What bender/break to buy?

My dad's looking for a bender or break to do 3/16" flat stock. We need something semi-compact and not too expensive, what do you guys recommend?
We're just needing 90* bends on 2.5" wide stock mostly

Recommendations?

 

I have a manual No. 2 Hossfeld for sale that will bend that stuff. I also have dies for bending flat bars.

Same stuff as these pics I gleaned off of eBay.

 

Johnny, do those do tight 90* bends?

 

You might take a look at Williams Low Buck Tool plate brake:

http://www.lowbucktools.com/platebrake.html

I've had one of these for years and it works okay. You just have to realize that it isn't a 500 lb tool.

 

How many bends are you doing? You could make a 90 die set for your press.... make it any width you need...Jason

 

I've been thinking of making a bottle jack press with 90* and 45* dies, maybe I'll try and make one for tech week...

 

Yep.. works slick.. dies are quick to make and you are only limited by the width of your press frame....Jason

 

Do you have any pictures or sketches of what the dies look like? I'd be interested in this.

 

I can get pics in the morning...Jason.

 

Can you use angle iron and just cut it with a band saw to size?

 

This looks like the way to go for now,

Can It do two 90* bends within an inch of eachother?

 

...a vise and a BFH...maybe a torch if you want a tighter 90 degree corner.

 

As for the bender, I can speak from experience... Just spend the $300 and get a JD2 bender... www.jd2.com You will regret using a bottle jack and some dies because you will get all kinds of kinks in there, and the bends are SLOPPY, unless you run sand in the tube. The JD2 or the protools is the only way to go. You can find these used all day long online on ebay, or craigslist.

Dima

 

Read his post.....He is bending flat plate steel.... If you want a bender, shine the JD2 and buy a full power Mitler Bros with all the die sets..no need for sand,it is mobile, and bends 1/8 wall like butter....F'n nebies that don't read the previous posts....Jason