Tubing Roller Info Request

[David]

I need to roll tubing from time to time. About every five years or so! I guess that means I need one????.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has built one that would roll tubing from 1/2 to 11/2 inch. Not looking for fancy. I know HF sells one but heard it doesn't work well. Any thoughts, photos would be helpful.

David

 

[November X-ray]

About 8 years ago I built one to roll bend some square tubing that handled two 3/4" square tube pieces placed side by side so they were both the same curve. I used a piece of 4" x 4" x 1/4" wall square tube for the base with two 1/2" x 4" flat bars up each side, with plate welded at the top and a 20 ton hydraulic jack that was fixed to a large steel caster wheel on the bottom that was bolted to a sliding plate made to ride onto the upright flat bars. I cut a slot in one of the flats so I cut turn the caster with a handle and used two smaller steel casters clamped to the 4 x 4 base to get the radius I needed. I never got around to making the bottom rollers adjustable although it would have been easy to do. I had to make some handrails that fit a curved wall and this was the fastest/cheapest thing I could come up with. Although I do not have any pictures available, hopefully the description makes sense. Oh, one last thing, I had to add flanges to the caster rollers to keep the tubing aligned, and I always thought I could simply get some large diameter stock and turn several various sized grooves to bend round tubing with, but have yet to have the need.

Good Luck,

NXr

 

[DaveD]

Tubing typically requires dies to match the outside tubing diameter so it doesn't deform or crush the tubing. Then remember that tubing diameters are different from pipe diameters. Which also means the el cheapo HF pipe benders wont work for things like roll bar 'tubing'.As much as dies cost you typically buy them as you need them.

 

[David]

Thanks for the info NXr and Dave. I am searching the net for plans that might work for what I want.

David

 

[Rbeckett]

There are several vendors selling plans for tube benders on the net. I got the Gottrikes design and decided later to just buy a JD2 and be done with it. I only use very few dies so I only buy what I need to bend cage components. Of your gonna do that much, get a joint jigger to go with it and your all set. One word of caution though. Roll cages and safety gear are inspected and tested before you are allowed on the track. If you decide to build a cage for a car, get the local inspector to get in on the project from the beginning. It will save you many hours of welding, bending and frustration later on. Take the time to read the rules and look carefully at what you are doing. Youre life could depend on your weld quality and fab skills, be sure of exactly what you are doing before you start.
Bob

 

[David]

Hi Bob

I don't plan on doing any cage work so those are headaches that hopefully I will not have. I had a door car for several years and thoroughly enjoyed going through the 1/4 but maybe those days are over too.

David

 

[Rbeckett]

Yup,
I had a 69 Z28 I built to the hilt for a 1/4 car. It was a monster, especially for a 19 year old kid. Then I got into circle track and spent the nex t30+ going round and round. The true go fast turn left kind of Saturday night racing. It got too expensive to race so I started building stuff for the guys with deeper pockets and kept a project going all the time. I never got certified by any recognized welding standard, but earned a great living doing whatever it took to keep dumps, mixers, loaders and construction equipment going. I went to diesel school, and did a bunch of hydraulics courses, along with continuing to weld and fab so my skill set would be broad enough to feed the family. It worked pretty good for a long time till I got this last infection in Iraq. I'm done working, but I still love to tinker and play in my shop as often as I feel well enough to go out there and play. Keep at it and be safe, and you will do well into the future.
Bob