THE ENGLISH WHEEL

摘要

This tool is the gold standard of metal shaping and is a must-have for creating panels with complex curvature. The wheel works by passing the sheetmetal between two roller wheels. In most cases, the large, flat-top roller is constant, but the smaller lower wheel is switched for varying degrees of curvature, depending on how much shape needs to be created. Wheeling is a very slow process when done correctly, since the goal is to make the steel flow and conform to a new shape. Trying to put too much shape in too quickly will only buckle the metal and ruin the panel. Large freestanding versions like this one allow working large panels, but small tabletop versions are available as well.