anybody cutting tabs? I need a couple.

Looking at the strokes of the various jacks mentioned, I wonder if all of them have adequate strokes for this task.
8-ton air/hydro w/18.7" stroke
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270072932392&fromMakeTrack=true
8-ton hydro w/19.4" stroke
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=36397
8-ton air/hydro w/17.5" stroke
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94562
3-ton hydro w/20" stroke (recommended by GOTTRIKES)
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=36396
8-ton air/hydro w/19-1/8" stroke
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200311799_200311799

mechanos, I just got a JD2 model 3 and the HF ram. I plan on copying your set-up. I cant figure out what keeps you from being able to mount the ram with the pivot like it is designed to be mounted, with the pump to the side. Did the pump or base hit something ont he framework? I know I am missing something, or you wouldnt have went to the trouble of making the adapter.... so, what am I missing?


Anyone know?

Yes, the air motor on the ram would hit the frame. I made the frame just a snatch hair wider and the base of the ram. Actually, I sorta goofed and failed to notice that the centerline of the ram is actually offset from the center of the base, so the base hit the frame even mounted vertical. I had to notch and gusset the frame to clear the base of ram. I cut a section out of a piece of scrap 2x5x0.250 tube, notched out the frame rail and welded in the piece of scrap tube.

This pic should clear it up.

Looks like everybody is more interested in the hydro and plans than anything else...the thread has those covered.

How about dies? Are ProTools and GotTrikes the only ones out there? Kinda sux building a bender for less than $100 and having to spend over $200 PER die...

Anybody know of any cheaper ones?

Is anybody making up some of the type-B bushings? I'd like to buy a pair, if you have spares. :)

Is anybody making up some of the type-B bushings? I'd like to buy a pair, if you have spares. :)
If nobody has any already made, I can make you 2 for $25 or 4 for $35 (I’ll pay shipping).

I can make them any dimension you want.

Be aware that if you drill the holes in the die puller plate with a 7/8” bit, they will likely not be .880” as the drawing shows. My holes came out slightly smaller at .876”, so the .880” bushing I had made would not fit and I had to turn another .005” off.

Also, be aware that the diameter of the newest air over hydraulic Harbor Freight 8-ton ram is slightly larger than what was used in the plans. This means it will not fit between the bushings using the .940” length shown in the plans. I forget the exact dimension, but I had to turn another .030” of the .940” length on each bushing to have clearance between them for the ram.

NIB

http://www.fototime.com/9A969E522A13A0C/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/1339457BC9EE31D/standard.jpg

Did a little more work on my bender.

NIB

Looks like everybody is more interested in the hydro and plans than anything else...the thread has those covered.

How about dies? Are ProTools and GotTrikes the only ones out there? Kinda sux building a bender for less than $100 and having to spend over $200 PER die...

Anybody know of any cheaper ones?

Agreed. Wonder if we can do a group buy on the 1 3/4 180 degree die or find another vendor.

http://www.fototime.com/EBCCA4778153BED/standard.jpg

Got a little more done on my bender.

NIB

I got an email back from http://www.tubetek.net/

Just in case anyone is looking for an alternative Die set, he sells his dies alone for:
1.75/6/120 die set is $180
1.75/6/240 die set is $210

Just ordered a ProTools 1.75/.120/6CLR/120...

Now just gotta figure which bender to build...

1) Variant of Blind Chicken Racing (http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/tube-bender/tube-bender.html)

2) Got Trikes (http://www.gottrikes.com/)

3) Pro-Tools (http://www.pro-tools.com/200k-1.htm)

4) The Ford Fiesta Bender (http://www.thefont.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bikes/tube_bender.htm)

Or some bastardized mixed version therein...

These things rock, $150 (+dies) and an afternoon.
Time and $ well spent.
http://www.jbfab.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pc300108w.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/0B02406AC35DAD2/standard.jpg

Got a little more done on my bender.

NIB

These things rock, $150 (+dies) and an afternoon.
Time and $ well spent.
http://www.jbfab.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pc300108w.jpg

Nice I see you have the same pump as me... i think im getting 18+" of stroke out of it... any plans for return springs?

Nice I see you have the same pump as me... i think im getting 18+" of stroke out of it... any plans for return springs?

Yes you read my mind, (return spring).
I was supprised that the pump had enough juice in it to push the cyl. almost all the way out.
Jon

for a return spring, you could probably use a spring from a screen door on a house. Those seem to have alot of legnth to them, and a good amount of pull back.

just a thought.

These things rock, $150 (+dies) and an afternoon.
Time and $ well spent.
http://www.jbfab.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pc300108w.jpg

Where did you get your pump (model #)?

Yes you read my mind, (return spring).
I was supprised that the pump had enough juice in it to push the cyl. almost all the way out.
Jon

What size bore is the cly?

http://www.fototime.com/8FE7B795A0B199A/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/FB9BD0D58E70B1D/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/8712C7267609E93/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/8425C1793064C0E/standard.jpg

Still got some stuff to finish up, but I’m getting closer.

NIB

looks real good man ... hey are you going to btf on the 27th ?

... hey are you going to btf on the 27th ?
Hadn't planned on going......because I didn't know about it. :laughing: Thanks for the info. I may just ride down that way and take a look.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=539363

NIB

Here is how I mounted my JD2. Basically like everyone else, but I made the base wider, so I didnt have to mess with rotating the cylinder. Plus I figured it would be a little more stable if you had a long 90 deg bend hanging out the side. I made it from scrap left over from building my shop, so its a little....well a lot overkill. Again, I think weight will help keep it from tipping, plus I wont have as many people wanting to borrow it.:grinpimp:

Sorry the pic was so small, I think I checked e-mail, instead of web page when I compressed it. You cant see, but there are casters on the bottom.

I plated the bottom with 1/4" so I can have a place to store dies and other stuff. I should have used bar grating, so crap woudnt accumulate. But, I had the 1/4".

Finished mine up the other day.

http://i5.pbase.com/g6/84/503584/2/72943580.cT9FWljP.jpg

Now I just need to come up with a way to mount the HF cylinder, clean it up, and paint it.

Mike

Finished mine up the other day.

Now I just need to come up with a way to mount the HF cylinder, clean it up, and paint it.

http://i5.pbase.com/g6/84/503584/2/72943580.cT9FWljP.jpg

Mike
Looks good. Which HF ram are you using?

NIB

got most of the metal just have to get the 5/8 plates the place i got the 2x2 from wouldnt sell me a cut piece told me i had to buy a sheet (told him to stick that one ) so i just got the 2x2 . priced the die from pro-tools 1 3/4 x 6clrx240 die 295.00
ouch
also got the bend tech software been playing with it love it lookinf to upgrade to 3dez already

on the die thing i read up that mtsells dies for 218.00 i think it was are they compatible?

Looks good. Which HF ram are you using?

NIB

I am using the 8-ton one that is discussed earlier in the thread. It has the tangs mounted 90 degrees out, so I need to come up with some way to mount the base to the bender. Also, it is too wide to fit between the uprights so I need to figure that out as well.

I was thinking about disassembling the air/hydro unit and see if it can be separated from the base with a hose. That would definitely make it easier to mount.

http://www.fototime.com/770665C50009B9D/standard.jpg

As someone else sugested, I used a piece of receiver hitch to rotate the 5/8" mounting holes 90 deg.

I don't think you can easily relocate the air piston.....but I could be wrong.

http://www.fototime.com/8712C7267609E93/standard.jpg

I angled the 2x2's out towards the back of the bender frame.

Brad

Good idea on spreading the base of the angled pieces. I am thinking of doing the same thing, would just need to cut a couple of welds and then put them back in place. I also need to mount some adjustable casters to the 4 arm ends to level the beast, and be able to move it around the garage.

To get the HF air/hydo ram in there, both the top and bottom braces need to be angled out. I thought the bottoms would clear as designed, but they didn't and I had to do some re-work. Just remember, the bottom HF ram mount is not centered on the ram, so you may need more clearance between the frame than you think.

I have some cheap 2" caster wheels that I'm going to tack weld on when I get a little closer to being done. That thing ended up pretty damn and I'm getting tired of dragging it around the shop.

NIB

If nobody has any already made, I can make you 2 for $20 or 4 for $30 (I’ll pay shipping).

I can make them any dimension you want.

Be aware that if you drill the holes in the die puller plate with a 7/8” bit, they will likely not be .880” as the drawing shows. My holes came out slightly smaller at .876”, so the .880” bushing I had made would not fit and I had to turn another .005” off.

Also, be aware that the diameter of the newest air over hydraulic Harbor Freight 8-ton ram is slightly larger than what was used in the plans. This means it will not fit between the bushings using the .940” length shown in the plans. I forget the exact dimension, but I had to turn another .030” of the .940” length on each bushing to have clearance between them for the ram.

