1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for converting flat items into angled items. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices for bending flat metallic pieces into angled pieces. The present invention relates to flashing bender devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those involved in construction regularly deal with interfaces between adjacent structures. Those adjacent structures may be fabricated of the same or dissimilar materials. Particularly for external surfaces, those interfaces must be sealed to protect against environmental conditions. Examples of such interfaces include, but are not limited to, chimney-to-roofing interfaces and roofing-to-fascia interfaces, to name just two examples. Of course, there are many other structural interfaces that must be enclosed in some manner.
A common mechanism for sealing structural interfaces of the type described is to apply flashing over the interface. The flashing is arranged to extend partially over each of the adjacent structures and may be centered on the interface itself. The flashing not only seals the interface, it also acts to reinforce the interface. Generally stated, flashing is a thin impervious material placed in construction (e.g., in mortar joints and through air spaces in masonry) to prevent water penetration and/or to provide water drainage, such as between a roof and wall, between a roof and a chimney, and over exterior door openings and windows. The material is capable of being bent and retaining the general shape of the bend created.
By its function, flashing must be angled to fit over an interface. The required flashing angle can vary as a function of the particular application and interface configuration. The required length of the two legs of the angled flashing can also vary as a function of the particular application and interface configuration. For these reasons, it is often unreasonable to purchase flashing pre-fabricated for all conditions. As a result, flat sheets of flashing material are obtained for a project. The flashing sheets are ordinarily formed into selectable angles on site. It is the process of converting the flat sheets into angled flashing that can be a time consuming task. Further, the created angles may be off enough to require further modification of the formed sheet as it is applied to the interface. The difficulties associated with flashing manipulation can increase the cost of the project. It is a desirable goal in construction to form flashing more efficiently.
A number of tools have been created to assist in the shaping (generally referred to as bending) of flat flashing pieces into angled flashing. These benders may also be referred to as brakes. One type of bender is an automated or machine-assisted bender. The automated bender is expensive, subject to maintenance requirements and setup delays. Moreover, some automated flashing benders or brakes may be limited as to the length of flashing that they can bend. Some manual tools are available, but they fail to address the need to bend at an array of angles for an array of flashing sizes, including 8″, 6″, 4.5″ and 5″×7″ roofing flashing (also referred to as step flashing). They too may have limitations on the length of flashing that can be angled.
Each of the prior flashing benders described has a limitation. They are either too expensive, too time consuming to operate, difficult for a single person to operate or insufficient to bend flashing of all desired angles and all desired flashing sizes. Therefore, what is needed is a flashing bender that is easy for a single person to use. Further, what is needed is a cost effective bender. Also, what is needed is a flashing bender that is adaptable for use to bend flashing to a plurality of selectable angles for a range of flashing sizes and lengths.