tube bending

[Doof]

first let me say i searched for the past five minutes and didnt find a thread with the information i was looking for with tube bending

im looking to buy a tube bender sooner or later so i can make something cool for my rig and my buddys if they want it. im wondering what is a good bender to buy and about how much is worth spending on a bender? tube anywhere from 1/2" up to 2.5-3" if possible??? and prob 1/4 wall tops (thats pretty hefty right?)

would an automatic bender be a better buy then a manuel one? like the ones you bolt into the floor and use cheater bars as handles and what not?

thanks in advance

[DTB]

u want a JD2 bender.....

the dies cost as much as the bender so be prepared for that...

You wont be disappointed..

we bent this with one



Get the manual one unless you are doing like a bunch of work...works fine with a big cheater

[Doof]

thats the pic i was looking for but couldnt find it... who makes it?

[Doof]

THANKS collier


is that the model 3?

edit:

here is a link to the web site

http://www.jd2.com/

[DTB]

THANKS collier


is that the model 3?

yes model 3....

Its the best there is for the home fabber......

what ever you do dont buy a harbor freight pipe kinker

[Doof]

every thread that came up was talking about the HF kink machine... thanks for the name of that bender

it will be super easy to fab a stand for it, no point in paying 135 for a chunk of painted steel with a plate and two holes drilled out on it.

base plate, more metal from the bone yard and work, and a strip of 1/4" plate and i set for life

[CTENG in KS]

I will have you know I get some nice bends outta my kinker!!!

[Doof]

im not doggin on the HF kinker, ive never used it so i cant talk about it yet

[DTB]

every thread that came up was talking about the HF kink machine... thanks for the name of that bender

it will be super easy to fab a stand for it, no point in paying 135 for a chunk of painted steel with a plate and two holes drilled out on it.

base plate, more metal from the bone yard and work, and a strip of 1/4" plate and i set for life

sounds like a plan....hardest part is getting a good bolt into the concrete.....and finding an area large enough to swing that cheater and the pipes around

[Doof]

sounds like a plan....hardest part is getting a good bolt into the concrete.....and finding an area large enough to swing that cheater and the pipes around

i have a big shop that i will be using, so im not worried abour dropping bolts in the concrete and i have plenty of room to swing pipe.... its pretty cherry

[DTB]

its pretty cherry

sounds baller

[Doof]

ill take a pic of my workspace once i get it cleaned up and free of unneeded stuff...a before and after

and ill prob start making out where i can put that bender

[RynothealbinO]

I plan on building one similar to the one found here: www.blindchickenracing.com/Tools/Tube%20Bender/Tubingbender.htm.  Actual plans for this type of welder can be found at www.pro-tools.com/, they also have dies that are cheaper than the ones at jd2.  I figure if a welder and scrap steel are available a cost breakdown should be something to the effect of: dies(1 3/4")-$235, bottle jack(20 ton air)-$80, misc. hardware and paint-$20; so a total price of $335.  Just another idea...

[94MtnYote]

 Man, that model 3 is a bargain and super sick!
The Notch Master looks pretty awesome too, how are they? anyone got one of those?

[Rubijon]

JD2 Model 3 and the notch master are both awesome. They work great I am in the middle of my cage now

[TIMS89CRAWLER]

i owned a model 3 for years and they are the best.... i sold it when i closed my shop but i am getting ready to order another! cant beat the price or the bends it produces... im not a fan of the kinker at all and i have used them plenty... its made for bending pipe not tubing...

[Volcom]

I plan on building one similar to the one found here: www.blindchickenracing.com/Tools/Tube%20Bender/Tubingbender.htm.  Actual plans for this type of welder can be found at www.pro-tools.com/, they also have dies that are cheaper than the ones at jd2.  I figure if a welder and scrap steel are available a cost breakdown should be something to the effect of: dies(1 3/4")-$235, bottle jack(20 ton air)-$80, misc. hardware and paint-$20; so a total price of $335.  Just another idea...

My brother has one just like this.  I borrowed it and it's sitting in my garage just wanting for a tube bumpers to be made.  No time & no $$$ sucks   He built a full roll cage for his YJ with it.  Turned out really well!

[TIMS89CRAWLER]

My brother has one just like this.  I borrowed it and it's sitting in my garage just wanting for a tube bumpers to be made.  No time & no $$$ sucks   He built a full roll cage for his YJ with it.  Turned out really well!

ya this thing is cool... great idea looks like a model 3 die too

[Hottrod81]

I have a Pro Tools HD105 and it works great.

[DeadlyPeace]

I just want to add in a thanks to DTB for the infomation on the JD2 bender. I'm going to be building a larger shop is winter, Just wanting on the plans to come back from the county. A tube bender is something that will definitely be needing to be added into it. I'm tired of having to go somewhere else to have it all bent up for me. The JD2 bender seem like the one I'll be getting as of now.

[DTB]

The Notch Master looks pretty awesome too, how are they? anyone got one of those?

also, another great product...very handy for tricky notches

[DeadlyPeace]

I was looking at that and thinking it wouldn't be to hard to make one for less, but I could be wrong. I'd have to sit down and really think of how I would do it.

[Rubijon]

Notch master is the way to go.

[Oddmar]

I was looking at this one awhile back... http://www.lowbucktools.com/notcher.html

For now i just eyeball it and cut it, either with an angle grinder or a drop bandsaw...my stuff comes out pretty good, so my coke-bottle glasses must be working.

[kneedownnate]

I'd be tempted to try the harbor freight jig/drill setup for tube notching, but I'm a cheap b*std.

[Redeyejedi]

http://www.pro-tools.com/      talk to dean gordon. they've got some good stuff there too

[Rubijon]

I heard the harbor freight works ok. but for how long.

[jimbo74]

I heard the harbor freight works ok. but for how long.

none of the hf tools i have ever bought have failed on me.... i have a grider, a electric impact, an air compressor, and i am sure some others too

[Volcom]

I heard the harbor freight works ok. but for how long.

It's a pipe bender, not made for tubing.  Tubing and pipe are measured different.  Most of the tube and pipe jobs I've seen come from the HF pipe bender have kinks in them.  You can pack the pipe with sand and cap the ends to minimize the kinks but nothing totally helps.

[Doof]

what is the difference between pipe and tube?