NIB

this this offer still open ?

this offer still open ?
Yes, but my suggestion would be to drill and measure the holes, assemble the die puller and measure the ram shaft diameter before you make the bushings. That way, you will know the exact dimensions you need the bushings to be. I can make them any dimension you want, just let me know.

Also, I can get you a name of a company were you can order 50” of 5/8” X 2.5” cold rolled flat bar. It ain’t too cheap, but I didn’t want to buy 20’ either. I think I paid $52 delivered by UPS to my front door. I think it was shipped out of Atlanta.

<on edit> Found it: http://www.allmetalsinc.com/coldrolledsteel/flat/YCF58212.htm

NIB

thanks for the link i'll give them a try

just wanted to toss my bender in here also.

I bought a model 3 and just converted it to a air/hydro setup using a harbor freight jack.

I also got it so that its removeable from the roller stand and can be mounted on my benchtop, if for any reason i decided i needed to do that......

i just made the roller cart from scrap steel i had around the garage, it works great for me, and im super impressed in the product.

http://www.midmichigancustoms.com/files/dsc03202_597.jpg
http://www.midmichigancustoms.com/files/dsc03203_725.jpg
http://www.midmichigancustoms.com/files/dsc03198_414.jpg
http://www.midmichigancustoms.com/files/dsc03199_181.jpg
http://www.midmichigancustoms.com/files/dsc03200_194.jpg

This may have been discussed already and I missed it, sorry, but is there any issue with that HF air/hydraulic ram being mounted horizontal? I don't see why there would be, but I have a pump style on my engine hoist and when I layed the hoist flat in the back of my truck to move it the pump leaked. Maybe that is just an issue with my pump. Thanks

Could someone please post some pics of the bender in action (specifically -the HF air/hydro one, not the manual)

180 degrees would be the best but any video that gives some perspective on time, noise, repinning, etc would be good.

Thanks

WW

http://www.fototime.com/0290B92569A3385/standard.jpg
Did a little more work on my bender.
NIB

Looks good!

I need to get started on mine, since I already bought four die sets. :)
MB105 1" x 3.5" CLR Tube Die (MR1x3.5R) 240 Die Set
MB105 1.25" x 4" CLR Tube Die (MR1.25x4R) 240 Die Set
MB105 1.5" x 5" CLR Tube Die (MR1.5x5R) 240 Die Set
MB105 1.75" x 6" CLR Tube Die (MR1.75x6R) 240 Die Set
:D

I ordered a 1.75" x 6" 240 Die Set from Mike Green yesterday. He was great to do business with.

I plan on ordering a 1.25" x 4" 240 and a 1.5" x 5" 240 Die Set from him in a couple of weeks.

NIB

Mike is who I ordered my dies off of as well. He seems to be one hell of a guy, I bet I talked to him on the phone 30 or so minutes just bullshitting (and I had never met him before)when I ordered my dies. Awesome customer service.
Jim

Got a phone number/web site and a price for what he's charging?

Are you tighting the follower die like the protool instructions tell you?

x3 for Mike Green

Are you tighting the follower die like the protool instructions tell you?

I have not fished mine, but I have the same question. I'm not sure there are enough pin holes for the folloer die to tighten against the flat-sided pin on the larger radius dies.

NIB

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/94500-94599/94562.gif

I got a Harbor Freight flyer the other day showing their 8-ton air/hydraulic ram (PN:94562) on sale for $69 thru Feb12 (in-store sales). There are also some 15% and 20% discount coupons floatng around.

NIB

I just built a mount to hold that very same one.
Used 1/2' 6X6 angle iron, 3/8 and 5/8 plate.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l264/jeepgif/bender/bender010.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l264/jeepgif/bender/bender018.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l264/jeepgif/bender/bender026.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l264/jeepgif/bender/bender012.jpg

How well does the ram work in the full horizontal position? Some folks have said that it would not work like that. Others have said you just need to top off the hydraulic fluid.

NIB

Works like a champ. Yes you will need to add more fluid.

Yes you will need to add more fluid.
Good deal. That must be the trick to getting it work when completely horizontal. Someone else told me that the pump needs to be on the bottom.

NIB

Here is an action shot of the tubing bender:

http://i5.pbase.com/o6/84/503584/1/73328424.yHTI8z7C.IMG_7431Large.JPG

In the photo I am bending up a hoop for the front bumper. 1.5" .120 wall DOM. The bender will do about 65-70 degrees in one stroke of the ram, then it needs to be reset and re-pinned. It isn't the fastest bender out there, but it sure beats the 'rowing' that you have to do with a Pro-Tools or JD2.

I did modify the lower portion of the unit to allow the wider HF 8-ton ram to fit. All in all I am very happy with how things turned out, and it does a great job bending.

Mike

Mine works mint.. a few tips i have for building are.

1# Drill the holes a bit over sized, size on is way too tight for the pin that indexs the die (makes it a pain to get in and out). If you have ever seen a Pro tools one they are slopy.

2# you might want to weld the upper blocks (that hold the center die pin) with a tube strapped in the die. This will make sure that you have enough clearance. I could not clamp the tube in mine untill I moved them up a bit.

3# dont know about you guys but i need a return spring bad

Yah,

A strong return spring would be a real nice feature. I have a question also:

The hoop and pin that is on the output side of the die (I believe it is called the die follower?), what is the best way to get the pin out after making a bend? I find there is so much tension on it that it has to be driven out with a hammer and punch. I am doing something wrong?

Thanks,

Mike

Yah,

A strong return spring would be a real nice feature. I have a question also:

The hoop and pin that is on the output side of the die (I believe it is called the die follower?), what is the best way to get the pin out after making a bend? I find there is so much tension on it that it has to be driven out with a hammer and punch. I am doing something wrong?

Thanks,

Mike

Mike i'm not sure what pin you are talking about. Doyou mean the one that holds the square die? If so why are you removing this after your bends? Just wondering becuase my tubing does not sit flat in my bender:( . I am trying to figure out what the problem is. I think I build mine to tight to get the tubing in! See picture below. I have no problem removing the pins thow:grinpimp: .
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6cf39b3127cce8eb634731df800000016103AYuGbhu4Yo

Yah,

A strong return spring would be a real nice feature. I have a question also:

The hoop and pin that is on the output side of the die (I believe it is called the die follower?), what is the best way to get the pin out after making a bend? I find there is so much tension on it that it has to be driven out with a hammer and punch. I am doing something wrong?

Thanks,

Mike


I roll the die back after the bend (just a bit) then hit the U strap clamp with a rubber hammer and that losens it yo then i pul the U strap pin out.

I roll the die back after the bend (just a bit) then hit the U strap clamp with a rubber hammer and that losens it yo then i pul the U strap pin out.

Brad,

Thanks, that sounds much easier than the method I was using.

Mike

Here is the finished front bumper:

http://i5.pbase.com/g6/84/503584/2/73353451.RhUAQMmT.jpg

The center hoop is a little wider than I wanted, and I don't think the side hoops are exactly symmetrical, but all-in-all I think it came out rather well.

Mike

So what are you guys doing to return yours? This air/oil pump has a slow bleed return and is a pain to push back... Where should I look to find a big spring?

I'm using two garage door springs from Lowes.

Yah,

A strong return spring would be a real nice feature. I have a question also:

The hoop and pin that is on the output side of the die (I believe it is called the die follower?), what is the best way to get the pin out after making a bend? I find there is so much tension on it that it has to be driven out with a hammer and punch. I am doing something wrong?

Thanks,

Mike


I have the EXACT same problem with my bender. I have to drive it out with a punch and BFH everytime some bitch is under some tension to. I have found that the more I use my bender the looser it is getting that is a good thing to because to begin with we could hardly get the tube in the machine(to tite of clearance).
Jim

I also think that the u-strap they sent with the die set was a little whopper-jawed from the get go. It has always been a pain to pin up when you get the tube in the machine.
jim

NIB-98TJ

I put the pump at the bottom because of the way the pivot point works on the ram. At the same time it put the bleed valve at the top for EZ access. As a bonus the jack handle can still be use if for whatever reason your air is lost.

I'm using two garage door springs from Lowes.

Thanks for the tip...Im using one now but its a 140lb'er and i cut it down a bit to make it have more pull down low.

Hers is a video, its slow to return but it works well. And the pump is not that loud, you can talk over it. in the vid it seems loud.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f43/leyanh/woodtick/th_DSCN1800.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f43/leyanh/woodtick/?action=view&current=DSCN1800.flv)

Wow, thats slow. Throw another one on there and it will fly.

Wow, thats slow. Throw another one on there and it will fly.


Yeah i might but it only takes a secfor it to roll back enough to get the tube out.... then by the time im ready for the next bend it will be back in place.:D

Just bought the plans myself...

Good luck building your bender, Mine is about done and I should be getting the die I ordered from Mike Green pretty soon. If there's any question you might have, I'm sure somebody on here can answer them.

