New Shop built tubing bender

Bonehead · Apr 13, 2008

I own several different tubing benders, but I have not owned a mandrel type until now. It is not so much that I could not justify, or afford a factory bender. I just wanted to build one. As it turned out, pretty cheap, and works well, I think I accomplished my goals. The bulk of the frame material are frame rail sections from a John Deere tractor. It took me a couple of trys to hit the sweet spot for leverage, but I added metal until I got it right. I have been bending 1 3/4 ths inch tubing with a .120 wall to a 90 degree bend in one shot with a HF air over hydro ram. So far so good. Not bad for around 200 bucks. I know it doesn't look like much, but it works well.

Tripper · Apr 13, 2008

Serious!!!

Mr Bonehead,
Man... that is a serious lookin' piece of machinery!!! Can't wait to see something u made with it!

BoB

Bonehead · Apr 13, 2008

Bonehead · Apr 13, 2008

Tripper said:
Mr Bonehead,
Man... that is a serious lookin' piece of machinery!!! Can't wait to see something u made with it!

BoB

Yes it is very serious! When you build something, then stand back as far as you can when you run it the first time, it is serious. The HREW tubing I am bending is pretty tuff stuff. But so is the 5/8 plate on both sides of the ram.
I have a few outside jobs to do, a rear bumper on my old desert runner, for the new owner, and a full cage for a Jeep buggy. Pictures when I do... I know.

hotrodron · Apr 14, 2008

Nice! Just be careful it doesn't tip on ya. Looks heavy

donsrods · Apr 14, 2008

That is one serious piece of equipment for sure. Nice job.

Don

Gastrick · Apr 14, 2008

Really cool piece of equipment Bonehead. Nice job.

Bonehead · Apr 14, 2008

Working with metal is so much fun because you can build stuff that builds stuff. Yep, it is heavy and about 6 feet tall on its stand. I used the overhead hoist to pick it up and move it around while I was building it. But it stands great on its own now.

chopper tom · Apr 14, 2008

That looks great bone head ,now if you could come up with a way to make the dies ???Thats kinda whats got me stumped right now?
That definatly looks like some serious hard working equipment!
Are you building any new rats for yourself right now? Like to see some new pics!

powerplant · Apr 14, 2008

Is there a group of us that dreams of tools just as much as vehicles? I wish I had every tool under the sun. I keep building my collection as I go.

I like the bender.

Bonehead · Apr 14, 2008

chopper tom said:
That looks great bone head ,now if you could come up with a way to make the dies ???Thats kinda whats got me stumped right now?
That definatly looks like some serious hard working equipment!
Are you building any new rats for yourself right now? Like to see some new pics!

The dies are the hard part. I almost built this one by cutting a bunch of pairs 1/4 inch plate with an inside curve with the same center point and different radius. Then stacking the plates and welding them together. Instead I spent the 150 bucks and saved my self the aggravation. No rats right now, still having some problems getting down low. But things are stretching out more every day.

powerplant said:
Is there a group of us that dreams of tools just as much as vehicles? I wish I had every tool under the sun. I keep building my collection as I go.

I like the bender.

Thanks, I like tools no doubt, but when I go to the steel supply place I am like a kid in a candy store. I see a million projects, not just racks of steel.
However I have been known to collect a car project or two also.

eugene vik · Apr 14, 2008

bends

well it looks like you will get to know about setback
make a bend and mark where you clamp it and use it to get the right spacing
used to have a electric mandrell bender did a lot of 1 1/2 black iron pipe for stock car cages, when young and ambitious

enjoy your toy

most of my bends now are with the exhaust bender not nifty

but bends!!

bob w · Apr 14, 2008

There's no limit to what you can invent! Nice job.

Bonehead · Apr 14, 2008

Thanks for the set back info. I used a JD2 bender before this but it was not mine. I understand having the bent chunk of tube with marks on where to starta bend. Right now I just like watching it bend. It is like the first time I wired a 3 way switch. I almost wore myself out running up and down the stairs flipping the switches.

chopper tom · Apr 15, 2008

I have a die that i started buiding and i will post a pic for ya if i get a chance today. i used the larger piece of pipe and bent it and thencutit in halfe and boxed it in on the sides and it looks like it will work out well ,if i had time to finish it up? The inside diemiter of the larger pipe is the size of the out side of the tubing that i am wanting to bend if you follow what i'm trying to say here?
Any ways i'll try to get a pic up latter today.

24dodge · Apr 15, 2008

Bonehead said:
Thanks for the set back info. I used a JD2 bender before this but it was not mine. I understand having the bent chunk of tube with marks on where to starta bend. Right now I just like watching it bend. It is like the first time I wired a 3 way switch. I almost wore myself out running up and down the stairs flipping the switches.

, nice job on the bender

flatheadgary · Apr 15, 2008

homemade benders

i know this is a bit late, but someone may find it useful.
http://favoriteprojects.com/how_to_build_a_tube_bender.htm
http://www.blindchickenracing.com/tools/Tube Bender/Tubingbender.htm
http://www.pro-tools.com/200k.htm
http://www.gottrikes.com/Tube_Bender.htm
http://www.chopperweb.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22378
http://www.rutuonline.com/html/tube_bender.html
http://www.chopperhandbook.com/neatstuff/downloads.htm
http://www.chopperweb.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22378
http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/pipe/index.html
http://chopperweb.net/forum/articles.php?action=viewcat&catid=11
some of this may not be relevent, but it is interesting.

Bonehead · Apr 15, 2008

A bunch of cool sites, and projects there.

chopper tom · Apr 16, 2008

wow thanks for the info flatehead!!!

T2T · Apr 16, 2008

It's a great feeling building a tool and having it work the way it should.......Great job Bonehead.

New Shop built tubing bender

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