On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 01:06:13 GMT, "Mike Young"
wrote:

Should maybe think about getting a shear and
press brake for this kind of work. It's a simple job if you have the tools
for it.

Those tools take a lot of floor space -- nice if you have the space.

I use a throatless shear. Mine is a Beverly B-2 but I see that HF has
a knockoff for about $79. They don't automatically cut a straight
line like a stomp shear does, but it is possible to cut along a line
quite accurately with a little care. Gentle curves are also
possible. 30 seconds with a sanding disc in a diegrinder cleans up
the edge to "tits".

My shear cuts 16 gage steel like it was paper. 14 gage is no problem
and it'll do 11 gage. It also does 24 gage well. I've even cut 50
feet of chicken wire with it -- keeps the sharp edges away from my
hands. It's "footprint" on the bench is about 5" x 6". It's easy to
take outside and clamp to a trailer or a board in the bed of a truck.
That was useful for cutting semi-disk fender walls out of 16-gage
steel that I then welded to the inside lips of the trailer fenders
to keep mud on the road and off the load.