NIB

Havent used this type of bender but with jd2 and pro tools ones, there will be tension on the tube and dies until you release it from the dies. Meaning if you bend a 90, you have to get the die back to where it started or atleast near it and it will loosen everything up.

Well, I finally got to use my bender for something good...
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o269/bigtoy302/DSC00610.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o269/bigtoy302/DSC00608.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o269/bigtoy302/DSC00607.jpg

There are obviously a lot of ram choices here. Any reports on which ones are working well, are quiet or loud, are slow or slower? Any difference in quality between the $160 northern tool jack vs the $60-70 HF jack vs the other ones posted? I am about to add this mod to my pro tools bender, but don't want to buy a cheapy ram just to have it die after 5 or 6 cages. On the other hand, I don't want to spend the money on electric hydro either. Those that have the air hydro rams, what do you think so far/how much have you used them?

I have started to gather materials for the gottrikes bender. I am wondering if any knows what material the follower die is made of, or if they are soft, mild steel or if they are hardened. I am concerned about galling, or is that not and issue.

I have started to gather materials for the gottrikes bender. I am wondering if any knows what material the follower die is made of, or if they are soft, mild steel or if they are hardened. I am concerned about galling, or is that not and issue.

I think they are made from cold rolled steel. I have not had any issues with galling.

Not sure how new/old this is but has anyone gotten the pro-tools plans?

http://www.pro-tools.com/200k.htm

http://www.pro-tools.com/video/HMP-200-explode-sw.wmv

http://www.fototime.com/7051A0CC24CFEAC/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/205A31AB48E01B3/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/B7FB7A5D5F1CBA5/standard.jpg

Getting close to being done.

NIB

In the protools die intructions it talks about tightening the follower die. Are people doing this or are you just pinning it to the up rights. If so how are you tightening it.

I'm going to have to drill another set of 7/8" holes in the two uprights to be able to use the flat sided pin to tighten the follower die on any die larger than a 5" radius. Thats going to be a real pain in the ass to do now that's its assembled. The design should be revised to add two more 7/8" holes in the uprights.

NIB

I'm going to have to drill another set of 7/8" holes in the two uprights to be able to use the flat sided pin to tighten the follower die on any die larger than a 5" radius. Thats going to be a real pain in the ass to do now that's its assembled. The design should be revised to add two more 7/8" holes in the uprights.

NIB

Flat sided pin? :confused: I've just now got all the steel together and my die is at least a week out. I haven't got the holes drilled yet. enlighten me.

Dan

http://www.pro-tools.com/images/105_p1.jpg

See the second pin two holes out from the die follower? The pin has a flat side that the adjustment bolt on the die follower contacts. If you build the bender as shown on the drawings, you won't have two hole below the die follower if you are using a 6" radius die. You will only have one hole, so you need to drill one more hole for 6" radius dies and 2 more for 7" radious dies if you want to use the die follower adjustment bolt.

http://www.pro-tools.com/pdf/105.pdf

Read pg 17 of 22.

NIB

Thanks NIB. What's a couple more holes gonna hurt? Something else I was wondering, that I don't think has been brought up, would be something like a bronze sleeve bearing for the 1" shaft in the main pivot? any thoughts?

I don't think you will need a bronze bearing because the die turns on the shaft, the shaft doesn't turn. At least that is my understanding.

One problem I ran into was keeping all the holes lined up due to welding distortion. I bought a 72" piece of 7/8" steel rod and cut it up into 6 sections and stuck them through the holes before welding and left them in there until it cooled off.

NIB

Im thinking about making a small ushaped piece of .25 inche or so that would allow you to tighten without the second pin. Im in the same boat as most of you didnt notice until it was all welded up.

I tought about doing the same thing. But I get a little anal about things like this, so I will probably just spend half a damn day drilling the holes. I'm thinking I can lift the SOB up with my engine hoist so I can drill it on my drill press. Sure would have been a lot easier to have done before it was assembled. :mad3: I have a few other suggested changes that I will be emailing to the designer.

I am putting mine together, so what are the modifications. More holes on the uprights, needs to be wider if using the harbor freight ram(?). What are the other suggestions NIB ? This way we can modify before we build. Thanks.

I will have to think......which ain't that easy at my age, but I would say:

1) Two more sets of holes in the uprights

2) Spread the two top braces out at the bottom to have 7” between them (9” center to center) to have clearance for the HF air/hydraulic 8-ton ram

3) If you spread the top braces out at the bottom, at a 6” piece of ½" X 2” flatbar to the front of the 2” tube base to reinforce it.

4) If you use a 7/8” bit to drill the holes in the die puller plates, the dimensions on the type “B” bushing need to be changed slightly

5) Ihe diameter of the HF air/hydraulic 8-ton ram is slightly larger than the one used in Frank’s design, so the type “B” bushing need to be slightly shorter

6) If you shorten the 2 little 3” long pieces of 2” tube to 2” and cut the legs at a 45, you can get 4 legs and everything else out of one 20” piece of 2” square tube. I had 1-1/2” left over.

7) I have yet to put a piece of tube in mine. Someone else posted that they had to move the two top die puller mounting tabs up slightly.

8) Use a short piece of 2” trailer hitch receiver tube to build an adapter to turn rotate to HF air/hydraulic 8-ton ram bottom mount 90 degrees.

Overall, I was very happy with Frank’s design and the price of the drawings was well worth it.

NIB

Ok NIB i see what u r talking about with the two holes but is that gonna hurt since u r not pulling on a handle and have to get another bite, i mean the instructions even say after a couple of pulls u don't need to tighten . and with a cylinder the tube will seat b4 u have to repin . Just got my plans and started today.

I don't know. Hey, that's a first, someon on an Internet forum admitting they don't know everything.:laughing: :laughing:

It may be that you really don't need that adjuster bolt, but I assumed since Pro-Tool added it, it was probably needed. Maybe to get a more consistand bend? I don't know.

I was hoping some folks that have used the bender would chime in. My buddy that has a 105 bender does use the adjuster bolt, but he uses the hand lever.

NIB

Yea i'm not for sure either . But i have used a hd2 bender and it doesn't have that bolt and its a real pain until u get the tubing seated. Have to keep pressure on the handle till u get another bite. Thats all i was going by cylinder stroke is greater than a handle and the die would seat. but i also could be mistaking. :D

with the pro tools 105 I have, once you get past 15* or so you dont have to tighten the tube bolt or the die bolt anymore. It DOES add one more thing to do when you go to take the tube out.

Here is ours...


http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6199/img0786yc3.jpg

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/4626/img0787rm4.jpg

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/5305/img0788wu6.jpg

Here is ours...


http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6199/img0786yc3.jpg

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/4626/img0787rm4.jpg

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/5305/img0788wu6.jpg

Thats purdy:smokin:
jim

You must not want your dies to stay in good shape. There is no way in hell I will ever bend rusty tube. It will gouge your die BAD

It's not as rusty as it looks, the die looks fine after the bend.

Nice Job!

I think I'm going have to cut the two top mounting tabs off and move them up about 1/16" to 1/8". I have the same problem someone else posted about. The tube angles up towards the back and I can't get the tube close enought to the die strap to get the strap pin in it. Damn, that is going to be a pain in the ass.

NIB

Are you guys that are having the problem with the tube sticking up buying the dies assembled? We got ours as die kits from Pro-Tools, so basically you have to weld it together and drill the holes in the u-strap and in the backing block. We actually think that it might be better this way so we had the hole in the backing block exactly where it needed to be for our bender

still would like to get some tabs made if anyone else is having them cut.

Are you guys that are having the problem with the tube sticking up buying the dies assembled? We got ours as die kits from Pro-Tools, so basically you have to weld it together and drill the holes in the u-strap and in the backing block. We actually think that it might be better this way so we had the hole in the backing block exactly where it needed to be for our bender

I bought mine assembled. I will be sharing dies with another guy who has already bought the assembled dies, so I need my bender to work with them.

I guess I could just make a little longer strap. I think it would only need to be about 1/4" to 3/8" longer for the pin holes to line up.

I can rotate the die back for enough to get the strap pin through, but then I can't get the die puller pin holes lined up.

NIB

u guys r scaring me , did u dill the holes by drill press or mill . my up wrights r in the mill as i type the holes r coming out a little big but i think it will be ok like .005 big .

I have to jack up the back of mine lots in order to get the tube level.

But other than that it works mint.

As for the holes i would drill them out a little, if they are too tight its a pain to repin the die... and as i said before i had the tube straped in sitting on the lower die when i welded on the upper hinge blocks. did it to spec the 1st time and it was too tight.

u guys r scaring me , did u dill the holes by drill press or mill . my up wrights r in the mill as i type the holes r coming out a little big but i think it will be ok like .005 big .

