Square tube roller

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Hi Guys,I recently purchased a used Millermatic 200 to weld some stuff around house and to build a entrance gate on the side of the house.  Now I'm looking for a few more tools before i embark on this small project.  First off i need a tube roller that has the capacity of roling large square tubes of different thicknesses  up to 2" (for entrance gate) or smaller 1/2" solid steel tubes.  I'd also like the ability to bend pipes.  I'm sure there are some ingenious people out there that built their own and can share some insight, or maybe a place where to buy one.Secondly i'd like your suggestions on a good inexpensive plasma cutter that would cut up to 3/8 or would prefer 110v but 220 would work as well.Thanks
Reply:to bend squ. tubing even just up to 1" your talking around a grand for a bender a dies
Reply:The cheap way to do it is to make cuts along one side of the tube with your chop saw, cut 3 sides of the tube, just the kerf width of the blade. Space them out maybe 4 inches (or so) aprt to start.. start from the middle of the tube and work your way out to either side..  Then clamp one end of the tube to your table and start bending the tube by hand, well depending how think the tube is.. You can add more kerf cuts if you need to to get more of an arch.Once you have your desired arch, weld up all the cut and begin to grind away the welds.. Use a flap style disc so you can make it nice and smooooooth..This of course more time consuming but with out a thousand or so dollars laying around to by the right machine for the job it will get the job done for less money.. The archs come out pretty darn good.. Just take your time on the grinding.. Oh, and don't be affrid if you gouge up the inside of the arch, bond also works wonders if you get a little hash with the grinders.. Hope the helps.. Let me know if I explained that well enough..JasonMiller 252Miller 250Miller Syncrowave 250Esab Plasma Powercut 1250HF Basic oxy/act torches
Reply:[QUOTE=FluxThis;248326]The cheap way to do it is to make cuts along one side of the tube with your chop saw, cut 3 sides of the tube, just the kerf width of the blade. Space them out maybe 4 inches (or so) aprt to start.. start from the middle of the tube and work your way out to either side..  Then clamp one end of the tube to your table and start bending the tube by hand, well depending how think the tube is.. You can add more kerf cuts if you need to to get more of an arch.Once you have your desired arch, weld up all the cut and begin to grind away the welds.. Use a flap style disc so you can make it nice and smooooooth..This of course more time consuming but with out a thousand or so dollars laying around to by the right machine for the job it will get the job done for less money.. The archs come out pretty darn good.. Just take your time on the grinding.. Oh, and don't be affrid if you gouge up the inside of the arch, bond also works wonders if you get a little hash with the grinders..QUOTE I was wondering about the same sort of thing sorta.I have to build a cattle sweep/tub.  It's a half round pen with a gate that follows the pen to squeeze the cows into the remaining space, and eventually into the opening to the working chute.  Looks like a big arc.I was wondering about how to make the top and bottom rail for the pen part.  I can only come up with taking some 3" channel, cutting pie shapes out of the inside, and bending it, then closing the pie shapes up with a weld, or an insert welded into the gap.Pics are of a commercially available unit, a piece of junk.  Not too good pics, but ya get the ideaI'm thinkin' around a 20' radius Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Well, I definalty dont have 1k bucks laying around, i was hoping someone built something primitive looking that did the job for under 500 bucks.  I'll try your suggestion i'm sure its going to work its just going to take a good while.  My only other alternative would be to take it to the metal shop around the corner but they charge 75 bucks a roll(which i think is a rip off).
Reply:It is possible to build your own.  But you might want to look into buying dies from a company because that is the critical part of tube bending, especially square tubing.  There is a company that does build one up to a 2" square tubing.  I have one of their smaller benders(as well as a HF one, not much difference in function or durability).Go here.  It is economical and tough.  And much less than $1000.00http://www.metalbendingtool.com/prod...p?idproduct=17Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:I think he's looking more or less for a tube roller..  Does HF sell a tube roller?Miller 252Miller 250Miller Syncrowave 250Esab Plasma Powercut 1250HF Basic oxy/act torches
Reply:Rolling as in forming?  He said bending pipes as well, so I thought he was meaning to "bend" the tubing.  This rig does sweep around the tubing, so that it presses the inside center in and bends the pipe.  HF is selling a new round tubing "roller" bender for 179.00It has a big wheel and says it handles up to 1.5 inches round tubing.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Here's a pic of one of their dies...You decide... Attached ImagesEsab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Originally Posted by lugweldRolling as in forming?  He said bending pipes as well, so I thought he was meaning to "bend" the tubing.  This rig does sweep around the tubing, so that it presses the inside center in and bends the pipe.  HF is selling a new round tubing "roller" bender for 179.00It has a big wheel and says it handles up to 1.5 inches round tubing.
