Quickest way to bend 1/4" bar into small circles?

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I need to make about 100 circles (candle holders) in about 2 days. Circles will be about 3" diameter. What's the fastest way to crank these out? Off the top of my head I would assume using either a scroll bender, or something like the Harbor Freight compact bar bender or tube bender as cheap solutions, but the latter two I would assume will leave a flat section sticking out the end of the circle? Guess I could cut it off, but it would be nice to just cut the pieces to the right length, and bend into a circle. Doesn't necessarily need to be a perfect circle , but needs to look good and be able to hold the candle with a slight flange on it.John 3:16(2) Miller Pheonix 456(2) Millermertic 252Dynasty 210DXHobart 210MVPDoringer D350 SA Cold SawScotchman 350LT Cold SawWebb 10x50 MillWebb 15x40 LatheGeka Bendicrop Ironworker
Reply:Hello Econdron, the quickest way is to use a lathe to "wrap" the rod around a round center mandrel into the shape of a tightly wound spring and then cut down the length of it. Then flatten the rounds and weld them together as needed. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:Why not get a 1-4 inch thick 3 inch tube and cut pieces from it.
Reply:Cut up some pipe.
Reply:Originally Posted by aevaldHello Econdron, the quickest way is to use a lathe to "wrap" the rod around a round center mandrel into the shape of a tightly wound spring and then cut down the length of it. Then flatten the rounds and weld them together as needed. Best regards, Allan
Reply:What Allan said. For 1/4" bar you don't even need a lathe. You can wrap the bar around a piece of 2-1/2" pipe by hand, then cut.A few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:There's going to be some springback so wrap it around something smaller diameter than what you want to end up with. One of the key things is you'll want to do is keep the rod tight against the round form right where it contacts it, you could rig some kind of 'following die' to keep the bar pressed against the round form as it's wrapping. This could be done with a long tube you hold that the rod fits inside of so the rod is pulled out of the tube as it wraps. Ideally the tube inside diameter should be small. Keep the tube touching the mandrel/coil so it forces all of the bending to take place at the mandrel and not before in the air. And spool it tightly with the turns of the coil touching each other.Last edited by MikeGyver; 07-16-2014 at 01:39 AM.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Buy them from McMaster Carr.  I am sure you can get SS, plated or plain.  What's your time worth?DanManipulator Of Metal
Reply:Great ideas. I like the idea of making a coil and then cutting one side and bending the pieces into rings. The problem is, in addition to the 100 little rings, there's also two or three bigger sized rings (6"-12") that I need 4-6 of each. So now I'm leaning towards a ring roller just for the flexibility of ring diameter. Guess I could always make the coil on that thing.John 3:16(2) Miller Pheonix 456(2) Millermertic 252Dynasty 210DXHobart 210MVPDoringer D350 SA Cold SawScotchman 350LT Cold SawWebb 10x50 MillWebb 15x40 LatheGeka Bendicrop Ironworker
Reply:I'd never want to advise anyone against getting more tools  but you can make the larger rings the same way. I made some tomato cages for a neighbor by bending 3/8" aluminum rod around a large argon tank.BTW thanks to MikeGyver for a much more thorough explanation of the process.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:Originally Posted by DanD78Buy them from McMaster Carr.  I am sure you can get SS, plated or plain.  What's your time worth?Dan