Tubing Benders

sandtowd · Post by **sandtowd** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:19 pm

check out the one on ebay. it has somthing like race car in the title. you wont beat the price even with shing. cause you get 3 or 4 die sets with it. i copied a greenlee bender and got one die set from pro tools. still cost me right at 500$ with one set of dies, but it is air powered

wchiro · Post by **wchiro** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 12:50 am

Try this site:

http://www.lowbucktools.com/

Aloha from Hawaii,
Wayne

miller · Post by **miller** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 11:04 pm

I orederd those plans from that buggy site. They are very good and I cant wait till I can get to the steel yard to pick up the materials. It says you can make dies out of a certain type of plastic with a wood lathe. I cant legally show the plans I dont think but I would reccomend looking into them if you want a bender and a project for practice. Oh and if somebody does order the plans give me an email.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 12:21 am

ive been looking for a home bender also for awhile but i dont think anything out there will compare with the ones i use at my work.

I got two Ercolina digital top benders at my disposal at work and dies for 3/4 to 2.5 inch tubing. I think im a bit spoiled

Cool thing is that i now know how to use them like i know how to use a fork.

Good thing the boss lets me come in weekends for my own projects or i wouldnt know what to do with myself.

Anyone wanna lend me a couple grand so i can get one of these for my garage???

INSAYN · Post by **INSAYN** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 4:04 am

Why can't you show the plans? Is there a patent on thier bender plans? Is it copywrited? As long as you don't make any profit on the plans they can't touch you. If you sign an agreement then you are stuck. If you start selling plans, or if anyone starts selling thier plans without permission they can go after you/them, but chances are slim that they will spend the money trying.

It is more of a scare tactic, and honor system. Kinda like all that hacked software on your computer - feeling guilty yet?

Lets see em! You already paid for your copy right?

INSAYN

INSAYN · Post by **INSAYN** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 4:13 am

BTW - I built mine from scratch, no plans, in a week - and it was easy. However - it does have its limitations, but they all do. Feel free to copy mine, and/or the one on page two. http://www.blindchickenracing.com/Tools ... bender.htm

What part of the bender looks hardest to build?
I have thought about making some basic kits that peeps can put together themselves.

Also, anyone here need some of these?
http://www.blindchickenracing.com/Tools ... _clamp.htm

Thought about knocking out a few more sets for giggles.

INSAYN

Travis S · Post by **Travis S** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 7:48 am

I just read the entire offroad thing. The best point that was brought up, is since pipe is i.D., and pipe is O.D., a 2 inch tube will fit in a 2 inch pipe. So you bend the pipe to make the a 90 degree bend. Once done you cut it in half and reinforce it alot. Has any one tried this? It seems like a chepa way to make high quality dies. And then build a tubing bender for the dies of course.

bugstrtracer · Post by **bugstrtracer** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 12:40 pm

i find HF benders worthless. save your money, the JD2's are awesome for the $$ a bit of a pain to use, but make really nice bends. somwhere around $500 with one set of dies, more dies being around $150 **i think**

TIMBERWOLF · Post by **TIMBERWOLF** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 1:29 pm

While i'm waiting on my model 3 from JD squared (thanks CRASH for the link they helped me out just fine) I've been getting my head around how I'm going to use it, this link seems to give the low down, with out any geometry etc

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/bendin_tube/index.html

I hated maths at school but I can draw chalk lines on the floor....

vicsvw · Post by **vicsvw** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 7:57 am

Nothing in the artical about the cost of the Shoe, Follow Bar which is about 90% of the bender and no way to contact "DuneBuggyPlans.com" I would not buy from some one who hides from customers. Vic

Travis S · Post by **Travis S** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:47 pm

What is the shoe and follow bar? You mean the die and the thing the metla slides one while being fead into the die?

Volcano · Post by **Volcano** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 4:38 am

How do you guys get nice smooth bends?I have some 2" stainless exhaust pipe I need to bend at 90 deg. The bender is a hydro.with mendrels but the bends are sort of stretched out.I would like to maintain the 2" diameter.Help please.Roger

Searoy · Post by **Searoy** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 11:33 pm

Mandrels create smooth bends, and help with tight bends too.

What about using air pressure, a lot of air pressure.

My idea may or may not work, but here it is.

Get a braided hose with an OD about equal to your ID. Make sure it is several inches longer than the tube you are bending. Get fittings on one end to plug it solid. Get a fitting on the other end that will allow you to pressurize it, either with air, or maybe, if you have one available, hydraulic pressure. You'll need a whole heap of pressure, so maybe hydraulic pressue would be better. A manual pump would work, just get a gauge. There you have it, a flexible mandrel to support the inside of your thin wall tubing for tight smooth radii.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... umber=2567

Eh?

miller · Post by **miller** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 12:23 pm

Oh INSAYN about the plans. They are very good plams and the guy on the site answers every question you can throw at him very quickly.

The whole deal about the plans is that only one bender is allowed to be made per set of plans. SO technically only 1 bender can be made for every 15 bucks you send the guy for plans. I dunno though if you wanna know more drop me an e-mail. Ill probably end up making a bender more similar to the one on your site anyway.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 1:18 am

I suppose the guy with the plans is just trying to make a living from his ideas, after all that's why the patent laws came about. And the Blindchicken guys seem to have pulled their plans for the extended arms due to abuse of their good will..........same fing rilly.

Clock is ticking for the JD2 stuff arriving, mid April supposedly, loooooong lead time me thinks. Every thing comes to those who wait tho'. I'll post some info & piccs of the bends when I get it. Cost was $1029 for a model 3 manual bender, 2" die set and a tube notcher delivered UPS to UK (~$300 ooooouuuch!) freight still kills me even with the strong pound! However nothing like this even exists in UK you go from £20 plummers stuff to £6000 computerised CAD stuff with nowt in between!

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