Tube Bending

[Bubsbuggie]

Originally Posted by S-N-R Customs

The mandrel bender that Bubsbuggie just bought will make much smoother bends. Years ago I started out with the hydraulic jack style and when you want a tight bend it buckles/dents the pipe/tube that you’re working on.
You can also cut the fish mouths with a metal chop saw and some knowledge.
Either way just learn all you can and enjoy building everything that you like/need.


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I have been watching videos of notching tubes with grinders. Cut at 45 degree to throat line to 1/3 rule.

[LimitedEdition]

In my line of work and for personal use I have had the need and the opportunity to use a few types of benders. Starting with hand held tubing/ridged benders for electrical installations up to $6,000.00 Greenly Hydraulic benders. For most of my personal use I can get by with the hand held tubing benders and the Northern Tool Hydraulic Rigid pipe benders. The key factors in a bender, is the quality/accuracy of the tool itself and the instruction that accompany it. I viewed the information on the model of the bender you selected and I liked what I saw. The thing that impressed me was the instruction manual that comes with it was easy to read and understand and the illustrations were good. Once your grasp the concept of how a bender works and the differences between the materials you need to bend the sky is the limit. When you are measuring for a bend you use straight lines and square corners. But the material actually cuts across that corner which changes the measurement of the bend starting/reference point in the bender. The instruction that accompany this bender shows you how to make simple templits that allow for this deduction. I think you made a good decision.

Good Luck

Robert

[swb713]

Here is a link to a way that you could use something like welding rods wrapped around your pipe and makes it easy to make your marks for your bird-mouth notches.
Actually quite simple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_gOznq4Y84

[Bubsbuggie]

Have my stand up and bender in action today. I made one side of my roll cage today. What does everyone think? I made a mock up out of PVC a month or so ago and kind of went off of it.

[S-N-R Customs]

Looks great. I hope that you’re going to make mounting points that go to the frame. A good way to do it is to have mounting plates on the ends, that bolt through the body to another set of mounting plates that are attached to the frame.

It does look great though.


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[LimitedEdition]

Looking at your photos I see some of the most useful tools that I use (the magnetic Torpedo Level and the magnetic Angle Level). Your work is good and it looks like your got the hang of it. With the Harbor Freight bender it works best laying horizontally on the floor. To help keep the bends level and in line I cut some spacers out of 2X4 stock with the hole diameter of the pipe drilled in it and the correct spacing between the floor and the level of the shoe in the binder.

Good Luck

Robert

[TheGuyRock]

Personally I'd run from a "pipe" bender, they crush the radius and flatten the tube. That being said the dies will not fit correctly as they are made for pipe which is measured based on its inside diameter, and tube is measured on its outside diameter.

I have had a Woodward in the past and for small stuff it was OK, I've also have and affordable bender and it's done some good work for me with a few mods to it. (Its currently my friend loaner and travels to offroad events)

But my daily and best one ive owned personally is my JD model 32. I added a swag air over hydro and put it on a rolling cart. I bend 2x.250 easily with it, have numerous round and square dies and its awesome. Plus you can buy pipe dies for it as well if you need.

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[Bubsbuggie]

Made a little progress today. Tomorrow I am going to weld in the top bars. Check out this little jig I made for cutting my pipes. They turn out pretty nice.

[jclark138]

Looks good!

[cartpartsplusman]

we have a powed jd that we bend all our headers on we have made brush gaurds and steps also .but it is not as easy as you may think to get repeat parts you have to learn strech and kink limits plus we use stainless tube and its not the same as steel.Tom was good at drawing prints on cad and we still use them if we had to figure it all out we would be screwed. but practice helps and make notes on your marks.GOOD LUCK