• Metal fabricators created this car's curves from flat stock using sheet-bending tools.Blue Baby image by waynocook from Fotolia.com
  
  Machinists, hot rod fabricators, sculptors and construction professionals working with metal rely on specialized tools to create edges, corners and curves. Sheet-bending tools swiftly produce accurate angles and consistent bends with minimum effort. These tools accommodate every project and budget---they range from machines that handle large sheets to hand tools that perform intricate work on small pieces. Whether you're installing air-conditioning duct work or sculpting a sheet-metal masterpiece for fun, become familiar with the types of sheet-bending tools and choose the tool that suits the scope and character of your project.
  
  

Bending Brake

• The bending brake is a manually operated tool. The bending brake features two plates, one stationary and one fixed, between which metal is placed and pressed. Calibration knobs allow the operator to adjust the radius of the bend, and once those are set, a lever is pulled to compress the plates and bend the sheet between. Bending brakes are large, usually standing 3 to 5 feet tall or mounted onto benches or tables.
  
  

Wheeling Machine

• The wheeling machine, also called the English wheel, bends small portions of metal sheets to create angles, ridges and humps. The wheeling machine consists of two wheels, one attached to a stationary base and the other suspended from an arm that hangs above the base. The wheel hanging from the arm rests precisely above the wheel attached to the base, and one or both of the wheels may be adjusted until their edges touch. The machine’s operator creates bends and ridges by repeatedly running a sheet between the two wheels.
  
  

Slip Roller

• The slip roller bends sheets of metal into cylindrical or tubular shapes, especially during duct-work fabrication. Like a pasta machine, the slip roller features two rolling pins between which material is pressed. The slip roller’s operator spins the rollers by turning a crank. As the operator turns the crank, he feeds a sheet through the pins, and the sheet curls as it's pressed between the pins. Successive runs through the pins curl the sheet until it's bent into a cylinder.
  
  

Seamer

• The seamer is a scissor-like hand tool used by HVAC professionals. The seamer features two straight, hinged handles. Two flat plates rest at the end of the handles, and as the tool’s operator presses the handles together, the plates compress and grip sheet materials. By gripping and twisting with seamers, HVAC professionals can create rough bends on-site.