cheap tubing bending jig

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This is something i thought might work to bend tubing...the picture pretty much explains itself (im no artsist, but its visible). the tube your wanting to bend sits over a smaller diamter tube welded to the base plate. you then bend it over a pipe welded to the base plate of your desiered radious after heating. my question is, can this work with aluminum tubing also? would i need to heat it, or use an extention for more leverage and bend it cold? use a different series aluminum thats better with bending?any tips here would help, thanks! Attached ImagesLincoln Square Wave 175 TIGLincoln 110v flux core welder (my 1st)Clarke 180EN MIG
Reply:Tube dies for benders almost always have a radius to match the tube cut in them to support the tube wall as they bend. If not you will flatten the tube as you bend it. Take a look at a conduit bender that electrician's use. The bender itself is usually easy to build. It's the radius dies that are the hard part. You'll find any number of home built benders on here if you search, but in most cases unless you have access to a lathe (or cast your own as one here did) the easiest way is to just design it around ready made die sets that you can get from various makers..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:i do have the JD2 bender. but each die is around 300 bucks. wich is why my bender has been sitting there collecting dust...Lincoln Square Wave 175 TIGLincoln 110v flux core welder (my 1st)Clarke 180EN MIG
Reply:As you probably already know that when you bend using this method you are stretching the outside of the tube and shrinking the inside of the tube.  I know they are lots of money but if you do any amount of bending, a mandrel bender of any kind makes nice wrinkle free bends.
Reply:ok, so maybe i should just fork out the cash to buy the die for my trick tools bender. one thing i was wondering though... will bending aluminum tubing be a problem? i have only bent steel tubing in school, and the instructor mentioned some things about bending aluminum is different. but im not sure if he was refering to a certain series of aluminum, or all series...Lincoln Square Wave 175 TIGLincoln 110v flux core welder (my 1st)Clarke 180EN MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by sen2twook, so maybe i should just fork out the cash to buy the die for my trick tools bender. one thing i was wondering though... will bending aluminum tubing be a problem? i have only bent steel tubing in school, and the instructor mentioned some things about bending aluminum is different. but im not sure if he was refering to a certain series of aluminum, or all series...
Reply:I am in the process of building a version of the "Blind Chicken" tubing bender to make up exhaust bends. The die is based on  a car compact spare (wheel) that is sectioned in width and will likely need some side filling. The radius is perfect (7") for 2" conduit which is what I use. Not looking for perfection, just something better than "cut-out" and weld up method that I sometimes resort to for making curves.