We did ours on a drill press, just tacked the matching pieces together so they both matched and its fine.

Thanks guys , is a HD2 the same die as a pro tools die they look alot alike

I have to jack up the back of mine lots in order to get the tube level.

As for the holes i would drill them out a little, if they are too tight its a pain to repin the die... and as i said before i had the tube straped in sitting on the lower die when i welded on the upper hinge blocks. did it to spec the 1st time and it was too tight.
I just cut my two upper hinge blocks off. I'm going to have to move them up about .250". Mine were spot on the drawing dimensions. I'm starting to wonder if there is some variance in the dies?

NIB

http://www.fototime.com/3DD2C218315185A/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/47A11364E55376D/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/D13191C4785C927/standard.jpg

Finally got to bend some tube, 1.75 X .083.

I had to move the upper pivot tabs up a little to get the tube close to level and be able to get the strap pin in.

What I found was, each .035" the upper tabs are moved up, the angle of the tube drops about 1 degree. That was with a 1.75 X 6" X 240 die.

NIB

A bud came over today and we bent up a couple of hoops and welded them on to his Road Armor bumper. Tubing is 1.5" .120" wall DOM:

http://i5.pbase.com/g6/84/503584/2/74246738.NW5kBNY8.jpg

I did the work for the cost of the tubing and a half-rack of Honey Brown.

what do ya'll think about some 2" x3/4 flat bar instead of the 5/8 x 2 1/2 ?think it would work also where are ya'll getting your dies from (web site or phone # please)

Don't know about the 3/4 x 2" for the puller arms. As for the dies, I bought mine directly from ProTools.

Mike

You can get dies from Pro-Tools but when I order mine it took awhile cause they said they dont make them untill you order it. I do know you can get them from Keith over at xtremecrawlers.com or on the OFN (offroadfabnet.com) boards.

xtremecrawlers prices are cheaper than I paid directly to P-T. DAMN :mad3: :mad3:

where are ya'll getting your dies from (web site or phone # please)

Mike Green (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=509035&page=7)

You can get dies from Pro-Tools but when I order mine it took awhile cause they said they dont make them untill you order it. I do know you can get them from Keith over at xtremecrawlers.com or on the OFN (offroadfabnet.com) boards.

thanks for the info on xtremecrawlers they beat protools by 105.00 on the die i want

I bought all 5 of my dies from XtremeCrawlers.Com last year, because they had the cheapest price! :)

Heres my bender. just waiting on my tubing to get here.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/akecj7/DSCN2306.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/akecj7/DSCN2308.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/akecj7/DSCN2304.jpg

My tubing should be here Tues. Then let the bending begin

I bought all 5 of my dies from XtremeCrawlers.Com last year, because they had the cheapest price! :)
I tried them first but Mike Green (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=509035&page=7) beat their prices on the two die sets I ordered.

NIB

Does anyone have a line on a good angle finder? I am tired of dealing with the junk plastic $9 ones at Lowe's.

I do believe that Keith@xtremecrawlers matches prices if you call him. He is the only vendor I deal with for dies

yj-mike craftsmam has a inexpensive 10" digital angle finder for around $50. I also remember seeing someone use a cam degree wheel that was set up to show the angle of bends. Kind of like a degree ring like pro tools and others have.

yj-mike craftsmam has a inexpensive 10" digital angle finder for around $50. I also remember seeing someone use a cam degree wheel that was set up to show the angle of bends. Kind of like a degree ring like pro tools and others have.

I bought this specifically for use with my bender....and it's on sale this week at Sears for $39.99.

^^^

Man i want that level but they dont ship up to canada:(

and sears canada does not have it:mad3:

Sweet,

Headed to Sears to pick up 2 of them this morning.

Mike

I bought the same Craftsman level. It was on sale for $36 a couple of months back. It seems to be very acurate with repeatabilty better than +/- 1/10 of a degree.

NIB

I'm a little confused with the tube issue you guys were having. When you stick the tube in there, the tube pulling strap won't fit over the tube?

I'm about to weld mine up, but can move things around a little. I don't have a die, I'm buying that in a few months....one thing at a time.

Should I move the main pivot tabs up or down and by how much? Or is this just one or two people having an issue with a cheap die?

Lucas

Should I move the main pivot tabs up or down and by how much? Or is this just one or two people having an issue with a cheap die?
Ain't no fawkin cheap die, I paid $250 for brand new Pro-Tool 1.75X6 240 die.

NIB

I had to move the upper pivot tabs up a little to get the tube close to level and be able to get the strap pin in.

What I found was, each .035" the upper tabs are moved up, the angle of the tube drops about 1 degree. That was with a 1.75 X 6" X 240 die.

NIB

Actually, that is the same die I plan on buying....errr, the one to bend 110 deg is the one, but same 1.75x6....

How far did you end up moving the tabs up? You mentioned earlier that you were going to end up about 1/4" higher, did you stay with that number?

Lucas

http://www.fototime.com/770665C50009B9D/standard.jpg

As someone else sugested, I used a piece of receiver hitch to rotate the 5/8" mounting holes 90 deg.

Brad

I came up with a different way to do the same thing. Figured I'd add it here for others to ponder!

Looking at the above photo from NIB-98TJ, if you position the ram with the air pump down (rotate above pic 90 deg clockwise) you can take a 5/8" bolt inbetween the ears, not in the hole, but in the "crotch". Then in the hole, a 7/16" Socket Head Bolt will fit right into the hole and bottom out on the 5/8" bolt shaft. So, the force of the bender pushes on the 5/8" bolt and the retracting force (what keeps the ram attached) is done by the 7/16" bolt. You need to drill the holes in the two mounting blocks at 1/2" from edge to edge however and put a 1/2" Radius at the corner as well to clear the bottom of the ram. The distance between the mounts should stay at 2" per print (maybe a smidge more, I don't know yet). I'll post a pic when I finish welding mine up.

Lucas

I just cut my two upper hinge blocks off. I'm going to have to move them up about .250". Mine were spot on the drawing dimensions. I'm starting to wonder if there is some variance in the dies?

NIB

Same thing here....
Checked it with a couple of different dies, I think the drawing must be a little off.
The second, and third bender were done with the die in and a chunk of tube.
Jon

Here's the deal.......
Get two friends....
Have one buy the materials, the other one builds the benders, they are using your shop, so you end up with a free bender.
(Reality)
You end up spending the money, and then you help them make theirs better than yours.


http://www.jbfab.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/p2110078s.jpg

Looks like you've gone into mass production. :) :)

NIB

Same thing here....
Checked it with a couple of different dies, I think the drawing must be a little off.
The second, and third bender were done with the die in and a chunk of tube.
Jon

So what was the magic number you had to move the upper pivot blocks up? I've got a small list of things that didn't jive with the prints, I'm going to email to the guy.

Lucas

What I found was, each .035" the upper tabs are moved up, the angle of the tube drops about 1 degree. That was with a 1.75 X 6" X 240 die.

So, tack weld the tabs where the dwgs say. Put your die in with some tube and see if the tube is near level and you can get the tube strap on and the die pull pin in. If not, move the tabs up as required; about .035" per degree.

NIB

What I found was, each .035" the upper tabs are moved up, the angle of the tube drops about 1 degree. That was with a 1.75 X 6" X 240 die.

So, tack weld the tabs where the dwgs say. Put your die in with some tube and see if the tube is near level and you can get the tube strap on and the die pull pin in. If not, move the tabs up as required; about .035" per degree.

NIB

Thats my problem. I don't have the dies and won't until another few months. I'm making 2 more for my buddies (made them buy the plans thou) so I don't want to tack them in, I'd like to burn in the welds and have them in the right spot.

Considering that the tube drops 1 degree every .035, I could cheat the tabs up about .187 and slide the the cross bar down a tad to prevent the tube from hitting that, then it shouldn't have a problem fitting into the die.

Blase's picture shows the tube up roughly 5 degrees...which would be roughly 5/32" or .156 of "up" to get the tube flat....
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6cf39b3127cce8eb634731df800000016103AYuGbhu4Yo

Lucas

Blase's picture shows the tube up roughly 5 degrees...which would be roughly 5/32" or .156 of "up" to get the tube flat....

Mine started out 5 degrees up, like the photo. You can also see in the photo that he's not going to be able to get his tube strap on, I had the same problem.

I welded a piece of 1/4" to the top of each vertical 2X2 and moved the tabs up 1/4" (.250").

The tube was then about 3 degrees down or a change of 8 degrees. So .250 / 8 = .031" and I just rounded to .035" per degree.

I then moved the tabs down a little (about .080" I think) and the tube is now down about 1 degree and I can easily get the tube strap on.

But you really need a die and a piece of tube to get your starting point.