Reply:When I was a kid, many moons ago, me and my buds built several dune buggy frames using 2 inch pipe. We never had enough money for any kind of bending equipment so we filled the pipe with clean sand (not dirt but sand), using a 2 post jig welded on a steel bench we heated the pipe at the point of the bend with a rosebud. Took a bit of muscle but we were able to make some nice bends with just the ripple on the inside of the bend. Never tried this with square tubing before, might have to run out and give it a shot.Last edited by tomsexpress; 02-02-2009 at 03:43 PM.Reason: spelling Ranger 8 3200HD 225 Cracker Box
Reply:http://www.gottrikes.com/Is a link to plans to build a benderProtools sell square tubing dies http://www.pro-tools.com/
Reply:I built this a few years ago to roll square tubing not sure what its capacity is but has no problems with 2" the ring on the handle is 1" and was the first piece it rolled Attached Images250DXMM251MM175225G plus 251D-1
Reply:farmersammFor what you want you could probably just manually bend the tube.  Get 2 solidly set pins, we have 2 that drop in holes in our heavy bench, but I've used a couple of close trees in a pinch. Then nudge the pipe to get a small bend, slide it down the pipe farther and repeat. The trick is to keep it in the same plane. I have found a reference line a tube seam or a line marked down the pipe that you can keep vertical helps a lot. a 2nd person is also helpful if you dont have some supports to help keep it oriented correctly while you bend. The longer tube you have the more leverage you can get. after about the middle you may have to flip it and work from the previous section back. (hope this maks sense) We have used this method to bend 1" solid rebar to a radius to match a curved wall section. 1 1/4 top rail for chain link fence or pipe shouldn't be too hard. Flat stock or light channel should be easy. Take a string line, a pin, a tape measure and some ground marking paint and lay out your radius on a clear spot. Use this to keep checking the rails until it fits. It won't be as pretty as a commercial one but it should work fine. You can always cut off the flats at the end that are the hardest to bend.Good luck hope this helps.
Reply:Originally Posted by dedmetalI built this a few years ago to roll square tubing not sure what its capacity is but has no problems with 2" the ring on the handle is 1" and was the first piece it rolled
Reply:Originally Posted by dedmetalI built this a few years ago to roll square tubing not sure what its capacity is but has no problems with 2" the ring on the handle is 1" and was the first piece it rolled
Reply:sorry for the cr_p pic I will get better ones tonight . The big center roller is a conveyer drive roller about 16" wide and outside rollers are 2" pipe i will show how i made the reduction to the 1" pin in new pics I didnt have a lathe at the time and the solution is so simple you wont be believe itnew pics tonight250DXMM251MM175225G plus 251D-1
Reply:Right on! Thank you! Been wanting to build one of these for a while now but honestly have no clue where to start.. I build a good amount of gates and fences with archs and always cut, bend and grind, this will save time and money! Get ready for all kinds of questions!Thanks again!JasonMiller 252Miller 250Miller Syncrowave 250Esab Plasma Powercut 1250HF Basic oxy/act torches
Reply:Originally Posted by FluxThisThe cheap way to do it is to make cuts along one side of the tube with your chop saw, cut 3 sides of the tube, just the kerf width of the blade. Space them out maybe 4 inches (or so) aprt to start.. start from the middle of the tube and work your way out to either side..  Then clamp one end of the tube to your table and start bending the tube by hand, well depending how think the tube is.. You can add more kerf cuts if you need to to get more of an arch.Once you have your desired arch, weld up all the cut and begin to grind away the welds.. Use a flap style disc so you can make it nice and smooooooth..This of course more time consuming but with out a thousand or so dollars laying around to by the right machine for the job it will get the job done for less money.. The archs come out pretty darn good.. Just take your time on the grinding.. Oh, and don't be affrid if you gouge up the inside of the arch, bond also works wonders if you get a little hash with the grinders.. Hope the helps.. Let me know if I explained that well enough..Jason
Reply:FluxThis Thanks for the pict. That a great way to show your technique.Are you using a chopsaw with an abrasive blade or a cold saw? Do you have a trick for stopping all the cuts at the same depth? I can set my wood chopsaw for depth but not my steel saw. Adj stop block under the motor possibly? Do you use a stop setup for the repetitive slots or just mark thm individually and hand cut them?
