An apparatus for bending a glass sheet including an oven for heating the glass sheet to a processing temperature between the annealing temperature and the softening temperature of the glass sheet, characterized by: a stage having a top support surface for supporting a sheet of glass, a first edge, an opposing second edge, and a pair of outward facing first reference surfaces on the first edge of the stage adjacent to ends of the first edge of the stage, and a pair of outward facing second reference surfaces on the second edge of the stage adjacent to the ends of the second edge of the stage; a pair of first arms (210 211) having inner ends extending into the oven from a first side of the oven, a first bending mechanism (212,214) mounted on the inner ends of the first pair of arms (210, 211) inside the oven for bending a first edge portion of a glass sheet on the stage down over the first edge of the stage, and an inward facing first stop surface provided near the inner end of each of the first arms (210,211) in opposition to the pair of first reference surfaces; a pair of second arms (220 221) having inner ends extending into the oven from a second side of the oven, and an inward facing second stop surface provided near the inner end of each of the second arms (220,221) in opposition to the second reference surface of the stage; a first moving mechanism for moving the pair of first arms inward toward and outward away from the first edge of the stage; and a second moving mechanism for moving the pair of second arms inward toward and outward away from the second edge of the stage; and whereby when the stage is located in the oven with a glass sheet to be bent supported on the support surface of stage with a first edge portion of the glass sheet to be bent extending beyond the first edge of the stage, the first arms (210,211) are movable inward toward the stage and the second arms (220,221) are movable inward toward the stage until the first stop surfaces contact the first reference surfaces and the second stop surfaces contact the second reference surface of the stage, whereby the stage is held between the first stop surfaces and the second stop surfaces with the first edge of stage and the first edge of the glass sheet being precisely located relative to and aligned with the first bending mechanism (212,214). a stage having a top support surface for supporting a sheet of glass, a first edge, an opposing second edge, and a pair of outward facing first reference surfaces on the first edge of the stage adjacent to ends of the first edge of the stage, and a pair of outward facing second reference surfaces on the second edge of the stage adjacent to the ends of the second edge of the stage; a pair of first arms (210 211) having inner ends extending into the oven from a first side of the oven, a first bending mechanism (212,214) mounted on the inner ends of the first pair of arms (210, 211) inside the oven for bending a first edge portion of a glass sheet on the stage down over the first edge of the stage, and an inward facing first stop surface provided near the inner end of each of the first arms (210,211) in opposition to the pair of first reference surfaces; a pair of second arms (220 221) having inner ends extending into the oven from a second side of the oven, and an inward facing second stop surface provided near the inner end of each of the second arms (220,221) in opposition to the second reference surface of the stage; a first moving mechanism for moving the pair of first arms inward toward and outward away from the first edge of the stage; and a second moving mechanism for moving the pair of second arms inward toward and outward away from the second edge of the stage; and whereby when the stage is located in the oven with a glass sheet to be bent supported on the support surface of stage with a first edge portion of the glass sheet to be bent extending beyond the first edge of the stage, the first arms (210,211) are movable inward toward the stage and the second arms (220,221) are movable inward toward the stage until the first stop surfaces contact the first reference surfaces and the second stop surfaces contact the second reference surface of the stage, whereby the stage is held between the first stop surfaces and the second stop surfaces with the first edge of stage and the first edge of the glass sheet being precisely located relative to and aligned with the first bending mechanism (212,214).