Huge Diamond-Plated Form? Brake?

[findesiecle5]

We recently bought an old building and found this in the garage. Thought it might be an old steel-bending brake, but not sure.
It's 14' 8''. Any leads would be greatly appreciated!

Here are some shots:

http://tinypic.com/r/2j0dr2w/9

http://tinypic.com/r/2ibci11/9

http://tinypic.com/r/mt3vib/9

[toolman]

Hello: I cannot envision a bending brake from these photos? It looks more like a heavy mold, or possible liquid tank for some solution? What was this building used for, prior to you purchasing it?

[findesiecle5]

Hey thanks for the response. It used to be a heating/cooling shop and before that, auto/garage shop.

[toolman]

Since it is most likely a custom fabricated piece of equipment, it will be hard to find it's purpose. Have you contacted either the previous owner, or a previous worker, to ask him or her what they used it for? Or, did you contact your realtor, to see if it was listed in the building contents of the sale? Just my thoughts!....... Stick around, as someone else here at Tool Talk, may have have an answer for you, and Good Luck.

[Bill Houghton]

If it's a brake, it's a darned awkward one.  My son's got a home-made brake that wouldn't obviously be one; so it could be.  Try putting some sheet metal in it, and see what happens.

[toolman]

Bill, Where is the hold down plate, and hinged bending arm? I'm not seeing it, are you?

Where would you suggest he, or she puts the metal to be bended?

[Bill Houghton]

Don't know; it was hard to figure out the machine from the photos.  Some closeups might help.

[Yadda]

What is the granular material?

[findesiecle5]

Here are some more shots. Thanks for the responses. The former owners were heating/cooling and it also seemed to be an auto garage or shop of some sort.

http://tinypic.com/r/6rk18z/9

http://tinypic.com/r/2s5zeic/9

http://tinypic.com/r/f1xrmp/9

[toolman]

With your new set of photos added, it is looking more and more like a possible bending brake "hold down" should. I now see the gap, showing it does open, and what looks like 1 inch acme all thread screw hold downs, with wing nuts, that could clamp it down flat. The only thing missing is the bending plate itself, which may have been a couple of pieces of angle iron clamped together. Or, maybe the bending plate, (with piano hinge), was also set into this huge hold down clamp, and sandwiched together with the metal to be bent?. A bending brake requires a solid and true edge hold down, and a straight flat plate to force the work to bend. Did you find anything like that laying around? PS: I have never seen a brake with a separate bending plate before, but i have also never seen a brake 14 ft. long either, so who knows!

[Bill Houghton]

Heating and cooling...they might have been making long runs of light-gauge metal forms, ductwork and the like.  Bending 32 or even 28 gauge metal requires much less grunt than bending 16 gauge, so a funky light duty device could work that would balk at heavier gauges.

[toolman]

I agree Bill! Once you get the initial crease made in the light metal, your halfway home, as you probably already know. So, my final answer/guess, knowing what i know, and seeing what i see, i would say Yes, It Could very Well be the remains, of a home made, sheet metal bending brake.

[Mac53]

Is that an insulated pipe running the length of it? Could it be to heat it? Makes me think some sort of seal-er for plastic sheets or something...