Looking for metal fab shop with mandrel bender

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Hi, Looking to cost effectively make a prototype for a rack of bent and polished stainless steel of 1" tube. This may require a mandrel bender as some of the angles are 90 degrees.Hoping to find someone closer to the north east - I'm in NYC.Thanks for any leads to shops that may help with this,LL
Reply:My JD2 Model 32 bender will bend 1" SS thinwall tube (boat rails) to a 3" radius without kinking.How small a radius do you need?Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:How thick is the tubing wall?Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Honestly I would consider buying the JD2 and doing it yourself. The benders they have are nice and can be had for aprox $500 for a manual version with one die. You can add more tooling as needed for later projects. Even add in power layer if you find yourself bending a bunch. If you have a bunch of bends to make, you will find that it's going to cost you the same for one job anyway, so why not buy the tool and make a few $ with it.Offering CNC Plasma cutting and welding projects.Follow me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/nobigdeal.fabSupport those that support WW.
Reply:Hi all thanks for the replys -SundownIII - a 3" radius is great. Is hydrolic needed for this job?MikeGyver - tubing wall? good question. this is for furniture purposes. what thickness would you suggest to handle weight around 150 lbs.Sundown, what was the thickness on the boat rails?NoBigDeal Fab-  I'm in NYC, without access to a shop of my own... so I'd need to buy a lot more than the JD2, especially when welding two points and then finishing and polishing. I'm hoping to find a shop that could cost effectively help fabricate the design prototype, great if it's near NYC. I can also be near DC, or NC, or if need be I can ship things around....most of the people i reached out to around here didn't have a bender of the kind needed and could only weld.
Reply:RE: wall thickness -looks like SCH10s is about 0.109mm wall thicknessand sch5 is around 0.065mmlet me know your thoughts, thanks --LL
Reply:Where in NY? theres tons of header and exhaust shops around the Long Island area!I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Does it have to be pipe? Tubing will probably be a better option. And wall thickness is also dependent on the radius of the bend, and the diameter of the pipe/tube. 1inch tubing to a tight radius will require a different thickness than a 3in. If the tubing size is not set in stone, I would fine the guy that can bend it, and go with what he can bend successfully. 150 pounds is nothing I think the cheap folding chairs at walmart are 5/8 tubing and  .06 wall and can handle 150 pounds. Anything larger should be fine.Offering CNC Plasma cutting and welding projects.Follow me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/nobigdeal.fabSupport those that support WW.
Reply:Also, pick up The Fisherman weekly magazine, they're available at any 7/11. Every other page has adverts for all sorts of marine applications, from towers, railings, exhaust systems etc. There's so many you could kill a whole afternoon priceing around. I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:1" tubing - 3-4" inch bend radius.. wall thickness of around .1mm should suffice..I'm in NYC - Manhattan. I was looking in queens but most of the metal shops around LIC and Queens have since moved on due to outsourcing. Because of this i'd consider shipping and working remotely.it's tubing, i was only using the SCH pipe chart for reference to wall thickness..Re: exhaust shopsThat might prove a little more difficult since i'd have to translate everything since it'd be atypical to what they generally do, but if there's someone of interest or a referral you'd like to make: i'm all ears.The shops I was dealing with usually handle, railing, furniture, display cases, shopping carts -- that sort of thing. This used to be the kind of thing that LIC Warehouses had a ton of.I'm looking for a shop that could do a somewhat affordable furniture prototype with bent tubular steel, without having to commit to large production numbers.Let me know your thoughts..ThanksLL
Reply:Your still in the right part of town. Cruise the outskirts of china town, theres plenty of little hole in the wall places that make food related equipment and funiture and stuff. I HATE going there, but I pick off every little sign in front of those shops that I always keep on the back burner. One little cruise around town in your spare time, and I guarantee you find what you  need bud! I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:I spent a lot of time checking in with Chinatown shops and Flushing --the prices were great...unfortunately --- no one would do bending! nor would they do polished stainless, so there was a big cost in shipping that work elsewhere. they would say 'yes! we can do that' and then ignore my design and send back a layout made with welded joints that looked completely different..I'd LOVE a referral to a C-town shop that's somewhat reliable that has a mandrel bender, but they don't give referrals to other shops so I'm running out of places to check??(you are correct in needing a beer, after dealing with the bowery places just for a quote I was ready to tap out!)
Reply:Could you change to solid bar?
Reply:honestly I'd think that chances of finding a fabrication shop with a mandrel bender is going to be extremely tough if not impossible, mandrel benders cost a fortune and the only guys who will invest in a mandrel bender is someone who is going to make a lot of money with mandrel bends, I'm talking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth when you consider that the average mandrel bender setup probably starts close to 100k... there are almost no fab shops with a mandrel bender... you will find mandrel benders in places that do high end exhaust work and lots of it, but there not going to be equipt to do a 1" tube anyway... most fabrication shops who work with bending are going to be more for rollbars and stuff that won't require a mandrel bend...I'd say that you may need to rethink your design, either go with heavier material that can be bent without a mandrel bender or go with crush bends like almost all other funiture would be or go with cuts and welds or rethink what it is your trying to do because finding a fabrication shop to do what your looking for may prove to be very impractical...miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:turbocad6 -Thanks for the reply. The design requires bent steel - 1" tube, the angle is 90 degrees with a 3" radius. I was informed that without a mandrel bend we'd warp the tube:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kttUtY0Z_z...end-4-lgth.jpgI'm open to any method that would cost effectively achieve this.Is there anything that would be more common in shops that'd be tailored to this job?tapwelder  -I'm not opposed to solid bar. you suggest this because it'd be easier to bend without warping?I didn't know if the material would be too costly to work with though. But if it makes the fabrication easier and doesn't require special tools, it might be worth it.Either way - any tips or referrals to local shops are appreciated.
Reply:If you can't find a mandrel bender in your area, buy some u bends.  You'll have to cut and splice the bent parts you get from a mandel bending shop anyway, unless they build exactly to your specs.-AaronJet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:contact BH Tubes in Souderton, PA.  They have a mandrel bender and specialize in .065" wall tubing of various diameters, down to 3/4"http://bhtubes.com/shop/Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Sharp bends can be accomplished by bisecting the tube with a bandsaw and bending the half tubes. Either heat and bend around a wooden buck or a piece of pipe the correct radius. With the pipes bent and matched up, they can be welded back together,ground and polished ( in your case anyway). The result gives you a weird staggered end on the pipe halves, but it can be done without a mandrel bender, just a band saw and a mig or tig.This works with either round tube or square. It's a lot more work that just feeding it into a power bender, but if you are in a tight, it'll get you over the hump.It helps if you are friends with the shop doing the work, as you can explain what the hell you are talking about.
Reply:Tubularfab on here has one, but he is in the Atlanta area.
Reply:Lusydo,Sorry for the delay but been busy with a few projects.Most of the SS boat rail material (1" OD) I deal with is .049 wall.My JD2 bender is hydraulic, but hydraulic is not needed for this application.  You will, however need the teflon follower blocks to prevent scratching the SS tube.Most any marine fabricator worth his salt is going to be able to bend ss tubing of this diameter.  Additionally, most marine fabricators that work with SS railings are also going to be able to produce the "cosmetically acceptable" welds you likely will need.  Tip here is to ask how he's setup to do the purge necessary for SS welds.  If he doesn't understand the question, move on to one that does.I'm located in VA, but if you'd like to send me some sketches of a prototype, I may (after review) be willing to knock out a few samples for your review.If you wish to try it "in house", I'd recommend you visit the JD2 site and take a look at the dies available.  For "prototype" work, I'd think it best to have the capability in house.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.