NIB

so if i want to change dies out i have to move the tabs every time . Starting to wonder if i made a mistake buying and building this bender.

so if i want to change dies out i have to move the tabs every time . Starting to wonder if i made a mistake buying and building this bender.

no... i think once you get it right it should br fine for every die (as long as the lower die holes are the same on the pro tools bender..)

I am a bit confused on what everyone is saying. Which holes are off? I was planning on building the bender then getting the jack and die, but now should I wait tack it up and make sure it all lines up?? I also went with 3/4 on the die puller, so i might need some modification for that. What exactly is the issue though?

It appears that in some instances (I wish I knew what) when you put the tube into the dies to bend it, you cannot get the puller strap on, the tube isn't close enough to the die.

I just finished welding mine at .187 higher than the top of the tube. I'd like to know what number you are supposed to have at the center of the 1" diameter and the topmost .875 diameter hole center.....

I am a bit confused on what everyone is saying. Which holes are off? I was planning on building the bender then getting the jack and die, but now should I wait tack it up and make sure it all lines up?? I also went with 3/4 on the die puller, so i might need some modification for that. What exactly is the issue though?
As it turns out, the placement of the two tabs that the die shaft goes through has to be very precise relative to the die follower shaft holes. If the tabs are a little too low, the tubing will angle up and the strap will not reach around the tube.

I assume, since not everyone has complained about it, it may not be a problem with all the benders built. But I read a couple of posts about the problem and sure enough when I got my die and stuck in the tube, it was angled up about 5 degrees and the tube strap would not reach. So I had to move the two tabs up a little (about .175”).

It’s no big deal. Just build the bender as shown in the plans, but just tack weld the two top tabs until you get your dies and some tube to check it. If it’s OK, finish welding the tabs. If the tube is high in back, grind the tack welds off and move the tabs up about .035” for each degree the tube is high. Worked for me any way.

NIB

Oh alright. So I guess I will just tack it all together and make sure it works. Thanks for the tip. And on the 6 vertical 7/8 holes drilled in the uprights on the frame how critical is precision here? I just noticed that one of my holes is about 1/16th off. They arent horizontally off, but vertically spaced a bit off. Am I screwed?

Depending on which hole it is and what size/radius dies you will be using, you may not use that hole.

NIB

I got ym bender frame pretty much mocked up, gotta finish the die puller and buy my die and the 8 ton ram from HF. Here she is, I am pretty satisfied with it, really fun to build. Do they make any tools for alignment purposes like to make a grid on the piece of metal your going to be drilling? I was using punches and a sqaure. and trying to run a vertical and horizontal line to make the center of my hole. ANy better methods? My shops got alot of nice machines (not MY shop) but I dont have much experience with them.

I got this 20045A35 (8" Diameter Clockwise Adhesive Backed Protractor Dial) from www.mcmaster.com today.. im going to get a 8" disk laser cut disk to weld on the bender (then put on the sticker)



I will post some pics when i get it done.

I got this 20045A35 (8" Diameter Clockwise Adhesive Backed Protractor Dial) from www.mcmaster.com today.. im going to get a 8" disk laser cut disk to weld on the bender (then put on the sticker)



I will post some pics when i get it done.

Oh thats a great idea! I wanted to get a degree wheel on mine, I would love to see how you do yours. I assume a degree wheel is what your talking about?

Oh thats a great idea! I wanted to get a degree wheel on mine, I would love to see how you do yours. I assume a degree wheel is what your talking about?


yep but its a sticker.. i want to make a disk with a cut out for the 2" tube

Is it gonna be mounted on the bender with a pointer or what?

Is it gonna be mounted on the bender with a pointer or what?

Yeah it will be mounted on the frame and the die will have a pointer.. i think:D

Sweet man, please post some pics if you could when your finished, I would like to do that with mine aswell.

Some more work with my bender :D

This thing has worked awesome! With my Elec/Hydro ram set up from JD2 that I installed on it, I can bend 1.5" tubing about 75ish degrees with one stroke of the ram

http://yyracing.com/photos/albums/userpics/10001/Re-exposure_of_Resize_of_DSCF3415.JPG

http://yyracing.com/photos/albums/userpics/10001/Re-exposure_of_Resize_of_DSCF3412.JPG

http://yyracing.com/photos/albums/userpics/10001/Resize_of_Re-exposure_of_DSCF3414.JPG

http://yyracing.com/photos/albums/userpics/10001/Resize_of_Re-exposure_of_DSCF3416.JPG

Dedenbear Wrecking Crew :confused:

Dedenbear Wrecking Crew :confused:

Nope our race team Y&Y Racing, now uses Dedenbear products.

We have no part of, nor use any or sell any Crane products any more.

What die are you using and how much did it cost you? I got quoted at 300$ for an 1 3/4x6x240 degree die...

I converted my PT bender to this style and just finished it up this morning. I used the northern tool ram and it seems to be pretty slow (it is quiet though). I need to add some oil and hopefully that will help. I of course didn't use the plans because I already had the bender part of it. I just made a stand and added the ram. Since I didn't have plans to stick to I made it a little bigger for stability and to clear the rams air piston. I also changed a few little things just because it made sense to me. I got all my extensions and brackets cut out at the local water jet. Sure made things easy.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_CWRtuk2VBho/RedZp9RERZI/AAAAAAAAAVM/_Mz0_i33GyY/s400/DSC02153.JPG

http://bp3.blogger.com/_CWRtuk2VBho/RedZmtRERYI/AAAAAAAAAVE/xH7JffJOyd4/s400/DSC02152.JPG

What die are you using and how much did it cost you? I got quoted at 300$ for an 1 3/4x6x240 degree die...

I paid $265 for that die last year from XtremeCrawlers.Com. :)

Video 1 (http://www.fototime.com/345EC83E8A0C1BD/orig.mpg)
Video 2 (http://www.fototime.com/E4050A9A900E41F/orig.mpg)
Video 3 (http://www.fototime.com/914B53B463DE9B7/orig.mpg)

Neat pictures, but they are rather small. :)

Best I could do. I don't have a "real" video camera. :)

NIB

A little better video. (http://www.fototime.com/C106D9A75DFD1EF/orig.mpg)

Much better! :)

So are people only having problems with the pipe being level and having to move the top tab with the 240* dies?

Silly stupid question for the day.. What is the benefit of a vertical setup over a horizontal? I have the protools HD bender and a large selection of dies for it but I am set up manually and want to convert it to hydro. Before I do it by just getting the kit (or making the same thing for less $) I would like to know why almost all of these are vertical.

This vertical design is easier for people to make without having access to a machine shop (can be done on a drill press with some patience and setup time) and materials are readily available at most steel yards fairly cheap. The "normal" model 3 bender design doesn't readily lend it's self to making a 90 degree bend with a cheap air/hydro 8 ton cylinder due to the mounting bolts being in the way. This design eliminates the bolts so there is room for the cylinder to pass through the frame. Plus some people say it is easier to setup when working alone since you don't need to juggle the tube, follower die, and pins.

On top of this, If you have a small shop it is alot easier to swing 10' of tubing up instead of around to the side of the bender...


I have use mine a ton since i put it together, and it works great!

After a year, the first piece of tube went into my homebuilt bender. SO now I have some advice for anyone wishing to build one. Don't weld the tabs that hold the pin for the center of the die until you have a die and a piece of tube. Turned out that the tabs were about 1/4" too low, tube wouldn't fit with the follower pinned to the correct hole and using the lower hole for the follower resulted in the tube feeding in at a 20 degree angle.



Not a huge problem to fix, but wasted a couple hours.

Yep, several people have reported the same problem. I think I had to move mine up about .200" or something like that.

NIB

I’ve had a couple of PM’s asking if extra die follower pin holes are needed. I will just post my answer here for others to read and post their thoughts.

I’m not sure you actually need those extra holes.

The Pro Tools die follower has a small tab welded on it with a threaded hole. The idea is to run a long bolt thru that threaded hole. The bolt is supposed to bottom out against another 7/8” pin that goes in two holes below the die follower pin. The idea (I think) is to snug that bolt up which snugs up the follower to the tube.

The problem is on a die with a 6” radius, you will only have one hole bellow the die follower pin. So, you need one more hole. With a 7” radius die, you would need two more holes.

I thought I needed the extra holes to use the “snugging bolt” from Pro Tools. I now think it probably not needed because the die and tube bend vertically, they kind snug themselves. Where if they were horizontal (as in a normal Pro Tools bender), the snugging bolt would help to keep the tube in the die.

That’s my thoughts. I could be full of shit and I'm open to others ideas.

NIB

I started working on mine in my machining class today. Got all the holes mapped out and center drilled. Going to run ti on the mill next time. Just need to get some 2x2 tube now, only have about 4 feet left of it.

I'm still using my JD2 manually on a stand bolted to the floor - but am considering finally going hydro.

