Compact bender ?

[Firstram]

do you think Delrin would work?

It should work fine on thin wall tube. Swag sells a full line of delrin dies for their tube roller. FWIW, my bender is the table top version with a 4"ish stand height. Much easier to stash away until I need it.

 

[C-Bag]

It should work fine on thin wall tube. Swag sells a full line of delrin dies for their tube roller. FWIW, my bender is the table top version with a 4"ish stand height. Much easier to stash away until I need it.

I can see how that would be handy, if I had a built in bench. My two "benches" are just carts as everything is set up as portable workstations. I'm thinking David's setup, bolt in as needed then stash will probably be the route I'll go.

Do you have any pic's of your tubing dies? How do you gauge the min radius of what the tube can be bent?

 

[C-Bag]

I bent square tubing, so I have a square tubing die. I bought the one shown to use as a pattern for other sizes. Shop Outfitters also sold a "leverage multiplier" that worked along a 'tail' on the tool (the one you pictured doesn't have the 'tail'). If a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll save myself some typing... Here's the leverage multiplier, and a semi-closeup of the die.

That is really cool, and I'm sure because you've used it, it makes sense(been there, did that) but I'm having a hard time groking what that does. Maybe some sequential pic's?

 

[Firstram]

I can see how that would be handy, if I had a built in bench. My two "benches" are just carts as everything is set up as portable workstations. I'm thinking David's setup, bolt in as needed then stash will probably be the route I'll go.

Do you have any pic's of your tubing dies? How do you gauge the min radius of what the tube can be bent?

Both of the dies I made were to copy bends for something we were duplicating, so I'm not up on minimum bend radius. I think our tightest bend was 2" clr on 3/4 x 0.065 steel tube. No pictures, I'm currently unemployed and my tools are in storage in Atlanta.

This is the trike used in The Shining and the company that made them went under in 1978.
We made 5 of these for Dr Sleep.

 

[mickri]

Tony where are they in LA. I am going down to San Clemente to visit my son and his family the 1st week in June.

 

[C-Bag]

Yup, there is three of them now Chuck. Murietta, Trabuco canyon/Orange, and one for $85 which is the highest in Upland. There’s a really interesting one that’s not the same type in Simi Valley thats some kind tubing bender for $120.

 

[GeneT45]

That is really cool, and I'm sure because you've used it, it makes sense(been there, did that) but I'm having a hard time groking what that does. Maybe some sequential pic's?

Without a convenient tube to bend (and maybe even then) it'll be hard to grokk from pictures. Essentially the yellow handled part starts at the back (perhaps you can see the small notches. It trades range of motion for leverage. So a full-stroke on the 'arm' moves the bending part (up by the die) only about 60*, but with tremendous leverage. Then you advance the yellow handled doo-dad to the next notch and you can continue bending another 60*, and so forth. The next best thing to hydraulics for heavy bending.

GsT

 

[Aaron_W]

I have the Harbor Freight version, bought it last year when they had a 25% off coupon. Haven't used it but it does seem to be decently made and cheap enough for me to get one without having an immediate need although I did have some projects in mind which seem to have escaped my mind.

 

[C-Bag]

I did have some projects in mind which seem to have escaped my mind.

LOL, ain’t that the truth! I know the HF version is not a real Hosfeld. I’m trying to do something I don’t have the setup for. I think this would be a great base machine for what I want. And it’s not an arm and a leg but of course it doesn’t have exactly what I need to bend small tubing like 1/2” or 3/4” EMT. I found my EMT electrician bender I picked up a decade ago finally but it can’t do tight bends like this compact bender can. And as usual with all my HF stuff I’ll have to make the dies.

 

[Winegrower]

It's always a huge mental struggle for me to figure out how to set up a particular bend. Do you guys just walk up and presto, there's your piece?

The good part is it's really easy to make custom dies.