Hyd. Tubing Bender Project

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I wanted to share this bender I built form plans I got off of eBay.  You can also get them from GotTrikes.com.I decided to make this my first official TIG welded project.  The bender is made from 2” x 2” x ¼” MS tubing and ½” Flat Stock.I did my first bend today of 1-5/8” MS .135 wall.  It took about 60 seconds of bend time for 90* using the air cylinder.I compared and measured the diameter of the middle of the bend on the one I made to a 90* bend from a local chassis shop.  Both measurements were 1.550.  This shows that the bender plans can bend just as good as the professional shops on their high end benders.I decided to be lazy and tap 4 holes on the bottom of the bender legs and install caster wheels so I can push the bender around.  I got the wheels from Harbor Freight for about $3.00 each.  There were rated for 100 lbs ea and the bender rolls very smooth, better than I would have thought for the cost of the wheels and being from Harbor Freight.I have attached several photos of the build.  If anyone wants to build with tubing and you need a bender, this one will do the job and it bends up to 180* Attached ImagesBuild a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:I remember a few of the earlier build pics..When are you going to build me one?...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:LOL!!!As much time as I have in this one, I don't even want to build myself another..  It was a fun project with lots of fab work which was time consuming, but I now have a bender that costs $200 that can bend like the $3000 and up benders.This would be a good TIG project for you ZAP!  Build a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:how much did you pay for the steel? i was quoted just under 150 for the box tubing...
Reply:I purchased the steel in April 07 and paid around $180 for the tubing and flat.  I used 1/2" in place of the 5/8" because I could not find the right size but it worked great.And then after stepping over the steel for 10 months, I finally got it done in April 2008 and did the first bend in May.Get the steel now while it is cheap, it will only keep going up and a couple hundreds for steel to build this is a good investment if you need bender..Also in the plans they used cold rolled for the flat, don't waste your money, I used hot rolled and it was fine.Last edited by malich; 05-09-2008 at 09:38 PM.Build a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:MalichYour time line and mine sound similar. I purchased and cut all the steel before thanksgiving. My old wresting coach was going to do the wiring for my garage before x-mass so I could up grade to a miller 180. To make a long story short I hope to start building in a week.reber
Reply:Originally Posted by ReebsMalichYour time line and mine sound similar. I purchased and cut all the steel before thanksgiving. My old wresting coach was going to do the wiring for my garage before x-mass so I could up grade to a miller 180. To make a long story short I hope to start building in a week.reber
Reply:Now you still have to buy the dies, is that the deal? Or you made your own? Nice work. I keep thinking of making one style of bender or another but just haven't ever had the driving need.
Reply:Hi Sandy,I purchased the dies from pro-tools.com.  Easiest way to go to get the job done.  You can see in the bend photo I have the dies installed and made a 90* bend.Build this bender if you need one.  I am a picky person and I want good quality and this bender will do the job.Build a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:Originally Posted by malichI wanted to share this bender I built form plans I got off of eBay.  You can also get them from GotTrikes.com.I decided to make this my first official TIG welded project.  The bender is made from 2” x 2” x ¼” MS tubing and ½” Flat Stock.I did my first bend today of 1-5/8” MS .135 wall.  It took about 60 seconds of bend time for 90* using the air cylinder.I compared and measured the diameter of the middle of the bend on the one I made to a 90* bend from a local chassis shop.  Both measurements were 1.550.  This shows that the bender plans can bend just as good as the professional shops on their high end benders.I decided to be lazy and tap 4 holes on the bottom of the bender legs and install caster wheels so I can push the bender around.  I got the wheels from Harbor Freight for about $3.00 each.  There were rated for 100 lbs ea and the bender rolls very smooth, better than I would have thought for the cost of the wheels and being from Harbor Freight.I have attached several photos of the build.  If anyone wants to build with tubing and you need a bender, this one will do the job and it bends up to 180*
Reply:The dies are $220 for the 1-5/8".  Cost will be around this, for your size I recommend visiting http://Pro-Tools.com.Build a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:do you happen to know if jd2 dies will work with tht bender
Reply:No they don't. Only Pro Tools.I bought these plans as well, however I built my bender in the same style as a ProTools 105 Brute. Very happy with the Qty of bends. I'll get some pics up one day
Reply:The cost of steel is insane, it makes me sick.  I havent built anything in awhile because of how expensive it is for materials.I used to build engine stands, at one time it use to be cost effective, now when i need another one i just drive to harbor freight and pick another one up.I should go pick up the steel sometime this week, i just put together my 4X6 bandsaw, and i should break it in with a new project.  I dont know what people are complaining about?  I squared the vice to the blade and it cuts perfect 90's with the stock blade.  The degree indicator on the back is something like 3/4 of a degree off, but like i said, square the vice to the blade and it cuts perfect.
