HF Bead Roller

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Neverdone

He's not done yet...
Joined
Oct 28, 2010
Messages
4,381
Location
Dirt RD Maybee, MI
Much room for improvement.

Of course I already knew that thanks to all the other fellow rat rodders.

Deflects, twists, needs reinforcements. But thanks to my inside track membership it was only $130. Will do some work to it this week and make it better. Definitely see the benefits to a wheel instead of the crank too.
 
I just bought a Bead Roller on Friday. Same as you, I knew before hand it needs a bit of help, but I also know at $130 bucks I'd be hard pressed to build one from scratch. Reinforcing where needed and a geared down motor drive is being planned, still a cheap unit in dollars. Seen their plasma cutter at $600 with the Track Club discount on Friday, and it only took a day and 1/2 to talk myself into it, went back today and bought one of those too. :D
 
Yea I would say that the inside track club is well worth it if you are a regular customer there!!

This is my first experience with a bead roller, I tried it out last night when I got home, like a kid on Christmas, couldn't wait!! It is definitely a neat toy/tool. Will be interested to see how it works once I get it modified.

So how you liking the plasma cutter? [P I am always a little leery of buying something like that from there.....
 
I don't know yet...I haven't tried it. The guys at work want to get a look at it, so it will likely go to work with me tomorrow and we'll all give it a try then. I have to admit that I've been a bit leery of the electronic stuff from HF as well. But if you read the reviews, they seem to be pretty positive. What got me looking at them were the comments by dogpatch1. He says he's had one for a year now and is quite happy with it. So between that, the price, the additional 2 year warranty, (which I bought) I don't think I can go to far wrong. Time will tell. I let you know tomorrow night how it went.:)
 
I have to say I really like the HF plasma cutter. Took it into work with me and we all give it a little go. Only one of the guys had ever operated a plasma before, he had bought one from Eastwood about 6 months ago. He said he perferred the HF unit. The plasma cone was more intense, and had a lot less slag, and a narrower cut. HF one has the air inlet at the upper corner at the back, the Eastwood is in the lower corner at the back and the air hose is harder to attach when sitting on a cart. (Cart frame must be in the road, minor detail I would think.) Tried it on a 1/8 wall rectangular steel tube, cut it with absolutely no effort at all. Had a bit of scrap 40 thou aluminum sheet and it didn't even bat an eye. Did this freehand so there was a bit of shake, but it didn't affect the machines ability in anyway. Now to see if it has a decent lifetime(as in years of service) and how long it keeps operating (like new). A couple of pictures of silvers of steel and aluminum that we trimmed from larger stock.
 

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I have to say I really like the HF plasma cutter. Took it into work with me and we all give it a little go. Only one of the guys had ever operated a plasma before, he had bought one from Eastwood about 6 months ago. He said he perferred the HF unit. The plasma cone was more intense, and had a lot less slag, and a narrower cut. HF one has the air inlet at the upper corner at the back, the Eastwood is in the lower corner at the back and the air hose is harder to attach when sitting on a cart. (Cart frame must be in the road, minor detail I would think.) Tried it on a 1/8 wall rectangular steel tube, cut it with absolutely no effort at all. Had a bit of scrap 40 thou aluminum sheet and it didn't even bat an eye. Did this freehand so there was a bit of shake, but it didn't affect the machines ability in anyway. Now to see if it has a decent lifetime(as in years of service) and how long it keeps operating (like new). A couple of pictures of silvers of steel and aluminum that we trimmed from larger stock.

Do they just have the one Sniper? Or is there more, if so which one did you get?
 
Do they just have the one Sniper? Or is there more, if so which one did you get?

