5 Minute “L” Brackets Using an Iron Worker

I’m building a thickness sander and it turns out that I needed to install some “L” brackets to hold the thing together a little bit better.

I was thinking of going to Home  Depot and getting  some Stanly “L” brackets,   They were going to cost about $75 for as many as I needed.

I decided that since I had just taken a course on using an “Iron Worker”, I should try to save some money and time.  The Home Depot is about 3 minutes from TechShop, but you can never find exactly what you need quickly.  There were a couple of extra pieces of 3” Angle Iron that is 1/8” thick in the scrap bin.  I figured if I could punch holes in it quickly, I could save some money and time.

Step 1: The Iron Worker Cuts Like Butter - Watch One of the Videos

I needed to reinforce the sides of my project with large angle brackets.

The Iron Worker is a 55 ton hydraulic press that goes through steel like it is butter.  This think that this is one of the coolest tools that they have at TechShop.  This thing shears, punches, and bends steel in an amazing fashion!

Click here to see the Iron Worker shear 1/8" metal

Click here to see the Iron Worker punch 1/8" metal

Click here to see the Iron Worker bend a bracket

After I cut the angle iron to length, I then placed “X”s using a sharpie and had twenty 5/16” holes punched in less than 5 minutes.  Watch the videos, words to not so this machine justice!

Step 2: Powder Coat to Make It Look Nice

I decided to powder coat the angle brackets so that they would not rust. To see how to powder coat, click here.

I saved over $75 by using scrap steel and the Iron Worker to make really heavy duty brackets. 

I made it at TechShop!