Reply:I have all the materials to build the same exact setup.  Glad to hear that your happy with the results.  I need to just get a few other projects out the door, and then I can start with this one.  My material cost me abot 300 dollars, but I probably bought more than I really needed.  I ordered it through a local metal supply house.  Not even bad at that when you price what they want for manual benders.Just remember that the dies and stuff are pretty expensive for these and other benders.  But if your just dealing with a few sizes; you only need a few. ~200 each.Best Times with 434 Naturally Aspirated Vette60 - 1.261/8 -  6.37@ 107.25 MPH 1/4 - 10.08 & 134.9MPH1/4 - 9.60@144MPH
Reply:damn...my fiance bought me he JD2 bender. its realy nice. but it was 500 for the set up. with no dies. and its not hydraulic. when i could of made my own for cheaper...live and learn...ehhh, the one i have is still nice. no complaintsLincoln Square Wave 175 TIGLincoln 110v flux core welder (my 1st)Clarke 180EN MIG
Reply:looks goodChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:sen you can adapt the a/h jack for the jd2...... I am building this one as well....actualy emailed frank to ask a question and he fwd. me an email from malich..... I had to buy the 2x2 for the uprights but am using some stuff I have on hand for the rest..... I was going to use the 1/2" for the tabs in place of the 5/8" as well but had some 1 1/4" x 4" solid with 1 1/4" holes bushed down to 1" so I'm using it....
Reply:Originally Posted by 84zmikesen you can adapt the a/h jack for the jd2...... I am building this one as well....actualy emailed frank to ask a question and he fwd. me an email from malich..... I had to buy the 2x2 for the uprights but am using some stuff I have on hand for the rest..... I was going to use the 1/2" for the tabs in place of the 5/8" as well but had some 1 1/4" x 4" solid with 1 1/4" holes bushed down to 1" so I'm using it....
Reply:Can you get and use 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch dies with it?  How much were the plans and how much was the cylinder?thanksMillermatic 180AS w/ spoolmate 100Craftsman 110v flux core migGolden Oldy Miller stick welderIn need of a plasma cutter....More tools and junk than i know what to do with!
Reply:It can use the 1/2" and 3/4" dies....... the plans are less than $20 and the jack I found on ebay for $80 ish shipped vs $72 @ Harbor Freight plus $20 in gas to go pick it up.http://gottrikes.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by sen2twodamn...my fiance bought me he JD2 bender. its realy nice. but it was 500 for the set up. with no dies. and its not hydraulic. when i could of made my own for cheaper...live and learn...ehhh, the one i have is still nice. no complaints
Reply:I got trigger happy and picked up a 1" square tube die for the jd2 if anyone needs one I'll swap for a pro tools die.
Reply:I made one of these a while back also, I went with an Enerpac because I got it for free..
Reply:So, is that a 901 or 914 transaxle I see there?  What's it going in?  I'm on the lookout for a cheap one to stick in my Fiat 850 spider, as the stock engine is going to be replaced with something that has more digits in it's HP rating.PatrickLincoln 175HDI also built this bender last year, but I modified mine to fit the HF air/hydraulic jack before Frank had updated the plans for it.  It works awesome.  If you look closely in the second picture, you can see where I messed up, I splayed the diagonal and horizontal pieces to fit the air/hydr. jack, but didn't realize the diagonals needed to be splayed a little further on the right side, so I welded two pieces of 2"x 1/4" thick flat bar to the horizontal, and welded the diagonal to it.  This was my 3rd welding project (cart, stand for bead roller, tube bender.) and before I went to welding school, so the welds aren't the greatest, but they'll do.http://weldingweb.com/showpost.php?p...6&postcount=18PatrickLincoln 175HD
Reply:Very nice. I'm glad to see other people built that design. I thought about going that route but I chose to build a tubing bender this way:It's almost done, I need to tweak a few things. I found the plans for this type of bender here. I modified it a bit to use an air over 20 ton hydraulic jack vs a manual 12 ton specified. Also I'm bending upwards of 2" OD so the frame needs a bit of modification to fit the larger dies. I'm also gonna lose the front base so I can do multiple complex bends.The only negative to the method I chose to do is I can't do 180* bends. In the foreseeable future I don't see that happening and 90* should be fairly adequate for some time to come.Miller Syncrowave 180SDMillermatic 175
Reply:Might have to get creative & make something like this.  Most of the ones I see are the JD type around here.  They use them to make cages & full tube frames for the sand rails.  Wonder if it would sell if I built one?MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build