Which tube bender?

[aut0m4tic]

Hi all.
  Just wondering which type of manual bender you guys can recommend.  I've got my eye an a JD2 bender, but would like some hands on personal experiences before I buy.  (i've never bent tube before)
  I'm hoping to start a ?/bgs (possibly rotary) in the fall on 2013 and im gathering a few tools.
Thanks
Cory

[SPARKY]

look at the JD 32---I bought one with a cyl----scrounged around and found a pump for less than 50 dollars---had to adapt it by drilling a holein a iron block  enlarging one and welding fittings to them to adapt the hoses..  saved hundreds

[JimL]

The 7" radius 1 5/8 die does a really nice hoop for helmet size, with room for the sfi padding.  We've built a lot of stuff with the manual JD2.  Slows me down enough to catch about half my mistakes.  If'n I had a power ram, I could ruin tubing TWICE as fast!

Of course, it would give me lots more "possibles", as in "might possible use this piece in a barbeque stand, or a gate post cripple"..... You know what I mean.

[aut0m4tic]

Thanks guys!
  I'll do a little more window shopping, but i think a JD2 will happen next week. 
Any tips on "how to" or "not to" do bends would be greatly appreciated also, as I'm completely new to this.
Would it be better to learn on thinner or thicker material, or just dive into 1 5/8 .125 steel? 
As far as tube size goes, is there any risk in a tube size rule change like the motorcycle streamliners?
I don't mind overbuilding if that might be an issue.
Thanks again

Cory

[SPARKY]

before you buy a die---check your tubing prices locally---I found out that 1.75 ew was cheaper and more ready available than 1 5/8 and  1.75 EW  vs 1.625 DOM strengths are very comparable  I chose to make me some patterns as sugested  with the deep marks on the inside of the bend so you can "Count off the bend" and you will make few mistakes and soon learn to compare the set screw mark to beginning of bend distortions and the end of the die. use a level and protractor level
to play with really some really crazy stuff---ymmv as mine sure did at first----fun stuff

[kiwi belly tank]

Hey Cory,
   I doubt we will see a change in tubing size, 95% of the vehicles running would become illegal.
The bender question pops up on occasions & budget builders can swallow up racing $$ just tooling up to build.
I've built a bunch of tube chassis up here with a Speedway tubing bender & a Harbor Freight cheapy pipe bender including a
pro-mod, pulling trucks, my bellytank & the streamliner etc.
I rarely bend anything more than a 90 & even bend tubing in the pipe bender with some shims I made up to fit the shoe.
You're welcome to wander up the track to check out my liner near the end of the build if you want to.
Check out the Speedway bender.
  Sid.

[JimL]

Clean tubing really helps.  I really like the better 1 5/8 DOM that comes with the dacradized finish (nice gray color when you get it).  I try to keep the inner weld line about 45 degrees inward from the vertical line of my bend.  Metal compresses easier than it stretches.  I really dont like putting that weld line on the very outside or inside of my bends. 

I do a lot of 10" mark-to-measure for my positioning and bend checking.  For example, lets say I'm going to bend a simple roll bar with two 90s.  When I get tensioned and set in the die, before starting the actual bend, I make a good mark exactly 10" from the back edge of the shoe (straight part of the two dies).  You must hold tension on the tube, to keep it fully seated while you measure and mark. 

After you make the bend, keep tensioned and measure how much tube you actually drew.  I like to turn the tube around and draw the first bend toward the new bend.  Because I know how much tube length I drew, and the overall width of my bend, I can position the tube to get the new bend outside radius at the width I was targeting.  Heres the catch: you need to do a pair of bends on a spare piece to determine the exact amount draw-to-bend difference for your tube.  Some stretches the outside, some squeezes the inside.  Even using care, I often miss my target by 1/16-1/8".  You'll see quickly how much tube length to add to hit your targets.

Regarding bend angle, it is easier to unspring a little over bend than to go back in and add more bend.  Never try to unspring in the bender, it breaks the pin ear right off the shoe. . My bender table is made out of heavy wall square steel tubing with a solid 3/16 top plate.  It bolts solid to the floor, and I can clamp onto it anywhere to unspring a bend....just not on the bender itself!

I know there are folks here that can give you a better method, and my apologies if I'm "preaching to the choir".  This works for me, having bent five car cages and more bike frames than I am willing to admit in public.  This unfinished project (not mine) is one I did bends for.  I did hit that main hoop width on the first try.  http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,5416.0.html

I hope you have as much fun with your bender as I do with mine!

Regards, JimL

[TwinSpin]

Cory --

About a year ago or more, Johnny Hotnuts wrote about a tube bender he bought, I think from Harbor Freight. He had some minor alignment problems with it at first, but fixed it OK and I think it worked out just fine. Surely, the price was right. I searched for his post on that and didn't find it. Perhaps you could PM him and he could give you info you are looking for.

Bill

[aut0m4tic]

Wow!!
  Thank you all for the great info.  The wealth of knowledge here is amazing.  I wish I already had a bender so I could put all the instructions/tips/tricks to work. 
  I'll pm JHN and drive up to see Sid and then make the purchase. Any other hints or experience are welcome, I could use all the help I can get.
Thanks again, and happy new year!
Cory

[salt27]

I have had good results bending 1.5" and 1.75" DOM using a Greenlee Sidewinder [conduit bender].

The 1.25" EMT shoe works on 1.5" DOM and the 1.5" EMT shoe on the 1.75" DOM.

I have not bent 1.625 DOM but 1.25" IMC has an OD. of 1.638" and 1.25" R OD. is 1.66".

So it may work or it may flatten it.

Has anybody tried this?

  Don

[Rex Schimmer]

I have a Trick Tools bender with 1 5/8s dies and I needed to bend some 1 inch 1/8 wall the other day and got a pretty nice bend using the 1 5/8 dies so I am pretty sure that 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 could also be done. When you are working with the heavy wall stuff it is pretty hard to make a bad bend. All of the JD, Baliegh, Trick Tools type benders do a good job on heavy wall tube . I thought about adding an hydraulic cylinder but just opt for using the handle from an old floor jack, about 3 feet longer, and the effort and control are more than acceptable.


Rex

[bfolkestad]

I like my Mittler Bros 180 degree one, I have a bunch of dies, their protractors are GREAT for mocking stuff up and you can get a bunch of different or even custom dies!

Mittlerbros.com

[bigtim44]

Earlier on last year I picked up a JD square model 32 bender with a set of 1.75 dies,it works great even though its human powered and its well built,Í may buy the electric/ hydraulic conversion this year if funds permit.

Tim

[Kiwi Paul]

Yeah, Tim, but that`s no recommendation coming from you--you could bend most of the bloody tubing by hand without the bender!!   

[Bob Ellis]

Hey House , Tim has a large choice of dies too! His knee , your neck ,etc etc,, He He he.