Typical David Gingery book and project, but one of the simplest. Built this 15" capacity sheet metal "leaf" brake over a weekend. Using this plan it can be built from smaller than 15" to up to 30" or even more if you beef-up on the materials (use heavier iron). With a little careful thought you can modify it to suit your needs. This one I built works very well and am very happy with the results.

Gingery is a man of very few words, but everthing you need to know is there, but you must read carefully. He does not elaborate or make a big deal of some of the most important aspects of a project. Miss of miss-read a line or paragraph you got problems. Do exactly as he says and the project will work out fine.

Of course he assumes you have some skill or at least some of the inate talent many men and some women are born with. In my day it was called mechaical ability. You are born with it or not, it can not be learned. If you have the talent, you can learn how it improve and expand on it, but not how to get the talent itself. I knew a guy who you can hand him a hammer and a nail and he can't for the life of him figure out what to do with then or how they work. But give him numbers, do you taxes and he is a wizkid. And of course you have or have access to some basic tools, and a welder.