Tubing Bender

[shortgoroper]

Can anyone post some plans for a tubing bender, or even a pipe bender like a harbor freight one????

[6pakdakota]

this place has plans for a nice bender.

http://www.gottrikes.com/

[SmokinPRanch]

this place has plans for a nice bender.

http://www.gottrikes.com/

I'll second that. I just got the bender plans from gottrikes.com and have started fabrication in spare time. Very excellent plans at a very fair price.

He also has a video of his bender in operation.

Al

[Blondie_486]

My question in all of this would be. Are you saving any $$$ over just buying one from JD squared? Or are you building your own so you can say "I built that"? Myself I'd be farther ahead to just buy one rather than building my own that way I can get to bending and building right away. A JD squared bender is in my future additions to my tool collection.

[SmokinPRanch]

If you gotta get to work right away buying would be the way to go. There are a lot of nice benders made.

Cost of building one depends on what material you have on hand, time available, skills, etc. For me it's just another winter project. Trying to use what I got and make it all work. No hurry.

Anyway you go though the dies are a few bucks.

But yeah, it's partially a "I built that" project.

Al

[WyoRoy]

Whatever route you go, either homebuilt or purchased, do it with your eyes wide open. Realize that once you decide what dies you are going to use, unless you wish to build your own die sets, you will be locked into your decision due to the high price of the dies. The sellers of the benders ought to give their benders away and make up for the loss in future die sales...

A couple of die sets will run you the price of a bender from most of the manufacturers.

[shortgoroper]

I'll second that. I just got the bender plans from gottrikes.com and have started fabrication in spare time. Very excellent plans at a very fair price.

He also has a video of his bender in operation.

Al

Did you have to do any machining??? I dont have a lathe. Also, where did you get the dies??? I plany on using 1.75" tubing to build a roll cage.

[SmokinPRanch]

Did you have to do any machining??? I dont have a lathe. Also, where did you get the dies??? I plany on using 1.75" tubing to build a roll cage.

There are actually 2 versions of the bender included with the plans. One set can be built with a drill press, welder and hand tools. The other does have some bushings that are lathe fabricated.

Both benders do the same thing and use the same dies. A couple of convenience features with the bushings is all it seems.

As others have said....they sure ain't giving dies away. I still haven't bought the dies and I'm trying to come up with a way to make my own.

Al

[shortgoroper]

Building this roll cage is at least 6 months away... It is good to know that one set of plans can be built with a drill press, and welder.

I am going to call them and get a few more details and then order the plans.

If I am going to build the roll cage strickly from 1.75" tubing, I only need 1 die???

[ant1277]

I'll second that. I just got the bender plans from gottrikes.com and have started fabrication in spare time. Very excellent plans at a very fair price.

He also has a video of his bender in operation.

Al

I'll third that, I just finished building one. It works great. I purchased a 1 5/8 die with a 6 inch CLR and bent a piece of .083 chrome moly.