Pipe Bending ?????

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I am thinking that I would like to bend some metal.  I have no knowledge of what I need to suit my needs.I am looking something that will bend round tubing probably up to 2” Although I would probably be bending smaller then this size. But would be nice to have the capability. I would also like the bender to do square tubing from ¼ x ¼ up to at least 1 x 1.Another criteria would be I would like it compact as possible since this would be for fun and will be working out of the garage it must be able to be put away.  For this reason I have been looking at the hydraulic jack bender as it would seem easier to put out of the way when I am not using it.  Since I have seen the guy that made a manual bender (long lever to bender the material what ever type these are called) with an attachment to use his car to keep it in place and still keep it mobile.  Also with this type of bender should you be heating the metal before you bend it, or do you just get a good work out using this type of bender?  Thanks for all of your help in advance.  David
Reply:Well, you are talking about three different things - round tube, pipe, and square tube.  Each one requires a different bender and dies.  Pipe benders are nearly all hydraulicaly powered; tubung benders can be hand hickeys or hydraulic, both for round and square.  There's no one-fits-all solution, and benders for large square tubing can be very expensive - like thousands of dollars.You need to think a bit more about exactly what you want to do and what is realistic for you.Hank
Reply:I hate to beat a dead horse here, but the best bender for this kind of stuff, that will do all kinds of stuff for the least money, is a hossfeld bender. It will bend pipe, and with special dies it will bend square or round tube. If you arent worried about a little pucker and wrinkle, you can bend tube with standard dies, even cheaper. You need to bolt it down, but it has a LOT of leverage, and I hardly ever have to use the full 8 foot handle- 4 foot is usually plenty. $700 or so for the base machine, maybe $1500 tooled nicely. I have bent small 1/2" square tubing without special tubing dies- in fact, I have bent 1" and 1 1/2" without the special dies- you just need the fixed radius angle iron dies.http://www.hossfeldbender.com/orhttp://www.americanbender.com/or, if ALL you want is tubing,http://www.jd2.com/There are some cheaper copies on the market that will do SOME of what a hossfeld will do- you get what you pay for.http://www.bossbendersusa.com/http://www.shopoutfitters.com/http://www.mittlerbros.com/The hydraulic jack type machines will bend ONE radius of curve per set of dies- great for electricians, who always want a small 90 degree bend. Crummy for custom railings, or roll cages, where you might want a curve to change radius as it goes, or loop around 360, or be very gentle for a 5 foot diameter table top.A hossfeld will do all of those things. And more.
Reply:There's another option.  Pro Tools makes a similar bender to the trade standard Hossfeld.  They dies for just about anything and they can custom make dies also.  I have one, and it works great...http://www.pro-tools.com/CR2 Welding and Fabricationwww.cr2fabrication.webs.comMiller Dynasty 200DXMiller Maxstar 150Hobart Handler 187 with Spoolgun
Reply:If you are wanting something for occasional use, I would use a hydraulic jack unit from harbor freight for round up to 2".  I "bend" rectangular tubing, square tubing and Purlin regularly by cutting a "piece of pie" section leaving the outside part of the bend intact, bend it and then weld it up.  If I want a more rounded bend I two or three sections for a rounder bend.  You could just make a bunch of kerfs and weld them all up, but that would take a BUNCH of time and rod.Merry Christmas,Doc"I live so far out in the boondocks, my TV runs on Propane."
Reply:This guy is selling plans to build your own. It's a quailty looking bender. His email is [email protected] .I requested plans from him I'll post when I get them.Brett