http://eugene.craigslist.org/tls/601076936.html
Is this worth what he’s asking? He says he’s had it 5 years. Used it only 3x. And paid about 2g for it new.
?
I’m thinking I’d like it to do my own sill flashings for doors and windows??
Overkill?
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Replies
Not a bad deal, I paid 1000.00 for a used (slightly) Tapco Pro 19 at 10'6''.
BUT it could have been "sprung" and I'd rather see it in person before I'd commit. If the jaws hold tight and all the parts such as handles are there..it may be great deal.
edit:2K new sounds a little inflated.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Edited 3/11/2008 7:49 pm ET by Sphere
So clue me in.
I know exactly what this tool is for, but I have never touched one.
What gauge, width and type of coil stock would I get for making pan flashings for 2x4 or 2x6 walls?
Copper, yes?
If I went to the metal yard for a scrap to test on this used brake, what would I ask for?
Thanks gents.
Pat
That ad's a couple days old and he's still got the unit. I'll bet he'd go 400$ cash after talking with him on the phone. He had that 'hungry' tone."Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Google TAPCO brakes and the specs are in a PDF for each model.
You can go up to 16oz copper and ALL common trim coil will work, as will some gauges of Galv.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
If you can walk with it for 400.00 Go for it..it's fixable even if it needs a tune up.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I think I got fired up about this already somewhere along the line...
I already found the manual for it and downloaded that (thanks anyway BarryE!)
and he says he'd probably take 450$ for it...
He says he used it on 3 jobs--5 years ago--and it's been sitting in his garage since.
He says it operates as new.
Give me one last push and I'll go look at it tonight!"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Go,go, go..go go go..get it.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Now that's encouragement!
I'm so glad to have my computer friends who can talk me into spending cash!!
;-)"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
As someone else already said, it's a Tapco Pro III. Excellent brake and an excellent buy at 5 bills.
You ain't bought it yet?
Whatcha waiting for?
EnjoyThe best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
Could you bend 24ga galv on that?
Dunno..wassat in .000's?
Specs say 28 ga max galv. so probably could, but could hurt the brake.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
"Could you bend 24ga galv on that?"
Doubt it.
I've got a Tapco pro 14" and I did bend some 24g on it..... anything longer then 24" and your pushing it.
I think his brake is rated below the "Pro" models--maybe a "windy" (?)
Works great on coil stock though.
Yeah I'm stoked!
It is a Pro III. 14" throat.
The 'operations manual' I downloaded says it'll bend up to .030 soft alu, up to 28g galv steel and up to 16'oz copper.
Can U score and snap only with aluminum? Do you need to cut your copper to width another way?"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Score and snap AL. and score 3 times and snap Cu. I use shears for galv as little as I work with it.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Can U score and snap only with aluminum?
You can score and snap anything you can bend in it. Most metals other than alum coil stock take several bend up and push downs until they snap and sometimes don't snap the whole length, so have a good grip on it when you push down. You might have to work the last few inches on one end up and down a few more times.
Ignore the built in tape. You spend more time lining up the zero end than it's worth and you've already got a tape hooked to your belt.
Forget about the cutter tool for these things as well unless you're just doing alum coil stock. They "wavy" up 16 oz copper pretty badly.
Have fun. http://grantlogan.net/
But you all knew that. I detailed it extensively in my blog.
Thanks guys!"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Stop talkin'Start walkin'John Svenson, builder, remodeler, NE Ohio
do ityou know you want toUsually they sell cheapest going into winter. If it's as good a shape as he says you could probably turn around and sell it for more than that pretty fast. Guys are gearing up for siding and window replacement with the weather warming up
Barry E-Remodeler
just buy it, give him $500 and be happy about it
It wouldn't surprise me that it sits for years. Mine has. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Looks to me like a Van Mark II. If it is then it is worth it. All parts are readily available and the Van Mark people are a pleasure to deal with.
Gary
If the jaws are good, you can't go wrong for 500 or underHere is the manual for it, shows some of the bends you can make:http://www.tapcotools.com/pdf/manual_pro3.pdf
Barry E-Remodeler
http://cgi.ebay.com/Tapco-Pro-III-Siding-106-Port-O-Bender-Brake-3-G_W0QQitemZ300204709873QQihZ020QQcategoryZ61574QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Hmmm..bidding's to 700$ on this one...
