HF tube Rolling.......worth the money??

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They claim this tube rolling bends tubing from 3/4" to 2" diameter.  Swag Offroad make dies for this machine too.  It's best to get the HF machine then the dies from Swag??  I wonder if this machine can make 36" diameter circles.Thanks
Reply:There are a couple of threads on this in the Manufacturers/Harbor Freight column:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...Tube+roller%22http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...Tube+roller%22I too am looking at procuring one of these.  I checked the manual available on-line at Harborfreight.com  http://manuals.harborfreight.com/man...9999/99736.pdfI was dissappointed, but not surprised, that the capacity limits for tubing wall thickness is not listed.  Bending EMT or copper tubing is one thing, but I don't know if this machine can do much with pipe or tubing wall thickness much greater than 1/8", especially in the larger diameters.  It will be interesting to see if anyone here has experience with this machine and can share some knowledge.-MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:I like mine a lot.  It doesn't replace a Hossfeld-type bender.  But for larger diameter curves, it's awesome.  I don't own any of the Swag stuff for it, but I've heard it's great.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:I have one and bought the SWAG extension wings and a few dies for it.If you really want to use this to roll anything other than thin wall tubing you will need to extend the lower rollers.I built a gate for a buddy of mine and rolled a top out of 2"x2"x.120".It was definitely a workout but I wouldn't have been able to do it without the SWAG extension kit and dies. The dies are really well made and come with a new drive shaft that is 10 times better than the original HF POS.http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:I have one and I love it.  Toughest thing I ever did with it was rolling a piece of 1.5"OD by .080 wall 304 stainless tubing into a complete 18" diameter ring.The crappy set screws stripped out of the shaft, so I just drilled all the way through and stuck a grade 8 bolt through.
Reply:I have one and it required some modifications. I was putting an s curve an a 20' piece 12 gauge 1" 1/2 round tubing. It twisted the tube going back and forth. I made plastic washers to tighten it up. Tightening it up made a huge difference eliminating the twist problem. I hope that makes sense. You can't beat it for the price,as long as your not expecting high quality precision engineering. Overall I think it is worth it.
Reply:Oh yeah I also drilled and tapped all the dies and the main shaft, then replace all the screws with grade 8 bolts. The screws it came with were total crap.
Reply:I have one I bought to build the tub on my corral. I rolled 1-1/4" x 1/8" wall to make a 12' radius. If memory seves me right, I think I rolled 12 sticks, each 20' long. For what it costs, I was well pleased with what it did, but it sure does give you a workout. I have rolled 1" x 12 ga to a 24" ring, not bad. I tried 1-1/4" sch 40 pipe ONCE, I wouldn't recommend that again!On edit: After I posted this, I checked out the swag add on kit. Thanks for helping me find something to improve my roller with! I see one of the add on kits in my very near future.Last edited by rancher76; 06-09-2012 at 04:02 PM.