Is there any reason to mount it this way, instead of the horizontal method it is designed for? I have plenty of shop room to work (30x40, and 11'6" to the trusses) so I guess I could manage swinging the tube any direction...

it just seems like lining up multiple bend planes would be easier with it set up vertical, since you aren't getting as much twist from gravity.

Also - any reason why you guys haven't incorporated a follower roller for long runs of tube?

i know this was asked in the thread but are extreme and protool the only place you can get the dies for the bender me and a friend have been thinking about getting multiple dies and those 2 are the only places that are posted

Check out the Vendors forum, just about every other post is someone selling dies and other bender paraphernalia.

Check out the Vendors forum, just about every other post is someone selling dies and other bender paraphernalia.
Mike Green also.

NIB

Also - any reason why you guys haven't incorporated a follower roller for long runs of tube?

I've only used 10 ft chunks in mine so far, but the follower die holds it up just fine on it's own. Another benefit of the orientation of the die from what I can see.

Here's ours with a few modifications and maybe a few more to come, I'm thinking of skinning the sides and having some ghost flames sprayed on for good measure.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/swatts1122/100_1473.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/swatts1122/100_1478.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/swatts1122/100_1476.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/swatts1122/100_1475.jpg

Which jack did you use krawlin?

picked up some tube this past week ,ordered the die from mike green today (he was the cheapest ) and drilled the a section today

that's the HF 8 ton with a nice coat of paint

Will this bender only work with the pro-tools dies or will the JD2 dies work as well?

The plans are set up for Pro-tools dies. I suppose if you had a JD2 die you could make adjustments to the plans so that they would work.

Would anyone happen to know where you can get dies in Australia by any chance, i want to make the gottrikes bender, but cannot find anything suitable

gotta boomark this...i could save a lotta money...not like that time i switched to geico

thought i would share this with yall.

my setup, had all the material to make the cart, so total project cost $70 for ram. not bad.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/biggreentj/P1010048.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/biggreentj/P1010049.jpg

Nice... All-in-one! :)

How is that HF pipe notcher holding up?

i have only done about 10 notches with it, but its working great!! already worth the $35

The die puller called for either a 3/4 or 7/8" hole. I dont remember which it was, but the hole in the die is larger than the instructions called for with the die puller. Is this right or did I just drill too small?

i also just found that the holes for the die are closer to 15/16" whereas the directions called for 7/8". Also on the uprights the hole through the follower die was 29/32" and the directions called for a 7/8" hole. In my opinion quite a few other things could be changed to make it easier to put together and nicer overall.

still got like 3 pairs of the B style spacers. Machined to the thousandth so they are a tight fit in the holes(heat on arms or cold on spacers to get them in.)
5 each plus shipping. Figure 5 bux USPS max

Do you still have any of the arms available in either style A or B??? I would am very interested in a set.

Thanks.

Does anyone have any of the arms available for sale?????

Does anyone have any of the arms available for sale?????

And if not for sale, does anyone have a cad file for them? I found a shop down the road from my house that does laser/flow cutting for small projects.

And if not for sale, does anyone have a cad file for them? I found a shop down the road from my house that does laser/flow cutting for small projects.


:shaking: Just a few posts down from this one, I didn't even need my fancy red star to find it: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=568979

Or pay a few bucks and order gottrikes plans

I finally got my bender made. I made a few bends and was wait ing for something to go snap and pieces to fly. I guess the welding class paid off. I use the HF air ram and instead of cutting my braces at 45* I cut them at 30 and 60*. This gives me enough room for the air pump on the side. I also made my arms out of 3/4" x 3" flat stock. Some of the holes are alittle oversized from the plans but it will do. I should have checked the diameter of the holesin the ram before drilling to the plans specs.

for the few guys who did this with a JD bender frame how much did you angle the frame to compensate for making the tube horizontal, and does it work the same with all your dies (more than one)

I have 2 dies one a JD and one a Pro"made for JD" the larger one uses hole 6 and the smaller one uses hole 4 there is about 10* difference between the follower and main frame angle

After reading thru this thread and looking at all of the great pictures I ordered the bender plans from Frank today. I was wondering if anyone knows the cheapest place to buy a 1.5" X 240 degree die from. I have been looking and so far Xtreme Crawlers seems to be the cheapest at 238 plus shipping for the 6" clr die. Also are there any other good sources for the air over hydraulic ram besides Harbor Freight. There are several links in some of the posts here from last year, but none of them seem to be working. Thanks!

ok in regards to my post above I did some testing

5 different dies produced 3 different tube/follower angles

the first die was my 1 inch 240* die
second was my 1.75 240* die
third was a friends 1.5 inch 240*
fourth was my friends 1.75 240* (same CL as my 1.75)
fifth was a 2" 180*

the 1 inch (from extended memory) set the tube up to (if bending in a vert position) lay up hill into the bender (and I will correct if Im wrong, when I look again)
the 1.5 and 1.75 set the tube up to lay parallel but one pin hole apart

and the 2" set the tube up to lay down hill into the bender


anyone else have any thoughts?

Ok after looking at things again the 1 inch die follower sits at a 15* angle to the main frame bar while the 1.5 and 1.75 followers sit at 20* to the main frame bar

all this leads me to think most of you guys only have/use one die.... or else someone would have brought this up....


what are you Pro tools die guys finding?

I'm building the got trikes tubing bender, i had to buy 20 feet of the 5/8" flat bar, so while i was milling the arms i went ahead and made as many as i could using the leftovers
Anyone interested in buying the two 5/8" flat bar arms and the uprights all milled excactly to spec for $200 + shipping
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/9901/img2507vr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
All you need to do is weld up the frame and buy the die and ram
The plans are here if you don't know what i'm talking about
http://gottrikes.com/HD_Tubebender.htm
PM or email me performance_innovation@hotmail.com
Brendan

I'm building the got trikes tubing bender, i had to buy 20 feet of the 5/8" flat bar, so while i was milling the arms i went ahead and made as many as i could using the leftovers
Anyone interested in buying the two 5/8" flat bar arms and the uprights all milled excactly to spec for $200 + shipping
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/9901/img2507vr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
All you need to do is weld up the frame and buy the die and ram
The plans are here if you don't know what i'm talking about
http://gottrikes.com/HD_Tubebender.htm
PM or email me performance_innovation@hotmail.com
Brendan

got any of the tabs for the ram? I need those 4 and the one flat bar that goes inbetween the arm.

I'm building the got trikes tubing bender, i had to buy 20 feet of the 5/8" flat bar, so while i was milling the arms i went ahead and made as many as i could using the leftovers
Anyone interested in buying the two 5/8" flat bar arms and the uprights all milled excactly to spec for $200 + shipping
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/9901/img2507vr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
All you need to do is weld up the frame and buy the die and ram

I really would like to get these, but I think most of the guys here would feel like I do - that's a little expensive. The reason we're building the bender from scratch is to save money. Thanks, anyway. :)

biggeentj. love your set up but what about the welders gas tanks?

Vortec Cruiser, how much for a set of just the 5/8 flat bar arms?

so what price do you think would be fair then? I figured i would start high and then negotiate

Brendan

I really would like to get these, but I think most of the guys here would feel like I do - that's a little expensive. The reason we're building the bender from scratch is to save money. Thanks, anyway. :)

so what price do you think would be fair then? I figured i would start high and then negotiate

Brendan

biggeentj. love your set up but what about the welders gas tanks?

i am a firm believer in flux, i do most of my welding outside in windy conditions so why waste money on gas.

there are a few design flaws i have found, i have to jack the bender side up, so the ram works perfectly, and the mount for the base of the ram needs to be swtiched, it gets bound up, and half way though,i have to adjust which bolt the ram connects to on the bender arm. all easy fixes.

looks like a homebrew tube shark, good job man

I am glad I am not the only one with the tube not sitting level in this bender. I have the 1"x110*, and the tube goes uphill into the die. I want to cut the tabs to correct it, but it sounds like the different size dies have different results, right?

just curious if anyone has ever used this tube bender....this one is 16 tons and they sell a 12 ton one for half the price, do you think the extra 4 tons are worth the money......

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_628_628

just curious if anyone has ever used this tube bender....this one is 16 tons and they sell a 12 ton one for half the price, do you think the extra 4 tons are worth the money......

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_628_628

Its a pipe bender not tube

I got the plans a week ago, and I have everything to build it except the die (it's on the way.) I noticed the holes for the die an the puller arm are listed as 0.91" holes - 29/32"? Is this a special order bit size, or should I drill a 15/16" or 7/8"?

I'm not sure why the mount for the jack on the style A puller arm has 3/4"" holes listed, but then you put a 5/8" bolt through it. Why the extra 1/8"?

Patrick

Well, if anyone wants to know if the plans are worth it, I emailed Frank the same questions above, and he got back to me in less than half an hour!

