Automotive and Metalworking Tools From Harbor Freight That Don’t Suck

GearHeads shares his personal Top Ten List of Harbor Freight Tools for Auto Techs/Mechanics that are smoking deals and useful to anyone!

Combination Shear, Finger Brake, Slip Roll Harbor Freight 3 in 1 Machine

From Raybuck Auto Body Parts ~ This machine by Central Machinery (Harbor Freight) has been around for a while, but I finally picked one up for my garage. If you don’t have the room for larger, separate machines, this 3-in-1 does the trick for the home hobbyist. It’s a press brake, shear and slip roll all in one.

It can handle up to 20 gauge steel and 18 gauge aluminum, which should suffice for most light fab projects. The press brake is a finger brake as well, so you can make boxes with it. The slip roll also has three different sized grooves for bending round stock.

One thing that I didn’t go over in the video is the depth stop mechanism that comes with it. There are two round bars and a piece of angle that connects between them. You can attach this to the rear of the machine and use it to set the depth of your cut. This would be helpful if you’re cutting multiple pieces that are the same depth, or if you’re cutting a wider piece and want to make sure that it’s square in the device.

Don’t forget to align and grease the machine prior to use!