I need some help on how to bend seamless steel tube with a pipe bender.

I know, " get yourself a tube bender" would be the first thing on your mind, but i live in belgium and manual tube benders like the JD2 model 3 aren't available here. And hydraulic tubing benders cost a fortune.

I can bend 1" 3/4 tubing (wall 0.14"/3mm) to a fairly perfect 90°, no dents at the rollers, just very little "bumps" on the inside of the bend almost invisible to the human eye.

My problem is how do i bend with this thing?? I've read "bendin' tube 101" by Rob Park, but that whole technique is based on the distortion on the beginning and end of the 90° bend, problem is i can't feel this distortion with the pipe bender.

So what is the trick for bending mutliple bends in one stick with the pipe bender? Anyone can help me out? Any sites on the net with some info?

Thanks, Christof

Not related but we've been using that type of bender with good success also.

What kind of bender is that, and what you see in the picture is that the whole bender? Thanks - Carl

How are you bending with that bender to get it to bend. We messed around with one we had in the garage and couldn't get it to bend it with out crushing the holy crap out of it.

Originally posted by GloNDark
How are you bending with that bender to get it to bend. We messed around with one we had in the garage and couldn't get it to bend it with out crushing the holy crap out of it.

We sleeved the rollers about 4-5" worth. That kept the tube from denting where it contacted them. We are using a die that we borrowed from a buddy. It looks exactly the same as the pipe die but either the bend radius is slightly different or the side tolerances are tighte providing more support for the tube. I think the combination of the different die and the sleeved rollers is what made the difference. We were crushing tube like mad with it, changed those two things, and now it gives clean bends all the way up to 90 degrees. We are also doing this with full-hydro.

-Chris, Bigdude, you're lucky it worked for you. :beer:

I lend one sometime, and the tube wouldn't bend but COLLAPSE. :nuke:
After some hard trying, the sh*t wouldn't even work anymore... :mad3:


- Glo, I see what you mean, and am with you on this.

-Carl, yes it's the whole bender ou see, but not setup the proper way.. Sorry Chris :flipoff2:


You need to have the small block with the C-channel in them closer one to another, and the big plates a lot more parallel. So that when the piston is in, your tube is already blocked between the die and the 2 blocks. Once the piston is fully out, you have made a 180° bend.
5does this make sense ?

Bye,

Denis

Come on guys, help me out here, I've rented the bender an i have to return it next monday.
How do i measure the tube and how do line up everything and get identical bends??

About the bender, the trick is to put the rollers as wide as possible, so then you will only have a very little dent at the rollers, if you put the rollers close to each other, you will dent the tube.

What you see in the pic is the entire bender, it's a pipe bender with a huge manual hydraulic pump. It works like the harbor freigth bender it's just built heavier.

Christof

We just bent these tube fenders up for my trailer on Saturday.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid21/pe6736e537ffbc4c4703a1aa199bdd638/fdaee84e.jpg

double posting:question:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58844

Originally posted by bigdude


We sleeved the rollers about 4-5" worth. That kept the tube from denting where it contacted them.

Rollers...
The one I borrowed had small blocks with a pin on each side into the big plates. The blocks had a C-channel in them.

What do you mean by sleeving the rollers ?
(Sorry I know I'm stupid, an no good in English either :rasta:

Thanks,

Bye,

I have no idea how to properly setup the bender, just tried it and it worked.

What i found out is when i put the small blocks close to each other the tube dents, when i put them far apart the tube doesn't. So i tought wide was the way to go.

Are there reason's why i shouldn't put the blocks wide apart?? Weaker bends or something, i dunno??

Christof

Originally posted by cornfedred
double posting:question:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58844

Sorry about that , but since it's a rented bender i am desperate for quick advice.

christof

that looks like a standard electrical bender for ridge conduit. they are real easy to bend with, just mark the area you need the bend and bend it to the dergrees you need. if you take a piece of tube and lay it out at 4', 4',4' and bend it at the marks to 90 degs.[put the marks centered in the die]. it will be just about4' outside to out side. as far as repeating bends just measure how far the tube is back to the end of the brace the rollers are mounted to. if you bend it to 90 degs. and it has 1" sticking past the brace, just be sure to do it on the next one the same. over bend your angles by a few degs, it is easy to pull a couple of degs from a tube, but you can add any. hope this helps mike

Originally posted by Diesel_Cruiser
I have no idea how to properly setup the bender, just tried it and it worked.

