Legendary hot rodder Stan Betz started punching louvers in Frank Kurtis' shop back in the late Forties. Before long he was the most in-demand louver man in the Orange County area. David Williams, not yet old enough to drive a car, started punching louvers in Stan's shop, Betz Speed and Custom in Anaheim, not long after that.
Between then and now, Stan and Dave have punched a lot of louvers, built and raced a lot of cars, and lived a lot of hot rod history. Both are still going strong today. Stan's a sought-after paint mixer in Anaheim and David owns Williams Lowbuck Tools in Norco, California. For the past 30 years, he's been building and selling quality affordable metal fabricating tools. One of the coolest is the Metal Machine-a simple piece that can be turned into a bunch of different metalworking tools, allowing the home builder or small shop owner to own multiple metalworking tools without having to spend a fortune on a lot of machinery or fill up floor space with numerous machines. The Metal Machine can switch from a louver press to an English wheel or a planishing hammer, a bead roller, a shrinker/stretcher, 90-degree forming dies, box and pan brake, sheetmetal shear, or sheetmetal punch, simply by loosening a few bolts and swapping heads. It's easier and faster than changing a tire.
Lowbuck Tools sells these various tools, but does not sell the actual support structure that comprises the body of the Metal Machine. What Lowbuck does provide are the instructions for building the machine yourself-in addition to the Master Faceplate that is the key to the entire machine. The individual heads range in price from $225 for the 90-degree forming dies to $425 for the sheetmetal shear. If you ordered all the heads, the Master Faceplate, and accessories, you could have the whole package for around $4,000, including the cost of the materials needed to build the legs and C-throat, and the cost of some cold ones for celebrating when you finished the job.
We were there when Chad Blundell and Greg Gillaspy at Blundell Speed and Machine built a Metal Machine for the shop -and the day after that when David Williams and Stan Betz came by to check it out.
It didn't take long for Chad...
It didn't take long for Chad and Greg at Blundell Speed to build the Metal Machine. This is what it looks like ready to be mounted to the floor and wall and put to work. Chad plans to drop a shelf onto the lower leg crossmembers for storage, or mount pegboard on the A-frame legs for storing the metalworking heads.
Building the C-throat for...
Building the C-throat for the Metal Machine requires 10 or 11 feet of 2x4x1/4-inch-wall rectangular tubing. The depth of the C-throat is a matter of personal preference, but since it has to be exceptionally sturdy to avoid flexing, Williams recommends an inside depth of approximately 25 inches-which will allow you to work a 50-inch piece of sheetmetal. The vertical inside measurement will be 111/2 inches. The instructions say to set that measurement at the rear of the arms, and 113/4 inches at the front, since welding will shrink the material and pinch it slightly at the front of the C-throat.
In addition to the corner...
In addition to the corner gussets, the center gusset, made of the 11/2-inch square tubing used for the legs, is a critical part of the C-throat since it contributes to the rigidity of the entire piece.
Twenty feet of 1 1/2-inch...
Twenty feet of 1 1/2-inch 1/8-inch-wall square tubing is used to build the A-frame legs, which stand 36 inches tall and 36 inches wide at the base. The angle of the top cut is 72 degrees. Since the Metal Machine is used for precise metalworking jobs, Chad and Greg (that's Greg with the level) took every precaution and every measurement to make sure everything was level and square on every plane before welding.
The C-throat can be welded...
The C-throat can be welded to the legs with a pair of 5-inch-long, 1/4-inch steel plates. Chad decided to cut four plates, welding two to the C-throat and one to the top of each set of A-frame legs. Bolting the upper and lower portions of the Machine will allow him to easily disassemble it if he needs to.
The various tool heads mount...
The various tool heads mount to the front ends of the upper and lower C-throat arms. Lowbuck Tools provides these pads, which are welded to the ends of the arms. They are slightly smaller than the arms to provide clearance for the 5/16-nuts that will hold the tool heads to the faceplate.
This predrilled faceplate...
This predrilled faceplate is the most important component of the Metal Machine. It serves as the mount for the upper and lower heads of the louver press and the other available Lowbuck Tools tools. It's welded to the front of the C-throat with the ends of the plate centered over the pads installed in the previous step (be careful to allow room for the nuts). Once it has cooled, the center section of the faceplate is cut out and removed. Welding the entire faceplate as one piece ensures the sections at the ends of the arms are level on all planes.
Here's what it should look...
Here's what it should look like from the rear when the louver press or other tool is installed. Notice that Chad did not weld all the way up the perimeter, but stopped short to allow clearance for the nuts, which were tack welded to the back of the faceplate.
We're finally punching louvers!...
We're finally punching louvers! The Metal Machine louver press makes traditional-style 21/2-inch round-top louvers. The depth is adjustable by turning the nut on the upper head (A). Punching evenly spaced, centered louvers is easy (with some practice) since the rear side of the jaw is scribed with a centering line which can be aligned with a scribe mark on the sheetmetal. The previously punched louver can be squared up against the edge of the lower head (B) to help ensure even spacing.
Stan Betz told us that 0.003-...
Stan Betz told us that 0.003- to 0.005-inch clearance is necessary to punch a louver. At 0.006 inch, the press starts to bend the metal. The Lowbuck Tools louver press head comes with a rectangular 0.005-inch steel shim, which is used to adjust the jaw on the rear side of the lower punch head to ensure proper clearance.
The English wheel head comes...
The English wheel head comes with four different lower wheel radii, plus the flat upper wheel, on solid axles.
The bead roller is one of...
The bead roller is one of the popular heads, and features a drive ratchet to move the sheetmetal through the various rolls included with the head.
Five heat-treated dies are...
Five heat-treated dies are included with the planishing hammer, including a rubber die for light forming. A screw jack lets you adjust the bottom dies easily. It also comes with a foot throttle, air hose, and air regulators.
This box and press brake tool...
This box and press brake tool is also popular-and handy for making straight bends up to 90 degrees, with a 1/8-inch radius.
Remember the center piece...
Remember the center piece we cut out of the faceplate? It gets welded to the back of the C-throat for use as a wall-mounting plate, further anchoring the Machine.
One unique feature of Chad's...
One unique feature of Chad's Metal Machine, unavailable on any other, is the autograph of the legendary Stan Betz, who also christened the machine by punching a few louvers. Pretty cool, huh?