Sheet Metal Bender

The Family Handyman

Bending sheet metal and flashing into crisp angles is easy with this two-board bending tool designed by reader Wayne Jung. To build one, you need just a couple of short boards, a few screws and access to a table saw. Set the table saw fence far enough away from the blade to slice off a 1/16-in. wide x 2-in. deep notch, then push one board edgewise through the saw to create the whisper-thin notch. Now screw the boards together face to face with the notched edge in the middle, clamp them to a bench, slide the sheet metal into the opening to the desired depth and press down to bend. To bend angles other than 90 degrees, cut the desired angle on the unnotched board edge, then press the metal until it’s flat on the angled edge.