I might be on to something here.
"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Looks like a Tapco ProIII. IIRC I paid around $1500 for mine shortly after they first came out.
$500 is a good price, if it was stored right, I would want to bend some coil stock on it and make sure it still bends a straight line and if not can it be adjusted.
I wasn't sure if it was Tapco or not, mine doesn't have the blue annodizing.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I think the PRO III was the only one that had a blue edge, but there may have been other Tapco models that were the same.
Barry E-Remodeler
i think the guy may have a case of car salesman in him. that brake has been used a whole lot more than 3 times or it was left outside for five years. the tape measure is discolored,and the aluminum throat looks pretty corroded from here.
500 is a good price for a brake ,but for me a must have tool to go with it is the slitter,another couple hundred. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Guess it depends what you are using it for. I'd want the cut-off wheel and the coil holder first.
Barry E-Remodeler
i think that things rust easily in coastal areas
Yeah I'm going to look at it tonight after dinner.
It looks pretty beaten in the photo. We'll see. He says he used it on 3 jobs, had a stroke and quit siding.
I'm going to use it for sill pan flashings--and whatever else I can figure out I guess.
I put in enough doors/patio doors and it's nasty enough with the weather here it should be worth it for me."Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Don't buy it until you check it out. It cold be sprung from bending too heavy of a material or from being dropped. Clamp it shut and pull a string down the top of the bending leaf and in front of the clamping jaws. If it's not perfectly straight, walk away or offer $200 for it and cut it in half to make two 5' brakes.
Check the clamping action by taking a small piece of metal and clamping it in numerous places along the brake's length. Try to pull it out. If it's tight in some places and loose in others, that's not a death knell. If the gripping pressure is not consistant, it's probably been used more than three times. Might just need new wedges. Some brakes are easier than others to tune.
I've had Tapcos and VanMarks and the VanMarks are easier to tune, but they need it more often. I like the Tapcos a little better.
Try it out with what ever type of metal you'll be using.
See how deep the throat is. If it's 14" throat model, it's not as easy to use as a 19" throat model, but it'll be easier to move around.
Good luck.http://grantlogan.net/
But you all knew that. I detailed it extensively in my blog.
well,
I bought it..
400$
It appears dirty is all.
On the face it needs new lower handles--lost--and a replacement measuring tape--rusty after damp storage in a garage here in rainy Oregon.
I'll perform your tests on it tomorrow for fun. See what I can bend.
Thanks"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
You done good. The handle is easy enough to replace, don't know that I'd bother with the tape unless I was just dressing it up for resale.
In 20+ years I don't ever recall using the tape on any brake. Of course, I don't use the one on my table saw either.
That's why they make stick rules and tape measures <g>.The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
I've only read the first 20 posts, but it looks like I'm gonna be the only one to say don't bother.
If I understand you correctly, your only real need for it is on your own home.
While $500 is a great deal, even if the thing is only half as good as he's telling you, your money would be better spent elsewhere.
Brakes are a pain in the arse to store.
Rent one for the bending on your home, and spend the $400 on several tools you could actually use more often.
My two cents.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Pp, Qq
buy it now ...
and sell it in the spring for $800.
they disappear around here ... in any shape ...
for anything less than a grand.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Too late. 400$
I actually wanted it not for my own house (although I'll use it for a few things here surely) but to do sill pans and head flashings for the doors and windows I put in. I do quite a few retrofit installations and I've wanted to put in something better than flashing tape.
I agree--I'll probably only use it a couple times a month, and it'll be a pain to store...
If it's a drag, I'll just unload it.
I've got a second story addt. on the coast this summer--be nice to do our own flashings on that job."Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
new tape, coupla handles and some scrubbing ...
bet U just made a $600 profit.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I'll probably only use it a couple times a month, and it'll be a pain to store...
Well....that's certaily more often than the impression I got. It'll be worth the pain to store, and you got a great deal!
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Pp, Qq
That looks like a good deal to me.
I bought an 8' back in the 80's and it's worked great for me every time I need one.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07