tools for making your own boxes

[PRNDL]

Does anyone make their own boxes?

I'm wondering what tools would be appropriate for a hobby shop.

Sure, it would be cool to get a combo shear/brake for $400 + $200 shipping, but can this be done with inexpensive tools?

[sawdust]

Harbor Freight has some bending/brakes for less than $50. Some may have had a sheer too, I'm not sure. I went by there the other day and almost bought one for $27, seemed ok for $27. The more you spend the bigger the unit.

Dave

[texasrockguy]

i bought one of the 27 buck harbor freight brakes and it does not do a good job on .080 aluminum. i am saving my pennies for a bigger brake to make chassis with. i have used rivets in the past to make simple chassis with a little creative thinking and it works well enough.
heres one i made from old aluminum shelves.
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/texasrockguy/graham806012.jpg
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/texasrockguy/graham806013.jpg
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/texasrockguy/graham806014.jpg
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/texasrockguy/graham806015.jpg
takes a little doin but it does work.

[billcreller]

I realize this thread is old, but bending chassis with a straight brake (cornice brake) is limited.  I have one, but bending the ends in isn't possible, so I make them separate and rivet them in, or TIG weld them in.
  A box brake is ideal. A box brake has removable sections of various widths.   A friend has one that I use sometimes , if I feel like driving over there to use it.

[loogie]

I have a $50 brake and I've cut fingers out of wood.  It works well for thin alumium.  I haven't tried it on anything about .050.  My brake is basically a hinged hunk of iron with another hunk you clamp on top to fold around.  I was thinking of having this top piece cut into smaller pieces so I could have real fingers.

I've also found that the aluminum solder sticks you can buy at big box hardware stores or from the internet works real well with a Mapp gas torch.

I make amps for friends so I don't know if the chassis could handle the rigors of heavy road duty, but I think if properly constructed the folding, soldering approach would work.