Slip roll/ shear/brake thingie. Anyone have experience with

[Mad Matt]

A slip roll and a brake would be very helpfull for me. The shear would be handy too for CoP kits. Anyone ever used one of these things. They're rated for 18ga. At least all the ones I've seen are. Think I can push it to 16ga for the brake and the rolls. What about 10ga t-6.

If you don't know what I'm talking about here's an e-bay auction for one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/40-CAPACITY-SHEAR-P ... dZViewItem

Would I be better just getting all the individual tools and get heavier ones. don't really need the shear it'd just be handy.

[Mad Matt]

Ok was just looking at brakes and they're really cheap. So really I'd be better off spending that money to get a decent slip roll. Would still like to hear other people's thoughts on the matter.

[Jeff W]

Save your money and get a roller with three, 3" dia rolls if you are doing 6061 t6 thicker than .07". I got one a few years ago for a few hundred usd.
The 3 in 1 combos are good for light gauges .063 and thinner. I think that it will be more frustration than it is worth.
Hope this helps
Jeff
p.s. Brakes are easy to build if you weld. Rollers are tougher.

[btmcrae]

Mad Matt: this might be one of those "buyer beware" e-bay instances. That Brakes combo machine machine looks amazingly similar to this one here:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5907

It might actually be this one instead:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=43353

Maybe the seller put up the wrong pic; maybe not. The specs do match the larger machine though precisely, so perhaps its ok.

[Konstantin the Red]

Thicker-gauge sheet metal can be rolled in this roller so long as it is substantially smaller than full width. Roll the thicker stuff near the sliproller's edge where the rollers are better supported, not in the middle of the rollers.

I'd be wary of trying to shear thicker sheet, though.

Bending round stock in the grooves provided will be easy and precise.