PopSci Hobby Desk

During the course of making one of my ship models, I had to make a number of deck beams.These are items that are curved to match the "camber" of the deck.

Generally supplied on the plans. The curvature, that is.

They are usually fairly thick and so are difficult to bend. Therefore, I elected to cut my beams out of the solid. In this case, the beams are 5 mm by 5 mm (.19685" by .19685").

To do this, I took a piece of Vega (Carpenter) Air Hardening Tool Steel that is .125" thick

by 1.500" wide and the length was left longer for development.

The curvature was made by placing the part in a "slip roll" *

* ( a slip roll is a sheet metal machine for curving sheet material.)

It works by having three rollers. The space between the driving rollers is adjustable.The third roller forms the bend depending on how it is set. There is a block with radii on it for the setting. Due to "spring back", it is necessary to experiment with a scrap piece until you get where you want to be. After the bending, I milled a central slot of 5 mm (. 19685") through the .125" by 4 7/8" long.

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Deck Beam Vise (1 of 2)		Printable Version of Instructions
		During the course of making one of my ship models, I had to make a number of deck beams.These are items that are curved to match the "camber" of the deck. Generally supplied on the plans. The curvature, that is. They are usually fairly thick and so are difficult to bend. Therefore, I elected to cut my beams out of the solid. In this case, the beams are 5 mm by 5 mm (.19685" by .19685"). To do this, I took a piece of Vega (Carpenter) Air Hardening Tool Steel that is .125" thick by 1.500" wide and the length was left longer for development. The curvature was made by placing the part in a "slip roll" * * ( a slip roll is a sheet metal machine for curving sheet material.) It works by having three rollers. The space between the driving rollers is adjustable.The third roller forms the bend depending on how it is set. There is a block with radii on it for the setting. Due to "spring back", it is necessary to experiment with a scrap piece until you get where you want to be. After the bending, I milled a central slot of 5 mm (. 19685") through the .125" by 4 7/8" long. (more->Click Next below)