Here's his response about the hole sizes, to those that had the same questions, or are just curious:

Hello and thanks again for your purchase. The dimension .91 is a 7/8 hole with .030" clearance, for the guys that plasma cut there parts. If you ever drilled a hole in a conventional drill press, you will most likely end up with a larger hole than the drill. If you use a milling machine you might get it close but still would be larger than the drill diameter it self, especially if the drill been hand sharpened. Basically the holes are included with the clearance. IF you drill an exact hole as your pin you would have to weld the bender together in a jig or else you would not be able to push the pins thru the holes. On the Puller the jack holes are larger just for slack. I had a customer drill the 5/8 hole, his welding was off just enough so the bolts had to be hammered in place. So he had to drill it out to 3/4. I did drill my bender to 3/4 to test and the clearance is fine. If you can weld the parts together accurately than drill it to 5/8 it really does not make that much difference. This plans were made for the average builder, so i have to make sure that the plans are designed with the novice and the experienced in mind.

thought i would share this with yall.

my setup, had all the material to make the cart, so total project cost $70 for ram. not bad.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/biggreentj/P1010048.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/biggreentj/P1010049.jpg

Is running this ram completely horizontal and in this configuration ok or does the pump need to be at the bottom?

Well, if anyone wants to know if the plans are worth it, I emailed Frank the same questions above, and he got back to me in less than half an hour!

Here's his response about the hole sizes, to those that had the same questions, or are just curious:

Hello and thanks again for your purchase. The dimension .91 is a 7/8 hole with .030" clearance, for the guys that plasma cut there parts. If you ever drilled a hole in a conventional drill press, you will most likely end up with a larger hole than the drill. If you use a milling machine you might get it close but still would be larger than the drill diameter it self, especially if the drill been hand sharpened. Basically the holes are included with the clearance. IF you drill an exact hole as your pin you would have to weld the bender together in a jig or else you would not be able to push the pins thru the holes. On the Puller the jack holes are larger just for slack. I had a customer drill the 5/8 hole, his welding was off just enough so the bolts had to be hammered in place. So he had to drill it out to 3/4. I did drill my bender to 3/4 to test and the clearance is fine. If you can weld the parts together accurately than drill it to 5/8 it really does not make that much difference. This plans were made for the average builder, so i have to make sure that the plans are designed with the novice and the experienced in mind.

Thats good to know. I started mine today and was wondering the same thing. I stuck pins in mine and clamped the arms together and squared them before welding. So I think I will put a small bushing in that hole to take up the slack. I don't want a sloppy bender.


Also, I noticed my die has 3/4" holes where it calls for 7/8" holes on the bender arms. Its a 1" tube die (motorcycle frames), are the larger tube dies 7/8" holes or are they all 3/4"?

Is running this ram completely horizontal and in this configuration ok or does the pump need to be at the bottom?

i use that blue jack to jack it up some, and it works fine then.

all of the holes on the die are larger than the holes called for in the bender plans. My advise is to get the die first, then decide what you should drill. You will tweak everything slightly when welding without a jig, so, if you drill close tolerances the pins will not slide easily i.e hammer and punch. If welding without a jig, drill holes close tolerance, then after everything is welded take same size bit and round the holes out until pins slide easily.

I used clamps and tubing/bolts to keep it in line during welding.
http://hotrodders.com/journal_photos/00044506/11826180971.jpg
http://hotrodders.com/journal_photos/00044506/11826182061.jpg

All the pins still line up nice. So I'll make some bushings for the oversized holes, since I machined them before getting the die or the ram.

http://www.fototime.com/9A969E522A13A0C/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/1339457BC9EE31D/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/C78BBA2398E8D38/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/E697686C5DD63A2/standard.jpg

I also used pins and 1" pipe to square and align the holes. You can also buy an adjustable hand reamer from Enco that will help line up the holes after everthing is welded together.

NIB

Finally done. Nice to finally have a real bender.

http://hotrodders.com/journal_photos/00044506/11831437450.jpg

is everybody using the thompson shaft recommended or are there alternatives? I got a price on the thompson shaft and it wasn't to bad. but They wanted $27/Cut to cut it!

Hello guys, My name is Frank Takacs, designer of the HD Tube bender. I noticed a lot of questions that came up regarding the drilled holes. It is simple, the holes have to have some clearance. Most holes are given with 25-30 thousands clearance for easer alignment and this is thru in the manufacturing industry. If the holes are drilled in a milling machine the clearance will be around 0.003 to 0.005” over, just did one bender a week ago. On the puller arm I did not have to enlarge the holes since I used a digital display mill and holes came out to be pretty accurate. I welded the flat stock with proper alignment and the pins move freely. I did the same thing on Detail A and the holes aligned up well. After welding the frame together I noticed that the pins in detail A were tight. I was going to ream it out, with a cheap adjustable reamer, however I did not have the right OD. So I use the old technique of running the 7/8 drill bit in a circular motion ( I have a video I took with my photo camera unfortunately it is huge 30 MB file but I will add it to my website and I will add a link to this forum some time soon) that gave me around 0.010” clearance. It is hard on the drill bit, however I used a new Harbor Freight 7/8" drill to build a whole bender for testing the drill and the drill actually held up. You have to remember that detail A was drilled in a mill. So the .010” worked great. I had guys call me back after they built the die puller and told me that the 5/8” bolt did not go thru the holes to secure the jack. Well I told them to drill it out to 11/16” and most of them told me that it was still tight. So then the next step was to drill it to 3/4” to have some clearance. So you have to remember that there are many level of fabricators that purchase the plans, and most of them do not have milling machines or lathes. I had to find a happy medium somewhere to make it work. I built my first bender in 2004 the original SD with a drill press and a 130 amp welder. Holes had to be larger then 7/8 just for the fact that I had the holes laid out with a measuring tap and center punched holes centers. The HD bender was drilled in a mill and I could really keep the clearance closer.
Again, thanks for your support for purchasing the plans and I have to admit there were many bender built that looked much nicer then to one in our shop. I will get back with a link to the website as soon the page is created.

Thanks again,
Frank Takacs
www.gotTrikes.com

Regarding the shafts, the truth is this, if you are bending some small diameter tubing like 1” 1.25” a regular cold rolled pin will work fine, however if you are bending some large diameter thick wall tubing you need something stronger. Drill rod or Thompson shaft is the answer. Some 4130 or 4340 heat treated to 36 Rockwell shaft is good choice, too. I use some PH 17-4 rod that works too. I bend a lot of thin wall tubing like 4130 1 ½ inch OD with wall thickness of .049 .058 .062 and I used cold rolled pin also. I only changed to SS ph17-4 because I got tired the rusty pin and I had some laying around from the axle material I use. Again, if you try the cold rolled pin and fails, go heavier. I know that if you bend 2” OD inch with .125” wall the cold rolled die follower pin will bend. Some guy found some tractor pins somewhere for cheap and it worked out nice. I could not get a hold of him to find the source but somthing like that would be an alternate answer.

So here is a link to my website

http://www.gottrikes.com/Building_the_HD-tubebender.htm

Frank Takacs

Thanks for the replies Frank, but what is your response to those of us that have a problem with the tube not level before bending. It makes it hard to get accurate degrees when it does not start at zero. Any insight?

http://www.pro-tools.com/200k.htm

http://www.pro-tools.com/200k.htm

Its too top heavy unless you bolt it down, then it would not be portable.

http://www.pro-tools.com/200k.htm

This bender doesn't hold a candle to the bender designed by Frank Takacs. I can't see why anyone would want to build that bender, when you can just as easily build the Takacs bender. :)

I used to just deduct the starting number from the final bend. So if the angle was 4 degree on the horizontal tube just add or deduct it from the vertical. However I got a digital angle finder that I use now. Just reset the unit on the horizontal tube and as long as I do not flip the angle finder around I get the accuracy down to 0.2 degree. I have to bend a tube that has to be accurate to .2 degree. It is the axle of my trike and carries the camber. This unit is on sale at Enco for just a little over $100. It is a good unit to have around especially if you building a complex cage or sand rail. I even use it on my mill to set up the miter angle. Same unit when I got mine cost over 200 at McMasterCarr.

I will design a degree ring if you guys are interested or want to build it and load it up to the update page, but I will not build it since the one degree mark is just not accurate for me. Let me know, e-mail me so I know how manny is interested. There is a e-mail link on my website. www.gottrikes.com When I designed the SD bender I played around with the dimensions until I got all my dies to hold the tube to a level position, I soon found out that if pro-tools drills the hole in the follower or shoe just 1/16” off the tube will not be level anymore.

My bender is working great. My die puller got a bit warped when welding, but it doesnt affect anything. I am bending 1.75" .120 wall and when I let pressure off the ram I can see the bender flex a bit and it looks like the edge of the 1" thompson shaft gets "un bent". Its kind of scary really. I have thompson shaft on the follower and both pieces of the die, then grade 8 bolts for the ram and the die puller to the die.