Reply:I using a chop saw with an abrasive blade.. I have no stop set up for the depth, it's just by feel. I space the steel back so the blade is just about centered over the steel tube. Once you cut the top surface the sides cut pretty fast then you can feel when it hits the bottom. I'm sure you can set up some type of stop, my saw has an adjustment for the stop but not sure if it will adjust up that high.. Try it out on some scap and you'll feel it hit bottom, also if you center you tube to the middle of the blade you can see it when its there.I just mark the center of the tube with a sharpie then mesure out for there, like the tube in the pic was 1" spaces, but just by marks, no stop. I keep the clamp just tight enough so I can still slide the tube by hand to make the process a little quicker.. I start the cuts from the middle and work my way out on one half, then filp the tube and do the same till I'm at the end.. I always leave a extra so I can make the angle cut to where I need it.Hope that helps!JasonJasonMiller 252Miller 250Miller Syncrowave 250Esab Plasma Powercut 1250HF Basic oxy/act torches
Reply:That's really a neat solution!!!!!!!!!!!!!"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:fluxthis here is some more pics it has two uprights welded to the base this is the two outside channels that has the roller adjustments the conveyer drum mounts to the center beam basicly a floating box between the uprights the center is all bolted together for assembly and if need be to remove a full circle that is to stiff to spred around and get out there is a 12 ton jack that sits onthe bottom of this center beam and presses against an other set of uprights there by pressing the roller down the rollers were made using the shaft collars turned down a little onthe belt sander so they fit together and are the fit into end of 2"pipe rollers hope this helps and ask anything I was not clear on Attached Images250DXMM251MM175225G plus 251D-1
Reply:Thanks for all the info!!What are the rollers from, are they steel or do they have so type of hard rubber coating? Also the top roller is that welded to the the hand wheel?I really like the design you came up with.. Going to go out to San Diego this weekend and see what I can find for rollers.. Think I'll use the same channel steel you did, looks great and I'm sure it's super strong! What the specs on that channel?Thanks again!JasonLast edited by FluxThis; 02-04-2009 at 11:25 AM.Miller 252Miller 250Miller Syncrowave 250Esab Plasma Powercut 1250HF Basic oxy/act torches
Reply:Hey did you gys notice the old Montgomey Wards buzz box in post 19 pic # 4.. That thing works like a champ! Well not as well as my TB 301 but not bad..  Just need some longer leads for it...Miller 252Miller 250Miller Syncrowave 250Esab Plasma Powercut 1250HF Basic oxy/act torchesOriginally Posted by FluxThisThanks for all the info!!What are the rollers from, are they steel or do they have so type of hard rubber coating? Also the top roller is that welded to the the hand wheel?I really like the design you came up with.. Going to go out to San Diego this weekend and see what I can find for rollers.. Think I'll use the same channel steel you did, looks great and I'm sure it's super strong! What the specs on that channel?Thanks again!Jason
Reply:Wow, Dedmetal.. now thats what i'm talking about. I bet you can bend pretty much anything on that. Can you post a picture of the whole setup, so i can visualize the whole thing.  I'm thinking about making something like that... All i need is 3 big rollers and a hydraulic jack
Reply:Originally Posted by dedmetalI built this a few years ago to roll square tubing not sure what its capacity is but has no problems with 2" the ring on the handle is 1" and was the first piece it rolled
Reply:Bucilini,Here's a link to a thread outlining my build of an arch roller for square tubing.I use it for fence panels, railings, and gates.Markhttp://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/...ad.php?t=17295
Reply:67,I'm not seeing the pics in the link you posted.HH 187Miller Bluestar1EAHP AlphaTig 200X
Reply:Greyhorse,The thread I linked to is on another welding/fab board, but I made sure I was logged out and I could still see the pics.. Can anyone else?Mark Originally Posted by Greyhorse67,I'm not seeing the pics in the link you posted.