Bending round bar into handles

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I had a bunch of handles to make at work.This is what I came up with to speed the process up.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GKoiaRHyT0&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]Ideas, comments, suggestions?
Reply:Step #2[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd7GebAeliY&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]
Reply:Pretty slick operation. Jigs and templates seem like a pain when you start with the intitial time to set them up then the big payoff comes when the work begins.  Nice vids."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:That's one way to do it. I'd have set up a jig to use my compact bender, but that works well also. Nice job on the vids..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:That's the way to use your head.Tim Beeker.
Reply:Very nice dude!! And you even found a good cameraman, I need one of those...[Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Can you add an adjustable stop for the angle?  Maybe you can set it so you can bend to the stop and not have to check and tweak each one.  Differences in material and temperature may make each one spring back differently so a fixed stop may not work.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:nice work and thats a big a-s wilton vice in the back ground. is it a 8"
Reply:Originally Posted by AndyACan you add an adjustable stop for the angle?  Maybe you can set it so you can bend to the stop and not have to check and tweak each one.  Differences in material and temperature may make each one spring back differently so a fixed stop may not work.
Reply:Yes, I'm using the bottom ov the v on the jack stand as my stopI don't know the size of the vise, I do know it cost $900 The night before, I got an iPad, and I wanted to tryout the camera, there was a truck driver getting his truck worked on and I asked him to record me.
Reply:Ahhh! I didn't pay enough attention.  So I guess there's enough variability in the bend that you still have to check and tweak each one.I bent some 1/2" bar for some door handles on the barn.  I was only bending three.  So I just clamped it in the vise and hand held the torch.  On the first one I heated the bar, then bent away from the torch.  I was holding a little pressure on the bar and heating with the torch.  As soon as I felt it get a little soft I bent it.  So it wasn't cherry red all the way through.  This method stretches the material on the outside of the bend and you get a little thin spot in the corner.  The outside edge kind of makes a 45deg instead of a nice radius.  I thought this looked like crap.  The next one I bend I did the same thing, but bent *toward* the torch.  This put the cherry red part on the inside of the bend and in compression.  So the material gets a little thicker (not really enough to tell).  The outside edge is a nice radius.  I use a large welding tip instead of a rosebud.  This lets you put the heat in a pinpoint location.I use a 12" swanson speed square to check the angle.  The square is really a triangle (that one confused the heck out of my 4 year old).  It has a nice lip down one edge that you can hold against the bar.  Then bend until the other side lines up.  You can bend, let off the pressure, check for springback, and tweak it all in one motion.The doors on the barn are framed with 14ga 2"x2" tubing.  They're suspended from an overhead track.  To mount the door handles I drilled a 1/2" hole through both sides of the tube (two places).  I inserted the 1/2" bar handle though both holes and welded it up.  I was worried if I just butted the bar against the tube that the 14ga would be thin enough it might bend when you pulled on the handle.  After you cut your bar to length, but before you bend it, take it over to the grinder and grind a little taper on both ends.  This will help you get it through both holes in the door.  Just start it in and tap it with a hammer.Last edited by AndyA; 09-05-2011 at 10:50 AM.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:That looks like a beautifull shop.  Clean!!Some Blue , Some Red & Some GreyProverbs 16:2-3.2 "All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."