As far as I know they only have the one Plasma machine. PN#95136 At the full 40 amp 60% duty cycle, I can't remember if it was the 10 or 20 amp setting it was 100% duty cycle. I read a whole whack of reviews besides the HF ones, and it seems to be getting a pretty good feedback overall. Also read in a couple of different sources that it may be a Hobart clone. Nothing wrong with that if that's the case. Consumables from HF are a bit pricey. The torch head is a Trafimet S45 and you can get parts quite reasonable on Ebay. HF tips 28.00 for 5 and 14.00 for 5 electodes, found a source on Ebay that sells 100 of each for 68.00 bucks. Should be a lifetimes worth for me. Wire tip guards, swirl rings, wheeled carrage, (also used as a circle burner as well as for straight cuts along a guide) and bunch of other parts are available on Ebay. I'm ordering the spare parts to have on hand, plan on keeping this one for awhile. Not trying to advertise for HF but I think I can recognize a decent deal when I see one. $649.99 on sale...$599.99 if you have the Track Club membership. Mine came with a molded welder plug already on the cord, most HF literature said you have to add it on yourself, not the case. Saves a few bucks again. Everyone was impressed with it today when we tried it out, the fact that it's inexpensive, compared to a lot of them out there is real bonus. If it continues to perform like it is right now I'll be doing the happy dance for quite sometime.:D
 
I own one....works well....

Anyone know if the ones from Woodward Fab are any good(bead roller)

very similar to the HF and eastwood ones...still needs tweeked/ reinforced to work properly....minor nothing to keep you from buying one...
 
Nope.....

Anyone thought of putting grease fittings in the roller blocks??

Seems like it would be a lot of work for something that you can oil occasionally....but once done, it would work out well...seems to me that you can pull the end sections and pull the shafts out to lube as well....been few since I even looked at mine....but I think you can....now see what you did? Now I'm going to have to check it out!! LOL....
 
As far as I know they only have the one Plasma machine. PN#95136 At the full 40 amp 60% duty cycle, I can't remember if it was the 10 or 20 amp setting it was 100% duty cycle. I read a whole whack of reviews besides the HF ones, and it seems to be getting a pretty good feedback overall. Also read in a couple of different sources that it may be a Hobart clone. Nothing wrong with that if that's the case. Consumables from HF are a bit pricey. The torch head is a Trafimet S45 and you can get parts quite reasonable on Ebay. HF tips 28.00 for 5 and 14.00 for 5 electodes, found a source on Ebay that sells 100 of each for 68.00 bucks. Should be a lifetimes worth for me. Wire tip guards, swirl rings, wheeled carrage, (also used as a circle burner as well as for straight cuts along a guide) and bunch of other parts are available on Ebay. I'm ordering the spare parts to have on hand, plan on keeping this one for awhile. Not trying to advertise for HF but I think I can recognize a decent deal when I see one. $649.99 on sale...$599.99 if you have the Track Club membership. Mine came with a molded welder plug already on the cord, most HF literature said you have to add it on yourself, not the case. Saves a few bucks again. Everyone was impressed with it today when we tried it out, the fact that it's inexpensive, compared to a lot of them out there is real bonus. If it continues to perform like it is right now I'll be doing the happy dance for quite sometime.:D

Thanks for the info, as little as I would use one I don't want to tie up a lot of money in one, and and have been considering one myself!! I don't really NEED one, but..... maybe???
 
Anyone know where I can get more mandrels for this? I have been looking around online and have had no luck at all. I want a 1" mandrel, or something close to that.

Any Ideas??
 
You'd prob be luckier finding a machine shop to make them for you.

I've had mine for quite a while but just got a chance to finally use it after i reinforced it.

8085cd36.jpg


Needed it for this...

ca5e476f.jpg
 
Here's how I fixed my HF bead roller and some dies I made for it.

Blue
 

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Worked on my roller today. Did a little reinforcing with 1x2x1/8 tubing. Now there is zero flex.
2012-02-02_14-31-00_77.jpg


Also made a guide fence. Doesn't look as good as the ones from the store but it works and didn't cost me $80 either.
2012-02-02_13-28-06_837.jpg
 
Holy Crap!!!! A little bracing?????

Worked on my roller today. Did a little reinforcing with 1x2x1/8 tubing. Now there is zero flex.
2012-02-02_14-31-00_77.jpg


Also made a guide fence. Doesn't look as good as the ones from the store but it works and didn't cost me $80 either.
2012-02-02_13-28-06_837.jpg

You could roll a bead into 1/8" without a hitch...lol... should be plenty strong....guide will work out nice too.....[cl
 

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