LAKE ALMA, Sask. – Like most farmers, Wayne Hagen has a shop in his yard for fixing and building things. Unlike many shops however, many of Hagen’s tools are homemade.
Hagen runs a fabrication and manufacturing sideline on his farm and ranch near Lake Alma.
The first machine he designed and built was a four foot brake and shear combination.
“It will shear a full four feet of 10 gauge, which is 1/8 inch thick, it will break or bend a full four foot sheet of 14 gauge, which is 1/16 inch and it will break about 20 inches of 10 gauge,” Hagen said.
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“It uses two, four inch by eight inch stroke hydraulic rams, just standard implement rams. The shearing is done by a scissor action, from the left side down. It cuts halfway, then once that ram is down all the way, you pull the right side down to finish the cut.”
To shear metal it needs to be held down to prevent tipping. He designed an automatic hold down that’s operated by a linkage system on the bottom of the hydraulic cylinders.
“When there’s resistance against the blade, the hold down is activated and it will hold as long as the blade is cutting against metal. When it’s finished its cut, the hold down automatically pops back up and releases the metal.”
To change to the brake action from the shear, Hagen readjusts the hydraulic system.
“The shearing is on the down stroke and the braking is on the up stroke. There’s no tooling change from shear to brake. It’s just adjusting the hydraulics.”
A small press on the end of the tool can bend heavier metal.
Hagen can use different dies to bend metal, flatten pipe, make brackets or do other press work.
He said the brake, shear, press combination tool is handy for all sheet metal fabricating.
He has used it to build fuel tanks, steel truck box sides, panels for stock trailers, autobody work and combine sheet metal repairs.
Because the tool weighs close to 800 pounds, he has it on heavy steel castors so he can roll it around in the shop. He can also take it to the field.
“I’ve used it in remote locations. I put it in the back of the truck, haul it to the location with the power pack and do the work on site.”
Hagen’s bar shear is similar to a sheet metal shear, but it handles heavier material.
“This will shear half inch bar about five inch wide and it will shear about 15 inch wide, quarter inch plate. It saves a lot of work on chop saws and band saws. It’s a lot faster for cutting flat bar and heavy sheet metal.”
The machine cuts like a scissor, from one side, as the ram pulls down. Because it is foot operated, his hands are free.
When working with square and round tubing, Hagen uses a light wall tubing bender.
“It’ll bend two inch, 100 wall square tubing up to 90 degrees, and two inch light wall pipe. I can also bend some smaller shafting and flat iron with that, too.”
A different tool, called a tube roller, is used to roll lighter walled square tubing and other materials.
“I can roll light walled square tubing or round pipe, flat iron on flat or on edge, angle iron two different directions for making packer wheel recaps. I can roll flat angle iron with the flange out.”
Hagen said this unit is not used often but it’s handy when needed for a special fabrication.
The fifth piece of fabricating equipment Hagen designed is a hydraulic punch.
“The punch has a throat of 12 inches and it will punch a half inch hole in a half inch flat bar, or a one inch hole in quarter inch plate. You can get different punch sets for those. You can punch oblong or square holes, whatever sizes and sets of dies you can put in.”
The five tools are operated by a two horsepower hydraulic power pack that runs off 110 volt power.
“All the machines I’ve got are open centre hydraulics. I’ve got quick couplers that I can add or take away a machine just by uncoupling it,” he said.
The machines all operate off the same pump so he can click the switch and operate any of the machines.
Hagen has built more than a dozen of the brake and shear units, but he doesn’t build many any more because there’s a lot of drilling and heavy work. He has the plans if anyone wants to buy them.
He also sells plans for other tools he has made for autobody work, including English wheels for sheet metal contouring, air planishing hammers, bead rollers for sheet metal, plus a frame straightener for cars and light trucks.
To contact Hagen, call 306-447-4721 or e-mail whagen@sasktel.net.
