pipe bender

[go kart mozart]

Ive heard of making a pipe bender out of a bottle jack before but im not sure what would be a structuraly sound way to do it. looking for examples plans etc

[sayre315]

it would be just as cheap and easyer just to buy this pipe bender, works great, only bout $100 and easy to use
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_605_605

[AutoMX]

or the same thing at harbor freight for $60 or $70 depending on sales

[athif]

you could buy the shoes and heat up the metal until its red hot. then forge the metal around the curve. I hate pipe benders. they always ruin my metal.

[AutoMX]

you could buy the shoes and heat up the metal until its red hot. then forge the metal around the curve. I hate pipe benders. they always ruin my metal.

not recommended on structural items, you're going to make the metal brittle and weaker. if the bender is screwing up your pipe, you're using the wrong die size or the metal just isn't supposed to bend like that because its too thin.
id say heat stuff up only when its too tough to bend.

[ineed2fly]

If it's kinking the metal, fill it with either ice or sand.

[robertdjung]

I wish I could fill something with ice... It's so hot right now. Hmm. Maybe a glass of iced tea... Ahhh.

[el~bryce`o]

i was going to try to make one to but figured that it was just as cheap to buy a whole one than buy dies

[go kart mozart]

:eek:

[rhytonen]

Those "bow and arrow" type machines are pipe benders.
For karts you need a tubing bender, a whole nother price range.
(The dies for pipe are specified in different sizes than tubing, and are NOT compatible. You can't get dies for, say 1" or 1.25" 4130, for a pipe bender. Pipe sizes are specified by INSIDE diameter, tubing is spec'd by OUTSIDE diameter. And anyway, the types of benders used for pipe WILL kink or flatten the tube, even if you could get dies.)

"Pro Tools" and "JD Squared" (sometimes called "JD2") are about the only games in town when it comes to tubing benders that won't kink and weaken your tube. And due to the very inexact science of getting a precise angle bend (it ALWAYS "springs back" some...), you DO want your own bender. There's lots of waste and cut & try.
Figure just over $1K total by the time you get your dies.

[fluxcored]

Rhytonen's correct. World of difference between a pipe and a tubing bender.

Heating + kinking destroys/lowers the integrity of the tube - a big no no for critical applications.

If you can make your own dies or if you only need one set of dies then it's worth building a tubing bender. Otherwise ....... phhfft.

The cost of the dies are so high that some manufacturers provide you with free bender plans if you buy a set of dies.

[Raywelder]

Rhytonen's correct. World of difference between a pipe and a tubing bender.

Heating + kinking destroys/lowers the integrity of the tube - a big no no for critical applications.

If you can make your own dies or if you only need one set of dies then it's worth building a tubing bender. Otherwise ....... phhfft.

The cost of the dies are so high that some manufacturers provide you with free bender plans if you buy a set of dies.

The cost of dies is quite amazing actually.

[lemegacool]

if you have some money jerkin around i suggest this http://www.comac-italy.com/english/s_galileo.html lol we have one at work its amazing! but seriously type diy pipe bender on google you'll find some plans for sure