pieces and then a flat piece of sheet metal to follow the curvature of the buck?
I don't have a shrinker. I have a fairly outfitted shop to do basic fabricating, I am not a fabricator by trade but am pretty handy of doing with what tools I have. I wish I could afford to equip my shop with all of the metal working tools but I just afford it. I also want to make this part with the least amount of individual parts. If I can hammer over the edges to the shape I need there'll be less seams to weld or separate and for moisture to get into. My main occupation is not related at all to the auto body or repair sector but I've been into the old truck hobby for many years. Right now business is slow, which everyone can relate to, and since I have more time than money I'm hoping to make this part and hopefully make a few bucks until business picks up again. There are a couple of other parts that I know no one makes but know there is a demand for and I want to try to see if I can make them.
you won't be able to make this with a hammerform. you'd need a shrinker for the right side curved edge, and I don't know how you'd make the rolled edge with that curve.
Bob I have a shrinker, stretcher so if you lay out what you want you can mail it to me ,I'll do the work for free...
oh.. I see you will make the rolled lip from tubing. if you have no shrinker you could make that using the form you show above, but you would need to make a matching form to fit it and put your sheetmetal in between clamping the two together. I'd do it out of solid wood, either glued up or from a big solid piece if you have it. I'm thinking you'd need a band saw to make the form with.
You might want to check out Ron Covell's DVD "Scratch Building a Fender" He goes into depth on building a wood buck. www.covell.biz
I looked at the drawing again and realized I don't need to make the roll as strong as I had drawn. It's less than 180°. I know this probably doesn't make much difference but I thought I'd post it.
To make a hammerform work it needs to be two pieces, one like you've shown and another to clamp the metal your forming to the first piece, picture a sandwich with 2 pieces of wood with the metal between. On the piece your doing you would have to be creative with the clamping method but it's doable. The round rod would work attached to the side of the form for the rolled edge but you got to figure in how to get it out once your done, possablly leaving one end straight so you could slide it off. The radious would have to be consistant for that to work however. Hammerforms are great tools for making one off, I make/use them all the time. Like someone else mentioned a vidio (or Fourniers book, very usefull to have) might really help you grasp the comcept.
Hey, I don't think a hammer form is gonna get you where you want to be with this piece! The only shrinking is in the area of the joggle, the rest are jus' 90 degree bends, cept the swage end ,that could be formed over round stock. The basic shape is just a slip roll form, or crowned on the bench top to a cardboard templet. A guy can get a **** load of time wrapped up in building bucks and hammerforms, but it's tough to get that time back, money- wise, unless you build and sell a slew of the parts produced. A set of basic templets, cut from Masonite, will give you every shape you'll need to build several of these to the same shape. S****ey Devils C.C. " Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of comp***ion! "
I think you can still do it with the hammerform, at least the basic shape. I didn't see the rolled edge of it, but you can add that later, after completing the rest of the shape on the form. You would just have to create a "dolly" out of some solid rod and a piece of strap, to work the rolled edge onto the piece in the end. I have something similar I made to hammer the rolled edges of old fenders. And as metalman said, the form really needs to be 2 pieces, trapping the metal in between.
Holy **** hotrod-linkin, that is not a casual hammerform! Let me know if you decide to do something ambitious, say a boeing 747 or a naval frigate i want to see that! Got a bit side tracked bob, do you want to make this piece from a single section of metal or can you make the rolled edge a seperate piece that can be joined? It is that little piece of the puzzle that will require the lions share of effort and if it can be made independantly you will reduce the misery factor considerably.
Hey hotrod-Linkin, That body buck looks like a dead ringer for the one built by Italian coachbuilder Pietro Frua for the one-off Rolls Royce Phantom VI, Design # 869-870. Ordered in 1971, and completed in 1973. Is that one in the same body buck? S****ey Devils C.C. " Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Comp***ion! "
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