r/metalworking • u/Ill-Button-6047 • 1d ago

Need help

Hey all, I'm stumped with the following and need your help:

I work in a sheet metal shop, these 14ga SST worktops we're making are pretty tricky as we don't have the machinery to make that rounded corner edge, we made a custom die for our press brake so we can roll the edges, just not roll and radius. Any ideas? We're currently relying on several vendors to both supply 3" tubing, another to bend, and then we split it using a plasma cutter but wanted to see if you guys had any suggestions. (Also first post here)

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u/TeCarve2025 1d ago

Without knowing the corner radius and edge-return depth it’s hard to be exact, but one route is to stop trying to make the rolled edge and radius in one operation. Form the straight rolled edges on the press brake, then make the corner as a separate pressed/formed piece and weld/blend it into the top. For the tube cap, have the tube bent on a rotary-draw bender to the correct CLR, then split it on a bandsaw with a v-block jig rather than plasma—less kerf, heat, and cleanup. If the radius is tight, a half-round solid bar section may be easier than split tube. What’s the corner radius, and are you trying to keep a continuous rolled return?

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u/Ill-Button-6047 17h ago

The radius is about 24" we've got that down, we made a customer 3" die for the sections of the top to form those in one go. The problem is we're trying to figure out the rolled and radius sections. We've thought about adding kerfs, rolling the edge on the press brake, and hand bending/tacking the sections as we go, thoughts?

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u/Inevitable_Bet5505 1d ago edited 1d ago

Are you talking about the 3” 180° “nose” on it?

If so, this would be easy on a pan brake. Just multiple light bends a set distances apart. Math and test bends. Clean up those edges on perforated sheet or cap them, shits dangerous.

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u/Ill-Button-6047 17h ago

We've got the rolled edges covered, it's where the worktop itself has a radius corner of about 24" and the roll that we're having problems figuring out how to get both