Yes, Harbor Freight Has Metal Brakes (And Here's What Size Sheets They Can Bend)

Harbor Freight has a long history as a retailer of budget-friendly tools suitable for the DIY hobbyist workshop, in addition to some otherwise unexpected Harbor Freight items. Anyone interested in leveling up their home DIY sheet metal shop will be interested in Harbor Freight's line of metal brakes.

Harbor Freight's lineup of Central Machinery brand metal brakes, one of the many brands owned by Harbor Freight, includes three models capable of bending sheet metal ranging from 30 to 36 inches. The least expensive option is the "30-inch Mountable Bending Brake," priced at $69.99. The mid-range "36-inch Bending Brake with Stand" carries a $299.99 price tag, and the $599.99 "30-inch 3-in-1 Shear, Press Brake, and Slip Roll" offers the most functionality.

Customer ratings for the lower-priced Harbor Freight metal brakes hover around 4.2 stars, with users praising the simple machines' ability to make precise bends in a variety of sheet metal types and thicknesses. Ratings for the more expensive and complex machine fall to 3.9 stars, due, in part, to the machine's various functions introducing more failure points.

While Harbor Freight metal brakes cannot compete with larger, industrial quality machines, they can be used to produce precise bends for your DIY sheet metal projects. Harbor Freight advertises the Central Machinery 30-inch mountable brake as "a quality tool for working on furnace ductwork, shutters, auto body projects, and more." The portable machine measures 34.5 inches by six inches, stands just under three inches tall, and has a shipping weight of 30.25 pounds. It can make up to 90-degree bends in 18-gauge aluminum or 20-gauge steel sheets up to 30 inches wide.

The Central Machinery 36-inch brake with the included stand is 24 inches tall, 43.6 inches long, 33.1 inches wide, and weighs 145 pounds when unboxed. The adjustable press plate allows "sharp or rounded bends up to 0-120 degrees." While the 36-inch brake can handle 36-inch wide materials up to 16-gauge aluminum, 20-gauge mild steel, and 22-gauge stainless steel, thicker materials require reducing the width to limit stress on the machine.

Despite its lower review score, the Central Machinery 30-inch 3-in-1 sheet metal tool is worthy of consideration. Having the ability to shear and bend up to 20-gauge mild steel 30 inches wide with one 42.5-by-33-inch machine standing 26.5 inches tall makes it a powerful addition to your home DIY shop. The slip roll feature can form cylindrical shapes, cones, and wire loops. However, at 300 pounds, we'd recommend having some help when moving it.

The ratings for Harbor Freight metal brakes are based primarily on user experiences with the equipment as it comes out of the box. Some of the most common complaints about the Central Machinery metal brakes concern the lack of rigidity in their clamping systems, but they're easily improved with a few simple modifications. While most of these modifications require a welder, you can find welders at Harbor Freight.

Redditor milman66 addressed that issue on the least expensive Harbor Freight metal brake by welding a piece of 2-inch by ¼-inch angle iron to the top and reinforcing that with some fabricated rebar. On the same thread, tibs101 says they'll add that modification to their metal brake in the future, but for now, they "use C-clamps from the back side" to make the unit more rigid.

An issue with the 36-inch Central Machinery metal brake is that the metal lip on the bending mechanism can slip underneath thicker gauge sheet metal instead of bending it. Ozark Mountain Garage details a solution for that in a video posted to YouTube. The solution involves welding a thick piece of angle iron onto the machine to extend the bending lip another three inches to fully support the material.

Mad Ginger Customs took the modifications further in a YouTube video showing the rebuild of a dilapidated 36-inch Harbor Freight metal brake. In addition to extending the bending shelf, they added bracing between the brake's feet and an extension to the bending arm's bracing that doubles as a better handle for bending.