Workshop Tour

THE MACHINE SHOP

This part of the workshop is where all the panel-making tools are kept.

There are so many ways of hand forming panels using these machines. Each of the machines have their own way to shape, shrink, stretch, fold, cut and machine car parts and panels into their desired shapes.

There are a total of thirty major tools in the Machine Shop. Sixteen are associated with panel making, ten are associated with ironwork and four are associated with woodwork.

These include:

Panel-Making Tools

  • English wheel or wheeling machine

  • Vibro-sheer (view)

  • Large rollers

  • Small rollersl

  • Loose sleave folder

  • Folder

  • Guillotine

  • Two dolly stands with dollies

  • Sand bags

  • Edge shrinking & stretching tools

  • Jennie tool

  • Swage tool

  • Cycle guard rollers

  • Muffler maker

  • Spot welder

  • Anvil

Ironwork Tools

  • Drill press

  • Pip bender

  • Metal Lathe

  • Bench grinder

  • Belt sander

  • Bar bender

  • Power rollers

  • Mechanics press

  • Plasma cutter

  • Hand guillotine

Woodwork Tools

  • Bandsaw

  • Bench saw

  • Router bench

  • Finger jointing tool

Here are just a few of the panel-making machines and a brief description of their uses.

The loose sleeve folder is used for folding boxes, floor pans and other general folding on panel work.

The rollers are used to roll sheet steel, aluminium and light gauge tube or rod. It is controlled by hand and produces a one way shape unlike the English wheel. However it is just as important in the panel making process.

The swage tool is used to put reinforcing lines and swages in to panels such as in guards and floor panels. It is hand operated and needs two people to work the machine neatly.

The Vibro sheer has many functions in panel making. With its large throat large panels can easy be passed through the machine. The Vibro sheer can put louvers beads, ribs, joggles and domes into panels (in any length).

The English wheel is used to shape sheet steel and aluminium in two directions. It can give strength to flat panels, domes, dishes and reverse sweeps to the worked panel. The English wheel takes many years of practice to use it correctly.

 
English wheel

English wheel

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