making a tube bending die

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I'm going to attempt to make a 1 1/2" die, this is what I got done today. I would like to see other peoples home made benders and dies if any one has them to post. any ideas or criticism also Attached Images"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal"   -Henry Ford
Reply:I get it, this was a cool forum while it lasted. late"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal"   -Henry Ford
Reply:So you posted 1 picture, waited a couple hours and then gave up?  OK Maybe post your plans for the project?  There isn't much to give feedback on. . .Those that say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" just don't understand!Fast-Cheap-Reliable:  Pick two.
Reply:Originally Posted by eyeball engineerI get it, this was a cool forum while it lasted. late
Reply:I agree with everyone else...this has definitely got me curious? post more pic's please, plans etc...Charlton
Reply:How are you going to make the face/contour of the die? The part that the pipe/tube meets on the die? I've got a JD2 and a few round dies, but would like to have a few square dies. I've been studying how to build some after looking at the dies I already have. Keep the pics and ideas coming as i'm curious to your findings and designs.
Reply:I was thinking I pissed some people off in another thread, but oh well. the plates will go on the top and bottom of the tube where the bend is. After I can hopefully get the plates perfectly centered with the bend I will carefully weld them on. then I'll cut the tube on the center ( you can see in the pic where I traced a line while the tube was still in the die) and remove, leaving only the inside of the tube  (part that's welded to the plates) making a die.the tube pictured is 1 3/4" with 1/8" wall, so a 1 1/2" I.D. making a 1 1/2" die. I'm not the greatest at explaining things. as for making a square die, I would think that would be easier, use a circle cutter, cut out a few plates and contour the inner ones, stack them together
Reply:I am interested in your project. I have been wanting to build a tubing bender for a while but I always get sidetracked on something else.MillerMatic 212, Lincoln Precision TIG 225, Hypertherm 45XP
Reply:Make sure you cut out the seam.  Also, if you plan on bending 180 degrees then you need more than a 180 degree die.  Looks tubing is not quite 180 degrees.I look forward to seeing your progress.
Reply:Hey man.... I don't know one damn thing about bending tubing.  I don't make suggestions on what I don't know about.Kinda like Lesbians.  Dunno much about it, but I like to watch"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:This is an unfinished die that I was making for a little different bender design.  I think that this is what he is wanting to do.
Reply:Making a bend like that, how much do you stretch the outside diameter of the tubing?  Do you actually make the wall thinner?  Seems to me you would have to."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by George BarnesThis is an unfinished die that I was making for a little different bender design.  I think that this is what he is wanting to do.
Reply:George did you try your design.I would think at least it would need to by solid welded.  The tubing being bent will want to go straight at at every point.  If it find a weak point, then it will flatten it. Perhaps it (the die) could be filled with something.  Perhaps epoxy, sand, plaster of paris.I understood eyeballs design.  Again hope the tubing has the seam on the od so it will be removed.Last edited by tapwelder; 01-19-2009 at 12:27 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by George BarnesThis is an unfinished die that I was making for a little different bender design.  I think that this is what he is wanting to do.
Reply:As I said, it is an UNFINISHED die that I was going to use in experimenting with some other ideas about a little different bender design. Here is what I was playing around with:The main difference that I was working on was the ratcheting assembly.  The JD2/ProTool type have the ratchet in the horizontal plane and require that the unit be mounted on a pedestal and require quite a bit of dedicated room to be able to use them for most bending.  The idea on mine was to apply the force needed to move the ratchet bar in the vertical direction.  That way, the unit could be laid on a table or the floor at any place in the shop where room was available at that moment.Since this is a draw bender configuration with all of the bending occurring at one point, rather than a compression bender where the tube is being wrapped around the form die, the possibility for using a mandrel exists.If I had finished this project, I would have cast the dies in aluminum.  I use a much modified Hossfeld that I have probably made a few hundred thousand bends here in my shop.  The fit of the tube to the die on the fabricated one is about the same as the Hossfelds.
