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Keep coming back to this thread....anyone have a complete set of plans I can buy..I emailed got trikes over a week ago and havent gotten a response...Thanks
 
Just Finished Mine

Just finished up my build of the gottrikes bender, I built style B.

I am using 1 and 5/8" and 1 and 1/4" die sets.

In the video and pics below, it is set up with the 1 and 5/8" die set and the tubing is .165" wall.

Very happy with it so far. Thank you to all who have contributed to this thread.

Here is a short video of the bender in action:

Gottrikes Tubing Bender 871DCF58 EEC7 4C95 B7A5 DC7C5CE8B117 - YouTube


And a few pics:


















 
Just finished mine. Did not want to bend over to mess with tube/dies so I built mine on legs with locking casters.

For those of you using return springs...how are they working out. Do you have a part number for the springs you used?
 

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For those of you who have built this, I am considering starting this build soon, likely the gottrikes model. Can anyone think of a reason to drill all holes if I only intend to run one die? I figure it will only serve to weaken the bender, dull more bits, and kill my drill press, and I only need one set on the base for slide block and one set on the swing arms for die, really. (Of course, still plenty of holes to mount ram, pivot point, etc etc)

Thanks for any input.
 
Once its all welded together it'd be a bitch to drill any more holes if you ever wanted a different die. Why only the one die size?

Slow rpm and use lube. Your drill should last a long while. Also learn to sharpen your own drills.

Kevo
 
Honestly, because I'm cheap/broke, so won't likely spend the cash on additional dies. Really, it should be that it's for different radius bends, not different tubing sizes. The arms would be easy enough to redrill later, so maybe I should suck it up and drill the frame now. Not too bad going through ¼" walls anyway, and can just drill the pilots for the "future expansion" holes.
And yeah, I'm just complaining. I'm sure my drill will be okay, and do know how to resharpen bits.
 
I just bought the plans. Can anyone tell me the advantage of the holes in the verticals (A) being off center?
Also, I see other benders with aluminum dies. Anyone use aluminum dies in this bender? I could make cast aluminum dies.
Thanks!
 
Honestly, because I'm cheap/broke, so won't likely spend the cash on additional dies. Really, it should be that it's for different radius bends, not different tubing sizes. The arms would be easy enough to redrill later, so maybe I should suck it up and drill the frame now. Not too bad going through ¼" walls anyway, and can just drill the pilots for the "future expansion" holes.
And yeah, I'm just complaining. I'm sure my drill will be okay, and do know how to resharpen bits.
Having built one, I can't imagine going through all the work that it took to build one of these, and then (for lack of drilling a few more holes) not being able to use a standard protools die set of a different size and radius, that you may buy/encounter in the future.

The arms and uprights are hardly "easy to redrill later". Would be an absolute bitch to do, compared to just drilling before everything is welded up.

Building one of these as a "one trick pony" would be plain crazy, but hey, it's your project.
 
I just bought the plans. Can anyone tell me the advantage of the holes in the verticals (A) being off center?
Also, I see other benders with aluminum dies. Anyone use aluminum dies in this bender? I could make cast aluminum dies.
Thanks!

There is no "advantage", its simply the way that the geometry works out, based on the location of the arm pivot.
 
Having built one...........

The arms and uprights are hardly "easy to redrill later". Would be an absolute bitch to do, compared to just drilling before everything is welded up.
Ditto on that. It would probably be easier to just cut the bitch back apart, drill the remaining holes on a drill press and then weld the SOB back together.

It's kinda like the sign that my old bossman had hanging on his office wall. It said, "If you ain't got time to do it right the first time, how are you going to have time to do it over?"

NIB
 
When he first started selling the plans, seems like he would usually send them out by the next business day or even the same day. In recent times I have seen more and more posts like your's from people who have had to wait a few days. I have yet to see a post from someone who said they never received the plans.

Good Luck,
NIB
 
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