Robb Gunter's angle-iron curving tool

This tool makes it easy to create nice smooth arcs in angle iron by hand. 

The tool is made of three pieces of steel shaped more-or-less as shown above.  To achieve the proper spacing between the two radiussed blocks, you can clamp them together on a piece of the target angle iron AND a 0.020" thick shim.

To use the tool, first lay the angle iron to be curved  across the gap between two very solid supports (see below).  Then place the tool down over the vertical leg of the angle iron as shown to the left and position the tool so it will strike the angle iron between the two supports...i.e. where the angle iron is unsupported.

Now, striking the tool modestly, work it up and down the length of the angle iron that needs to be curved.  Constantly reposition the angle iron so that the tool stays more-or-less centered between the two supports.  Don't hit the angle iron in the same spot twice....it's up to you to make a smooth curve with this tool.

After some curving has been accomplished, the angle iron will begin to curve in a second direction perpendicular to the desired direction.  This is due to "bulging out" of the web that is being bent the hard way by the tool.  This bulging can be can be easily corrected by laying the curve flat on the anvil face and hammering down the bulging web with gentle blows distributed all over the curved area.

Work back and forth between curving the iron and correcting the bulge until the piece has the desired shape.

Thanks, Robb!