Reply:Originally Posted by George BarnesThe main difference that I was working on was the ratcheting assembly.  The JD2/ProTool type have the ratchet in the horizontal plane and require that the unit be mounted on a pedestal and require quite a bit of dedicated room to be able to use them for most bending.  The idea on mine was to apply the force needed to move the ratchet bar in the vertical direction.  That way, the unit could be laid on a table or the floor at any place in the shop where room was available at that moment.
Reply:Here's my JD2 model three that i finished up this weekend. I made the whole thing except for the die. The arms are .5 mild steel and the pins are 4140. Attached Images
Reply:So you just copied piece for piece the model 3? That''s cool. You just order dies from them then?Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:not picking, butif the cylinder is pivoting on its main mount , why the funny looking adapteron the end of the rod. why not pin right thru the rodinsert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:I've always wanted to make a bender die, they are so expensive to buy... but after reading alot about people making them, even with the right tools it takes much time to due.eventually when i get a mill/lathe i'll try to make some dies.I've made some dies for a tube roller out of a 4" Delrin rod which i turned on a wood lathe. they came out great but wouldn't hold up in this situation, here is the bender i am currently working onand the tube roller with delrin dies.... by the way Harbor Freight has a tube roller for $150 with steel dies from 1/2" to 2" which i'll probably pick up soonLast edited by Rojodiablo; 01-21-2009 at 02:27 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by chenrynot picking, butif the cylinder is pivoting on its main mount , why the funny looking adapteron the end of the rod. why not pin right thru the rod
Reply:Brent,Didn't happen to jot down any of the dimensions for the bender, did you?  Any drawings you might like to share??????????????????Millermatic185Miller Spectrum 375Lincoln Precision TIG 185O/A setupOptrel Satellite (Blue)DeWalt Chop Saw
Reply:Originally Posted by George BarnesAs I said, it is an UNFINISHED die that I was going to use in experimenting with some other ideas about a little different bender design. Here is what I was playing around with:The main difference that I was working on was the ratcheting assembly.  The JD2/ProTool type have the ratchet in the horizontal plane and require that the unit be mounted on a pedestal and require quite a bit of dedicated room to be able to use them for most bending.  The idea on mine was to apply the force needed to move the ratchet bar in the vertical direction.  That way, the unit could be laid on a table or the floor at any place in the shop where room was available at that moment.Since this is a draw bender configuration with all of the bending occurring at one point, rather than a compression bender where the tube is being wrapped around the form die, the possibility for using a mandrel exists.If I had finished this project, I would have cast the dies in aluminum.  I use a much modified Hossfeld that I have probably made a few hundred thousand bends here in my shop.  The fit of the tube to the die on the fabricated one is about the same as the Hossfelds.
Reply:Originally Posted by eyeball engineerI am a visual person, not to great at explaining things, but that is pretty much what I want to do. as for the tube being a thicker wall, I was limited to the wall thickness. I use to have a jd2 mod 3, with a few dies, and sold it like a dumb a$$. I know a few people with these, a couple of which have 2" which would have been a better chose. 2" x 1/4" wall= 1 1/2" I.D., but I had easier access to the 1 3/4" die so I went with that, plus using the 2" die would of meant a larger radius, it's already kinda big with the 1 3/4". I think with welding it completely up, and adequate reinforcement it will hold.  hey George how did you do it? what wall thickness? what bender did you make your bend with? does the I.D. hold it dimension, or did it need to get ground out a little?  what size is your die that your making?Originally Posted by EazyI think you did an alright job here, Not bad and yes, I don't see why it wouldn't do the job some tube benders even use Wooden dies for tube but if you wish to listen to the strength issues otherwise, well just fill the guts of it up with fiberglass or something. That would make it a solid die
Reply:Here is a die I made using a large piece of 8620. Machined the entire thing. Is for 1.25" tube. has a 4" CLR. I made a die set for a roll bender I am slowly building. The smaller die on the lathe is one of three identical ones for the roll bender. Attached Images
Reply:Man, you guys are awesome.Working on cars and bikes is my hobby, learning to weld the pieces together is my quest.