What i found out is when i put the small blocks close to each other the tube dents, when i put them far apart the tube doesn't. So i tought wide was the way to go.

Are there reason's why i shouldn't put the blocks wide apart?? Weaker bends or something, i dunno??

Christof

Wow, this is why that sh*t wouldn't work with me !
Well I must be really stupid then, but I figured that block wide apart, one couldn't make 90°+ bends, so I thought they had to be closer. Maybe the die was not suitable either.

Anyway, if you put the block closer one to each other, I suppose multiple bends'd be easier...

Just my $0.02

Originally posted by bigdude


We sleeved the rollers about 4-5" worth. That kept the tube from denting where it contacted them. We are using a die that we borrowed from a buddy. It looks exactly the same as the pipe die but either the bend radius is slightly different or the side tolerances are tighte providing more support for the tube. I think the combination of the different die and the sleeved rollers is what made the difference. We were crushing tube like mad with it, changed those two things, and now it gives clean bends all the way up to 90 degrees. We are also doing this with full-hydro.

HHMMM Interesting. I have some scrap I will mess with to see if I can get it to work. Thanks for the ideas. I am a cheap bastard right now because I got a kid coming any minute now, and gotta save the $$$. And I hate borrowing someone elses $900 bender! :D

We can also put the sleeved rollers as far in or out as we want w/o kinking or denting.

The sleeved rollers consist of a 5" section of tube that's cut open. Like maybe 1/3 of the circle. That is then welded to a piece of round tube and long bolt/pin/whatever is slid in through the holes on the bender and the round tube on the sleeved portion. As the tube bends the sleeved portion can rotate with it and provide support throughout the bend.

Next time you are over there, you need to take pix. It would be a whole lot easier then trying to visualize what you are describing. Cuz I don't get it :flipoff2: :D

Wait, now that I've read it like 5 times, it sounds like you removed the original rollers and replaced them with these rollers you made??

Pix man!

Originally posted by bigdude
We can also put the sleeved rollers as far in or out as we want w/o kinking or denting.

The sleeved rollers consist of a 5" section of tube that's cut open. Like maybe 1/3 of the circle. That is then welded to a piece of round tube and long bolt/pin/whatever is slid in through the holes on the bender and the round tube on the sleeved portion. As the tube bends the sleeved portion can rotate with it and provide support throughout the bend.

Originally posted by rkcrawl
Next time you are over there, you need to take pix. It would be a whole lot easier then trying to visualize what you are describing. Cuz I don't get it :flipoff2: :D

Wait, now that I've read it like 5 times, it sounds like you removed the original rollers and replaced them with these rollers you made??

Pix man!



Yes that should be it !
The bender I had had no rollers but steel blocks with round C-channels machined on one side the for the tube to come in.
which is almost exactly what Bigdude described, 'cept that they're one-piece:

(cross-section : )
_
II <- pin that comes into the big plate
_II__
I /
I \ <- this is supposed to be round :flipoff2:
~II~~
II
~

Now how will this look like...

edit : forget about this :rainbow:
next post has been edited 4times..

Try again...

(cross-section : )
..._
...II <- 1
._II__
I......./ <-2
I_..._\ <-
...II
...II
...~


1. pin that comes into the thick plates (one per side)
2. this is supposed to be round :flipoff2:
2. tube come here in the channel


Oh yeah doesn't it look good ?!:D

Finally figured out how to use this bender, pretty easy once I've learned the trick. Bent my main hoop today, front hoop is planned for tomorrow. What should i do ?? Top U shaped hoop and two legs down like the blue cage, or two inverted L shaped legs and some spreader bars welded in between like in the second pic or a full front hoop like in the third pic?
I'm thinkin of doing the top u shaped hoop wich would be easier to bend. Any disadvantages strengthwise to this design??

Christof

second picture

third pic

Main hoop 1"3/4 seamless tube.