Baileigh 48-Inch Magnetic Sheet Metal Press Brake (BB-4816M)

This thing is amazing. The clamping power is super impressive and immediately release when you turn it off. Setup time is 10x faster then using a finger style break.

Noticed while inboxing that several screws are missing. The included screws don’t match what the instructions tell you to do for assembly. So far I have had to figure it out myself and will have to try to find 4 metric machine screws to replace the ones that are missing.

I bought this unit through Amazon earlier this year. The fulfillment of the order was from Baileigh. The unit was on back order due to the labor dispute going on at the docks in SF CA, which delayed the shipment by well over a month while the ship sat in the harbor. When the unit was transferred from the semi to my pickup via liftgate, there was no sign of any damage. Once home and opened, the contents were shifted and several of the blue painted metal pieces were chipped and scratched. I followed the enclosed owner's manual page by page in: verifying the contents (all pieces were accounted for); then the assembly which went well, except for no mention of washers necessary for the screws that mounted the parts tray (they were very lonesome all by themselves at the end), so the tray was disassembled - washers added - reassembled; then on to the wiring. The directions were written for US electrical and wire color code standards. The unit, having been manufactured in Australia, did not match in color codes and the wires were mislabeled with nicely designed slide-on white with black lettered collars. Unfortunately the GND and PWR labels were reversed. The wiring schematic in the owner's manual was too small to read, even with a magnifying glass, so I went to the manufacturer's web site and downloaded their softcopy manual in PDF format. That document allowed me to see the Australian electrical color codes and their true meaning. Once that was understood I was able to wire the unit for a standard 240V three wire circuit. The plug is not furnished, so I bought a proper 3-50P unit from a local supplier, wired it per the schematic, and all is working properly. I took the time to communicate the challenges presented by this purchase to Baileigh via their web site directly to their sales department, then submitted a review for the product, also on their web site. I have heard nothing in response in the two months I've owned the product, and my review never showed up on their web site. Am very pleased with the unit overall, it functions as described and is well made. The minor cosmetic damage is unfortunate, the poor documentation is very frustrating to deal with, and the total lack of response from the Baileigh organization is very sad. It is the second product I have purchased from them, both damaged in shipment.

This brake works great and is very well made

Great concept.

If you have 240 volts you're going to need a buck booster to reduce the voltage to 220. Also, one of the hot one wires is labeled with an N which is confusing because that is not a neutral wire. When received, the storage tray was bent up in one corner and prevented material from laying flat on the machine. Although I had these issues, the factory tech support was great. They shipped replacement parts at no charge and spent a lot of time on the phone with me until we figured out that one wire issue.I'm just beginning to use it. Appreciate the flexibility of the magnetic box and pan brake. Will update review once I've had more experience with it.

I don't own this brake [yet], but I used one at a friend's shop last weekend, and another friend who also owns this unit provided a couple tips. I'll be purchasing this brake soon. Couple comments: (1) fit and finish were very nice; the unit I used was several years old and heavily used, but it still operated flawlessly; (2) my buddy told me that he's careful to deburr the metal prior to inserting into his brake so that he doesn't beat up the magnetic pad (which appears to be cast from epoxy). The epoxy embeds the electromagnetic coil. It is plenty strong, he's just fastidious about taking good care of his tools. (3) this is a 220V unit which has a STRONG magnetic clamping force; there are competitor units that operate on 120V - Baileigh units are all 220V; the [competitor's]120V units are MUCH less desirable. (4) from my actual experience operating the machine it seems you could easily pinch your fingers if you're not paying attention - just something to keep in mind. (5) the most attractive feature of the brake is that you can easily bend a radius - I simply placed a piece of 5/16" drill rod in front of the die (making sure that there was sufficient clearance for the leaf (the moving part that bends the metal) to clear the table. (6) finally (related to comment #5, and this applies to all brakes), make sure that the die is set back from the front edge of the machine 1-1/2 times the thickness of the metal you're bending. This allows sufficient clearance so you don't "spring" the leaf which effectively ruins the brake - the danger of damaging this machine from not allowing sufficient die setback is no greater with this unit than any other brake of any type - again, just something to be aware of during operation.

Altho I didn't purchase this machine thru Amazon I thought I would give a review for it so someone looking to purchase might find it useful. Any consumer needs to realize that when buying a product this heavy and traveling as far as it does its going to have a few scratches and dings to it. No way around that. My only complaint about it is the wiring instructions are next to useless. It's very voltage sensitive and needs plus or minus 5 volts from 220v. Most households or panels run around 240v. Fortunately I have a 100ft welding cord that's putting out voltage in the acceptable range. No need for a step down. Otherwise you would have to have one. Next issue is the wires are not color coded to USA standards. And doesn't come with a plug. But once you get past all the headaches of getting all that figured out this thing is amazing. Really nothing it can't bend for what it's rated for. I've even put 90s on smaller pieces of 12ga. It's a great addition to any shop. Just if you aren't good at electrical find someone that is. It's not a strait forward process!