Kool Tools.....

So many tools, so little money and time. Lots of tools are neat to own, even if you never use them you can appreciate their inventiveness, manufacture, and utility. These days we tend to limit purchases to those we need, and this one is utility all the way. Lee Valley have a great blend of both new, and remanufactured older tools and so many times you can find a solution for a particular problem there.  Banding the building form will require the 20ga galvanized straps to be bent to around 90degrees before they fold over the last strips, before the gunwale backers. How to achieve a nice, clean bend? Cant hammer it over the pine, and beating it over in a vice with a hammer wont be clean. Enter another Lee Valley solution..

Cheaper than a metal brake, and takes up no space. This is a one off application, and will allow for any angle bend up to 90degrees. Magnets hold the pieces to the jaws and turn the vice into a press brake. Its useful as well for general forming, crimping, and clamping just like the box says. 

Hell, its even made in Canada. That Leonard Lee is one smart guy, no wonder he left the post office to manufacture and sell tools.....

Jaws in place

20ga steel straps

Turning in

Any angle up to 90

Almost done

Perfect 90

Fitted to form, just needs to be drilled and lightly countersunk

Nice and clean. 

NOW do it 50 more times, one on each end....