http://www.tubebandit.com/xcart/images/home/homespread.jpg (http://www.tubebandit.com/xcart/home.php)<---click


Man, I wish we could edit titles

Now I have to try and figure out the ROI. I bend alone most of the time so this widget might come in handy.

Man, I wish we could edit titles

delete and repost:homer:

Maybe I'm missing something in the design since it isn't shown close up, but it seems like that belt drive setup would make it a pain in the ass to swap dies a lot. Looks fine for people who bend a lot of the same tube, but I changed dies 4 times friday afternoon, and I only made 6 bends.

Looks like PBB's own "TheBandit" designed the Tube Bandit.

Maybe I'm missing something in the design since it isn't shown close up, but it seems like that belt drive setup would make it a pain in the ass to swap dies a lot. Looks fine for people who bend a lot of the same tube, but I changed dies 4 times friday afternoon, and I only made 6 bends.

I seen that. I wonder how easy the setup and calibration is?

I seen this thing being tested at Koop fabrication in bakersfeild , I used it as well.. It works great. It wasn't hard to change tube size at all . Very eazy to set up as well . Koop used it for a few months doing testing at his shop..

delete and repost:homer:

And become a HGTD? I'll stick with dumbass.:D

I seen this thing being tested at Koop fabrication in bakersfeild , I used it as well.. It works great. It wasn't hard to change tube size at all . Very eazy to set up as well . Koop used it for a few months doing testing at his shop..

care to enlighten us on how changing dies works with that belt drive setup? Do you have to pull the belt off every time?

is it that difficult to look at the degree wheel etc? Once i have done a few bends, it's cake to figure out where to send it to...

No its not hard but when you are by yourself I can see where this tool could really come in handy.

I am pretty sure you could get by without it though.

Looks like PBB's own "TheBandit" designed the Tube Bandit.

Yes, I did design the Tube Bandit. I am very excited to launch this product after working on it for quite some time. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.

Maybe I'm missing something in the design since it isn't shown close up, but it seems like that belt drive setup would make it a pain in the ass to swap dies a lot. Looks fine for people who bend a lot of the same tube, but I changed dies 4 times friday afternoon, and I only made 6 bends.

Yes to swap dies, you must loosen the belt and the locking center pin. The sensor is held to the bender arm by two set screws. The center pin locks to the die via a nut at the bottom. It does add time to changing dies, but the process is not complicated.

We will have a video on the website later this week to show the installation & die change process.

I seen that. I wonder how easy the setup and calibration is?

Take a look at the installation instructions from the website: http://www.tubebandit.com/xcart/downloads/TB100Instructions.pdf

:smokin: Saweet gonna keep an eye on this.

That's awesome TheBandit!! I saw the name of it and wondered immediately if you had something to do with it :D

Maybe I'm missing something in the design since it isn't shown close up, but it seems like that belt drive setup would make it a pain in the ass to swap dies a lot. Looks fine for people who bend a lot of the same tube, but I changed dies 4 times friday afternoon, and I only made 6 bends.

I added a video to our site to show how it goes together.
http://www.tubebandit.com/xcart/video/TB100InstallGuide.wmv

This video doesn't explicitly show a die swap, but we timed it and it takes about 1 minute total to get the main forming die out and a new one in.

That's awesome TheBandit!! I saw the name of it and wondered immediately if you had something to do with it :D

Thanks! I can't tell you how exciting it is to get this going. :D We've had quite a few orders for just the first week. I think once word gets out people will have a better idea of how useful a readout can be.

Nice!

any type of easily accessible 'output' from this? 0-10v / 180* could be handy.

oh, i see now it is battery powered... still sweet.

Nice, I made mine so the encoder mounts directly to the pin. I also added outputs to the display, to allow me to key in an angle and press start, the pump for my ram automatically stops at the desired angle.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x205/murfman_photo/Tools/DSC00950.jpg

Time for the Bandit to get a yellow star and pimp his shizzz:D

Nice, I made mine so the encoder mounts directly to the pin. I also added outputs to the display, to allow me to key in an angle and press start, the pump for my ram automatically stops at the desired angle.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x205/murfman_photo/Tools/DSC00950.jpg

Now that is :smokin: got a build up ?

Time for the Bandit to get a yellow star and pimp his shizzz:D

Definitely.

any type of easily accessible 'output' from this? 0-10v / 180* could be handy.

The current Tube Bandit is strictly a digital readout, but more advanced products are in the works. We will support our existing customers with upgrade packages when the time comes.


Nice, I made mine so the encoder mounts directly to the pin. I also added outputs to the display, to allow me to key in an angle and press start, the pump for my ram automatically stops at the desired angle.

Nice job Murfman! I've come across yours before - well done adaptation of automation equipment.

Time for the Bandit to get a yellow star and pimp his shizzz:D

Done! Full pimping is activated. Keep your eyes peeled for our banner ad too - it should be popping up this week or next.

If anyone's going to King of the Hammers in February, we'll be there with a booth and you can see this thing in action. We'll also be offering special cash pricing on the lakebed.

Tube Bandit has been sold to people all over the US, Canada, and Australia. Hopefully one of our customers will chime in and talk a little about it. In the meantime there is a thread going on OFN where several people have commented on their experience with it: http://www.offroadfabnet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6526

Also we recently added an instructional video on YouTube. At the end of the video you can see it working.
YouTube - Tube Bandit Installation Guide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHHJd_QkE8o)

Thanks to everybody who encouraged me during my bender build a couple years ago. I got a lot of great ideas and feedback from Pirate in those days and it's had a huge impact on where I am now. I appreciate all the support. Let me know if you have any questions.

Its killer to see a new product come out that does not totally break the bank! Very cool!

Ordered mine the day after xmas cant wait to use it.

How about using rare earth magnets to hold the display instead of set screws, might be a cool upgrade/change for future releases.

Nice work :beer:

Very cool, and at a decent price. Good luck on the business venture, Clint :beer:

Thanks for the well wishes. It's a real challenge starting a business and I have a lot of respect for the people who have done it and been successful.

Ordered mine the day after xmas cant wait to use it.

Thanks for your order! Your Tube Bandit went out on the 27th and should have arrived on the 30th. Let me know if you have any questions about the installation or use. Be sure to check out the installation video and read the instructions for tips. You can find them both here: LINK (http://www.tubebandit.com/xcart/pages.php?pageid=6).

Let us know what you think once you get it up and running.

How about using rare earth magnets to hold the display instead of set screws, might be a cool upgrade/change for future releases.

I like this idea too, but we were concerned it might get bumped/knocked off unless we used a very good (expensive) magnet. It's definitely something to play with in the future. In the meantime, the set screw mount is very simple and keeps the display rigid while you press buttons. For custom mounting, we provide the hole pattern for the back of the display in the instructions for making your own display mount and the sensor cable can easily be extended if needed.

I have one and so far I really like it. Makes repeat bends brainless! Also, it is really nice when you are trying to hand fab tubes laid out in 3D modeling software. You can measure your bend angle in the software, do a test bend for mat'l springback, then ACCURATELY make a bend to exactly what you have in the 3D model. I even got a christmas card with a sharpie! So far so good, thanks for the great tool!

Erik S