Alright, let me tell you about this thing I worked on, just called it project m-90 in my notes. It wasn’t anything too fancy, just something I needed to sort out in the workshop.
Starting the m-90 Job
So, I had this old metal bracket lying around. The angle on it was all wrong for what I needed next. Looked like maybe 80 degrees? Needed a solid 90 degrees, a right angle, you know. Figured I could just bend it into shape myself instead of buying a new one. Waste not, want not, right?
Getting Things Ready
First things first, I gathered my tools. Didn’t need much:
- A sturdy workbench vise.
- My trusty engineer’s square – the one that’s definitely 90 degrees.
- A permanent marker.
- A heavy hammer, just in case.
- A metal file.
Cleaned off a bit of workbench space so I wouldn’t be tripping over stuff.
The Actual Work
Okay, so I took the bracket and clamped it tight in the vise. Really cranked it down so it wouldn’t budge. Put the square against it to double-check how far off it was. Yep, definitely needed adjusting.
I positioned the bracket in the vise right where I wanted the bend to happen. Then, I started applying pressure. Just used my hands at first, trying to bend it slowly. This thing was tougher than it looked. Put some muscle into it. It moved a bit.
Took it out, checked with the square. Closer, but not quite there. Put it back in the vise, maybe shifted the position slightly. This time, I gave it a few solid taps with the hammer, right near the bend point, pushing it towards that 90-degree mark against the vise jaw. Didn’t want to hit too hard and mess it up, just firm taps.
Checked again. Better. Repeated this process maybe two or three times. Clamp, check, small adjustment tap or bend, unclamp, check with the square. Patience is key here, didn’t want to overshoot and have to bend it back.
Finally, the square sat perfectly flush against both sides of the bend. A perfect 90 degrees. Success!
Finishing Touches
The bending and hammering left a few scuff marks and maybe a slightly rough edge where I was working it. So, I took the metal file and just smoothed those bits down. Didn’t take long, just wanted it to look a bit neater and not have any sharp bits.
And that was pretty much it. The m-90 task was done. The bracket was now exactly the angle I needed for my little shelf project. Felt good doing it myself, you know? Saved a few bucks and used something I already had.
