Metal shops have brakes mounted at different angles with automated braking arms however it is possible to bend sheet metal at home without the use of a brake.
How to bend sheet metal into a cone.
To bend sheet metal in a vice start by marking a line on the metal where you want to bend it.
When working with sheet metal one particularly useful piece of equipment is the brake.
Sheet metal cone calculator.
The curved steel cone calculator from chicago metal rolled products makes it easy to find the precise curved steel cone dimensions you need.
Draw a line onto your sheet metal the same length as you want the slanted edge of your cone to be.
Video showing the processes involved in producing a steel cone.
If your sheet metal is long ask a friend to stabilize the part hanging out from the form blocks so it doesn t affect the bend.
You can find cone calculators online.
Next put your wooden or metal form blocks in the vice and clamp your sheet of metal between the forms.
The most suitable bending method depends on the material plate thickness and the circumference of the small diameter.
You will now have a circle of sheet metal with a cut from one side to the center.
It allows you to determine either the size of raw material needed or the number of gore sections to fit on your available material.
Mark one end of the line pivot and the other end wide step 2 cut a length of string with a loop at one end and the other end held at the pivot mark.
The flat cone templates can be bent either by rolling the plate with a three roller bending machine or by press braking on a power press.
View the cone instructions below to learn how to manually layout the flat pattern for a truncated cone in single or multiple gore sections.
A brake is a device that allows you to bend a piece of sheet metal at a particular angle.
Both methods will be explained below.
Here is one way to make a cone from flat stock.
It a job that requires a little skill and a lot of patience.