I used 3/4" for the die puller and top tab as well

does anyone have a part number for the mcmaster pins....I'm putting a list together of parts needed to buy, so I can start shopping....

Thanks
Mike

My bender is working great. My die puller got a bit warped when welding, but it doesnt affect anything. I am bending 1.75" .120 wall and when I let pressure off the ram I can see the bender flex a bit and it looks like the edge of the 1" thompson shaft gets "un bent". Its kind of scary really. I have thompson shaft on the follower and both pieces of the die, then grade 8 bolts for the ram and the die puller to the die.

Does alot of pressure get applied to the pin holdin the follower block or mainly just the pin holding the die?

Both. The die pin is 1", but the follower pin is only 7/8".

NIB

I bought the plans to this unit 1.5 years ago and built it to the point I needed the pins for alignment and stopped:shaking:. It is still sitting in the corner at home waiting to be finished. Enough is Enough this weekend I'm buying pins and welding it together.

I bought the plans to this unit 1.5 years ago and built it to the point I needed the pins for alignment and stopped:shaking:. It is still sitting in the corner at home waiting to be finished. Enough is Enough this weekend I'm buying pins and welding it together.

I bought 2 tractor pins from Tractor Supply. I just need a 7/8x10" pin for the follower block. I think TSC has a tractor pin that will work for that too. If not I'm going to machine one out of coldrold stock and see how it works.

I've put off buying a die for like 3 months. Finaly ordered 1 yesterday.

I bought my 7/8" X 12" Thompson Shaft at McMaster Carr for $12.

PN:6061 K333 >> $11.98 + shipping

NIB

Yeah I finally ordered up my shafts yesterday, hopefully they get here by friday so I can finish assembly. I got these:

1
Each 6061K333
Hardened Precision Steel Shaft 7/8" OD, 12" Length
$11.98
1
Each 6061K606
Hardened Precision Steel Shaft 1" OD, 8" Length
$9.87
2
Each 6432K23
Zinc-Plated Steel Set Screw Shaft Collar 7/8" Bore, 1-1/2" Outside Diameter, 9/16" Width
$1.66
2
Each 6432K25
Zinc-Plated Steel Set Screw Shaft Collar 1" Bore, 1-1/2" Outside Diameter, 5/8" Width
$1.71


Still dunno what die I want, thinkin 1.5" 5.5" CLR. I don't have any projects requiring tube at the moment so.........

Yeah I finally ordered up my shafts yesterday, hopefully they get here by friday so I can finish assembly. I got these:

1
Each 6061K333
Hardened Precision Steel Shaft 7/8" OD, 12" Length
$11.98
1
Each 6061K606
Hardened Precision Steel Shaft 1" OD, 8" Length
$9.87
2
Each 6432K23
Zinc-Plated Steel Set Screw Shaft Collar 7/8" Bore, 1-1/2" Outside Diameter, 9/16" Width
$1.66
2
Each 6432K25
Zinc-Plated Steel Set Screw Shaft Collar 1" Bore, 1-1/2" Outside Diameter, 5/8" Width
$1.71


Still dunno what die I want, thinkin 1.5" 5.5" CLR. I don't have any projects requiring tube at the moment so.........

Awesome! That'll help me as I just bought the plans as well. I'm planning on the 1.75 6" Radius 240Degree die...
That and this HF (Model 94562) that a lot of you seem to be using Link: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94562

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/94500-94599/94562.gif

Yep, that's the one I used.

NIB

Anybody have the arms and uprights already drilled out for sale? Not a good local source for them.

Anybody have the arms and uprights already drilled out for sale? Not a good local source for them.

I'll be milling a set soon, I could make you a set but it'll be about a month before I have the time.

Ordered my shafts and collars tonight, $28.xx plus tax/shipping. The only thing I dont like is it does not give you a shipping charge up front. It just says applicable charges will be applied. And you give them a credit card number!!!:eek:

OK i finally got some tubbing and a die for this thing.

Question for those Air over Hydraulic guys. How long does it take to bend a 90 on that setup? For my manual ram it takes a good 4-5 minutes which is to slow. so if the air over hydraulic is noticibly faster im gonna spend the $90 and switch.

Also after your done bending what is the best way to remove the material? By removing the die? or is there a faster way?

I have come to realize that the air over hydro is too slow for me. But if you use the manual pump while the air is on, it seems to move faster. The air is good when your arm is tired from the manual pump.
The material comes out fairly easy once you release everything. I only remove the die when I have my "plane of bend bracket" on one end and mulitple bends on the other. Just start bending, you will find the tricks.

Dang, I ordered my shafts and collars from Mcmaster Carr on the 1st at 7:XXpm got them today (4th) at 3:30PM, that is service! Going to pick up the steel probably first of next week.

Question, I got a engine hoist that has the same looking ram on it.....but it is only 2 tons. You guys think it will work? I only ask cause I already have it and also went to HF and they did not have the right air/hydro ram in stock. The only one they had was the one with a flat foot on the bottom. Did get the set of HF Sterling and Deming HSS drill bit set size 9/16 to 1" for $34.99. Seem to be nice bits, cut through some 1/4" plate like butter with the 9/16".

Don't think the 2 ton ram will work. I think it takes like 8k lbs of force to bend larger sizes of tube.

Not trying to debate here, well yeah kinda. How does somebody (one person) bend on a manual bender (JD2, PT105HD) witha a 4' long handle? There is NO WAY they are putting 8-10K lbs worth of force on that thing. And BTW I will bending 1 3/4" .120 wall HREW.

Maybe it is the design of the bender I dunno, havent used one like this before. GotTrikes only recommends the 3T, that is 6K lbs.

Dang, I ordered my shafts and collars from Mcmaster Carr on the 1st at 7:XXpm got them today (4th) at 3:30PM, that is service! Going to pick up the steel probably first of next week.

Question, I got a engine hoist that has the same looking ram on it.....but it is only 2 tons. You guys think it will work? I only ask cause I already have it and also went to HF and they did not have the right air/hydro ram in stock. The only one they had was the one with a flat foot on the bottom. Did get the set of HF Sterling and Deming HSS drill bit set size 9/16 to 1" for $34.99. Seem to be nice bits, cut through some 1/4" plate like butter with the 9/16".

That flat bottom one works good. Just make your own tabs to weld to the bottom.

Not trying to debate here, well yeah kinda. How does somebody (one person) bend on a manual bender (JD2, PT105HD) witha a 4' long handle? There is NO WAY they are putting 8-10K lbs worth of force on that thing. And BTW I will bending 1 3/4" .120 wall HREW.

Maybe it is the design of the bender I dunno, havent used one like this before. GotTrikes only recommends the 3T, that is 6K lbs.

I have the 8 ton bending 1-3/4 .120 DOM no problem. You may get away with a smaller ram, but why would you want to????

Because I already have it on my engine hoist. There is allot of difference in 2 and 8 ton....approx 12K lbs.

I have the 8 ton bending 1-3/4 .120 DOM no problem. You may get away with a smaller ram, but why would you want to????

You can try it, the worst that would happen, is the ram wont perform. If all else fails, you can go to HF and get their 8 ton for about $40.

Is it a 2 ton hoist or a 2 ton ram. I have a hoist with a 2 ton rating and I used the ram off of it for a while (ended up with the air over hyd HF unit). The ram was not marked with any rating, but judging by the size I'd say it was more than the 2 tons the hoist was rated at (same size as the 8 ton HF ram).

Not trying to debate here, well yeah kinda. How does somebody (one person) bend on a manual bender (JD2, PT105HD) witha a 4' long handle? There is NO WAY they are putting 8-10K lbs worth of force on that thing. And BTW I will bending 1 3/4" .120 wall HREW.

Maybe it is the design of the bender I dunno, havent used one like this before. GotTrikes only recommends the 3T, that is 6K lbs.


Leverage. The length from the pivot to your arms is about 4 feet, but the distance from the pivot to the pin on the ratchet bar is about 2 inches. For 2" .120 wall DOM, I'd guess that your putting around 250 lbs of force on the bar...?? So that's about 6000 lbs of force on the ratchet bar. So you'd be close on the 2 ton ram and it would prolly do smaller tubing ok, but prolly not the larger stuff.

The original plans call for a 3ton ram. It might be a little harder to push with the 2 ton, but it should still work.

Also, here's mine... Almost exclusively scrap steel. Only about 5' of 2x2x.25 in it as well. The main arms are about 6" shorter than spec, the gusset arms are only 1.5x.120 wall and the base is a bread cart from ingles plus some 3/16" angle. So it's quite a bit lighter than most here, but it's still heavy as hell...
So far I've only bent 1.75x.120 DOM and it did just fine, but I have to repin the die once for a 90* bend, I might try mounting the ram in a different hole.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/5018/1000230cp5.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9351/1000229ab2.jpg

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6936/1000231os3.jpg