SWAG Off-Road Finger Brake Kit Build

Photos of the process.

#1 All the kit pieces. The gooseneck finger sections in the lower left are tied together like the plastic model airplane kits of middle school -- they're all connected by a central spar system. There are four six-piece inter-connected assemblies.

First, it's just separate the individual gooseneck finger pieces with a cut-off disk on an angle grinder. Then, it's an effort to remove the spar connections and flap-disk the nub smooth.

#2 20 ton press brake pieces on the left and the thin-guage top die on the right.

#3 Here's the main points of the 20 ton press brake finger dies. The sections allow for bending at interrupted intervals. With the various sizes, all kinds of configurations are possible.

#4 The included cast arbor plates for the HF press are black and stacked. The SWAG Off-Road plates are in the foreground.

FYI, the cast plates are known to shatter under load. Shrapnel at 20 tons causes a lot of collateral damage. Needless to say, SWAG does a brisk business of the 1.5" rolled steel arbor plates.

#5 The gooseneck dies cut and flap-disked from their laser-cut spar-delivered configuration.

#6 20 ton bottom die channel with the guide cylinders plug-welded to the lower die.

#7 The whole shootin' match welded and awaiting a test crunch on a piece of scrap.

#8 The 1.5" steel arbor plates supporting the SWAG Off-Road finger press brake. The arbor plates and press brake are nearly five times the cost of the orange press itself.

#9 The backside of the 20 ton press brake with a material stop/guide in place.

#10 Now, to weld up the gooseneck dies to usable blocks.

#11 This is a section of 3/8" steel bent at a 90 degree angle in the 20 ton finger press brake after all the welding.

Nice!

#12 Here's the individual gooseneck dies welded together to form the various single-piece sections.

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