Reply:I was asked by someone to explain how I made the die. If you look at the pic with the lathe, you will notice a tool mounted on the quick change tool post that has a handwheel. I made this tool to cut concave radii. It is basically a vertical shaft with a carbide cutting bit in it that is adjustable in and out which is what determines radius. The handwheel is directly connected to the shaft and you manually turn the wheel which in turn turns the carbide cutter, thus producing a concave cut.I made the tool I am referring to. I also made a very nice ball turning tool cutter. Entirely constructed of CRS and utilizes tapered bearings/races. It is made specific to my Nardini Lathe. It seats in place of the tool post in the T slot. It will cut up to a 3" ball effortlessly. Very rigid design. I can get pics of it if anyone is interested. It may take a day or so.Grant
Reply:Originally Posted by jackalopeI was asked by someone to explain how I made the die. If you look at the pic with the lathe, you will notice a tool mounted on the quick change tool post that has a handwheel. I made this tool to cut concave radii. It is basically a vertical shaft with a carbide cutting bit in it that is adjustable in and out which is what determines radius. The handwheel is directly connected to the shaft and you manually turn the wheel which in turn turns the carbide cutter, thus producing a concave cut.I made the tool I am referring to. I also made a very nice ball turning tool cutter. Entirely constructed of CRS and utilizes tapered bearings/races. It is made specific to my Nardini Lathe. It seats in place of the tool post in the T slot. It will cut up to a 3" ball effortlessly. Very rigid design. I can get pics of it if anyone is interested. It may take a day or so.Grant
Reply:There is a lot of work that goes into making a bender and dies. There really is NO cheap way to do it right. If you have access to CNC machines, this is the best bet. If you have nothing but time, go for it.
Reply:Hopefully these pics are small enough to load in here. They were taken with my phone awhile back.In the one pic you will see a blurry close up of the small piece of carbide in the shaft. There are set screws on each side of the shaft that hold the carbide in place. Adjusting this carbide in and out determines the radius of the cut.The entire tool was made to take on and off quickly with the quick change tool post on my lathe, It uses a standard BXA dovetail dimensions. You need to understand that THIS tool in these pics ONLY cuts a concave radius and NOT a convex (ball). I have another tool I built for ball turning. I also have a MONSTER Holdridge Radii Cutter model 12D that will allow me to turn radius both concave and convex up to 12"!!!!! Barely fits on my lathe it is so honkin' big! Attached Images
Reply:I am not sure if I mentioned this or not, the die you see mounted on the lathe was NOT for the JD2 die. It was one of three identical ones I made for a roll bender I am designing. The bore of the die accepts a 50mm shaft! Bearings that the shafts ride on are rated at over 17tons each!Should be able to bend tube with ease. I am going to have a 5hp 3ph motor driving a Boston Gear Reducer and electro/hydraulic ram to adjust center die up/down which is what determines bend radius. I should be able to get bends from 18" diameter to infinity (in theory).Again, this project is on the back burner. I machined the 1" plates and bored them for the bearings, but it is on hold for now!Grantp.s. Here are those pics of the roll bender from a while back. Pics are me boring the 1" plate with amassive Chandler-Duplex boring head. Bearings are 110mm OD and have a 50mm bore. Attached Images
Reply:That is a really neat idea, thanks for sharing and the pics.  I've been looking for a lathe so as soon as I pick one up I will start making something similar to make dies.  Thanks again
Reply:Hey guys great photos from everyone! Im in Australia and was considering buying a JD Bender but wanted to know from you guys if anyone has had trouble bending 4130 CrMo in it. As I would imagine it would be quite difficult to do?
Reply:Originally Posted by WeldworxHey guys great photos from everyone! Im in Australia and was considering buying a JD Bender but wanted to know from you guys if anyone has had trouble bending 4130 CrMo in it. As I would imagine it would be quite difficult to do?