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TxDave
Joined: 22 Jul 2006
Posts: 168
Location: Temple, TX
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 Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject: Re: Bending- again... |
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When I started building, a kit was too much for my budget. Scratch building was an affordable option. I found out quickly that a bending brake was a necessity. Here are the main criteria I considered when I designed my brake:
1. inexpensive
2. no welding required
3. worked better than the wooden brakes I found on the Internet
I think I succeeded in meeting these goals. Yeah, it doesn't work like a commercial brake. But, with a little creative thinking you can bend pretty much anything needed to build a Zenith design.
Hundreds of people from all over the world have built a "Dave's Brake". I have shared the plans and taken the time to e-mail advice free of charge for a couple of years now. To me, it is reward enough just knowing that maybe I've helped other builders in pursuit of their dream.
I'm not an engineer...I'm a nurse. While I appreciate any ideas that might improve on the design, I do get tired of reading the nonconstructive criticism of posters on this list who have never even used my brake. If someone comes up with a better brake that meets the same criteria, I'll trash my brake and build yours.
Dave Clay
Temple, TX
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ashontz
Joined: 27 Dec 2006
Posts: 723
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:57 am Post subject: Re: Bending- again... |
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Dave, I wasn't trashing your brake, it's just a different design. Mine is designed around a stretch Zenith design, but I had to add tensioners top and bottom. It's just the nature of the beast. I actually made a brake like yours first, but I wasn't satisfied with what I was seeing as a completed part due to the distance between the tongue and clamp which is due to the pivot point being below and out of the brake bed, and so I backed up and spent a good 4 weeks making a stretch Zenith design, and still had to tweak the new one a lot. I'm just saying that after building both designs, even the one that's designed more like an industrial type brake, there's still a lot of considerations to be taken into account. Bending is not as mundane as it would first appear and I have a new appreciation for that now. I would have loved to have made Larry McFarland's brake, but I didn't have and milling machine at the time to make a lot of those parts, so I tried to design mine per Zenith's design, but was stretched and beefed up, but could still be made with fairly simple hand tools. Your brake is infinitely better than using a house siding bender, and yet people have used house siding benders to make these parts as well. I see this conversation as more of a techinical discussion of what's actually involved in bending, not as some slam session, so don't take it personally. That fact that people here have found ways to bend parts without dropping $8,500 - $10,000 on a bending brake is the real achivement.
| TxDave wrote: | When I started building, a kit was too much for my budget. Scratch building was an affordable option. I found out quickly that a bending brake was a necessity. Here are the main criteria I considered when I designed my brake:
1. inexpensive
2. no welding required
3. worked better than the wooden brakes I found on the Internet
I think I succeeded in meeting these goals. Yeah, it doesn't work like a commercial brake. But, with a little creative thinking you can bend pretty much anything needed to build a Zenith design.
Hundreds of people from all over the world have built a "Dave's Brake". I have shared the plans and taken the time to e-mail advice free of charge for a couple of years now. To me, it is reward enough just knowing that maybe I've helped other builders in pursuit of their dream.
I'm not an engineer...I'm a nurse. While I appreciate any ideas that might improve on the design, I do get tired of reading the nonconstructive criticism of posters on this list who have never even used my brake. If someone comes up with a better brake that meets the same criteria, I'll trash my brake and build yours.
Dave Clay
Temple, TX |
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graeme(at)coletoolcentre.
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 2:55 pm Post subject: Bending- again... |
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Dave
I have built one of you benders and have the bowing of longer pieces.
I have checked everthing and watched this thread and suggestions.
The rivet line as I have on my setup is 1/2 inch from hinge.
I think on the longer heaver bends I am getting flex in the stainless hinge
material opening bend in center.
I am going to try putting double the rivets but much closer to the hinge pin
hopefully reduce flex.
I will let the group know how it went after it is modified.
It is a good cheap bender Dave
if i can get this sorted it will be perfect
Thanks Graemecns
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Jugle
Joined: 04 Aug 2007
Posts: 47
Location: Victoria, Australia
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject: Re: Bending- again... |
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After looking closely at my Dave's brake last night and removing the hinge pin, I discovered what is happening is that the rivets aren't pulling at all. The hinge rolls are bending and coming away from the angle iron base plate. See photo.
The hinge is fine on the bending plate, as the stress is horizontal across the hinge leaf when the plate is rotated up to the bending position, thereby transferring the forces laterally across the rivets.
I'm going to straighten it, then tack weld the hinge at each of the rolls. Then I will bend no heavier than .025 with it. The rest I will farm out or buy the bits from Zenair.
BTW Andy, I'm interested in your extended Zenair brake in case this doesn't work, but I can't find the plans... can you direct me?
Glenn
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Glenn Andressen
601XL- Rudder, Stabiliser parts completed, Wing ribs, nose ribs done, 70% Fuselage parts made. |
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