[delraydella]

Another good trick for working with tubing that gets kinked is to push ball bearings (going up to the i.d. of the tube) through the kinked area.


Other Steve

[CraigLam]

Tamjeff, your knowledge of tube and pipe bending is impressive, to say the least. I wanted to mention Pro-Tools also, but, wasn't sure if that was proper. When it comes time to actually buy the bending die, I'll have some questions. This actually started out when I went to the veterans thrift store and was buying porcelain to sell on e-bay. I bought some rare pieces that were worth good money. No one was buying. No one was going to pay good money for a antique porcelain in this economy. However, when I got an account on e-bay and started looking up stuff to buy and sell, I noticed people were buying mini bikes and go carts, especially the new and custom made ones. Go figure. I guess people have a lot of time on their hands. Anyway, I did a lot of searching and found that bender that will bend 180 deg. Actually, Pro-Tools was the one who recommended it. Their dies are designed for the Takas bender. The mini bike I showed is only one of the projects I want to build. The is a three wheeled go cart that is also on my list. Carrol Stream was also interested. They make the Azusa bike.
This bender is unique. When the tower holes become worn out or damaged, the tower can be torched out and new ones can be put in. In any case, after Christmas, I'm going to buy the die and go to HF to buy the jack. I'll definitely have some questions by then. After 40 years of woodworking, welding is so new to me. I absolutely love it.

[TamJeff]

To be honest. I liked the idea of building go carts and mini bikes. I also liked the ones you selected and I could see me building things like that as well. If you have been a wood worker, you are ahead of the game for having an established mind's eye for layout procedures and measuring, of course. Funny, a lot of people comment on my welding. I tell them I am a fabricator that can weld. Something really benign got me into welding. I actually got my love for metal from sheet metal trade as a teenager. But the thing that put me into welding school, was getting a linkage hole filled in the clutch pedal for my old Bronco. Took me all day on the phone (and I live in a large city) to find someone who could get to it. After all that, I bring it to the shop, the guy throws it down on the table and just filled it with a MIG in 2 seconds. He charged me 10 bucks. I found I didn't mind paying that for 2 seconds work for the fact it took a certain skill set to accomplish it. That and the thought that they were all obviously busy around town. I was a drywall hanger in commercial construction. I was always around, and most of my friends were in the industrial arts of some fashion.

Finally, just about everything I like to do revolves around fabrication of some sort. Now I just don't have to find someone else to do the elusive, specialty tasks. Getting something professionally welded was always the hurdle of most projects. Now I'm my own boss at it.

Anyone that would go to the trouble to build their own bender is going to have a blast doing this. I am actually excited for you getting into it. It was the best thing I have done outside of my kids.

[Otto Nobedder]

TamJeff,

Your response struck a chord with me. I've been driving nails since I was four, turning wrenches since I was six. I learned to weld not out of desire, but from necessity. I grew up dirt-poor (though I never realized it at the time), and couldn't afford to have others do my work for me. I was thirteen when I burned my first rod.

I've always gotten great satisfaction from being able to produce with my own hands what others are forced to farm out, and cough up for.

I think this early exposure to need-based skills gave me a real advantage. There's little I can't fix myself. In the days of analog television and VCRs, I made money fixing both. I've fed my family fixing cars, building boat docks, installing and repairing hot-tubs, managing projects in the ambulance industry, and even selling water softeners. My adapability has kept food on the table.

My parents were a blessing in this... I would ask for Electronic experiment kits and Erector sets for Christmas. Never once asked for an "action figure". I would always get what I asked for, even the year I wanted a rifle, so I could hunt rabbit and squirrel, and learn to clean and cook them.

Learning early in life to pay attention to how things work is a lesson I would impart to any new parent. Nintendo and Barney do NOT teach life skills.

Steve S

[TamJeff]

Steve, your background sounds much like mine. When I got out of welding school, I was doing both drywall and welding full time. Then when they found out I had been to welding school, they set me up welding staircases. Those were my first inspected welds. TIG'ng aluminum by day and stick welding and sheetrock by night. I also worked on pumps and wells and water equipment for a number of years in and around all that. When I turned 36, I found myself a single parent with two boys and the drywall had to go except for part time on weekends and would often have my sons with me on jobs after school/weekends. Me up on scaffolding, looking down at them doing their homework.

Now, when my sons tell me how hard their day was, they catch me with that 'are you kidding me?' look on my face and they remember all too well that they are telling the wrong guy. lol

Perhaps it was the same for you, but I was fortunate to come up under the Depression and WW2 generation. The greatest generation this country has seen. That's who I am missing these days. It's the ethic I try to keep alive with my own kids. Seems to be getting across to them at any rate.

[Otto Nobedder]

Yes, my parents were depression-era.

Dad did his first hitch in the Navy in '33.

Both experienced the depression and WWII, so I grew up knowing how to work a garden, and can the results.

I'm sure this shaped me, and I'm sure it shaped them in their willingness to buy the "science" toys I preferred over GI Joe.

Steve S

[TamJeff]

Yes, my parents were depression-era.

Dad did his first hitch in the Navy in '33.

Both experienced the depression and WWII, so I grew up knowing how to work a garden, and can the results.

I'm sure this shaped me, and I'm sure it shaped them in their willingness to buy the "science" toys I preferred over GI Joe.

Steve S

I lifted this quote and replied to it on the other welcome thread you started so I didn't drift this one.

[CraigLam]

First of all, Merry Christmas, everyone! I made this project for my daughter out of some scrap pine and some bolts. I cut the heads and threaded parts off and welded the straight pieces to the 1/4" x 1/2" flat bars which I bent by hand. She really likes it.

[RonSII]

Nice !!! clean and simple I like it very much

What did you finish the metal with?

Oh and Merry Christmas !!!

[CraigLam]

I finished the metal with flat black primer and then gloss black finish. It was a very simple project. Originally, I wanted to use steel ball bearings instead of the bolts. OSH had them for $15.00 each! I checked McMaster Carr and they had them for $12.00 for a hundred. I don't think I would be able to use a hundred. What looks nicer, is wider steel, maybe 1/2 or 3/4 inch. But, this was all the scrap they had at the metal store at the time.

[TamJeff]

Nice job. If I bought 100 ball bearings, I would have to buy a wrist rocket too.

[CraigLam]

Good one.

[CraigLam]

Well, my Takas bender is finally finished. Now, I'm just waiting for the bending die. I called last week to see if Pro-Tools was finished. They said no and would be shipped out on the 16th. Here are the photos.


I have this paranoid delusion that this bender will not work. Maybe it's because of my first attempt. I read all the reviews on this bender from hot rod forums, and they say it works great. When the bending die gets here, I will just have to work with it, to get familiar with it's operation. The bottle jack is not he one that goes with this bender. The jack is the auto hydraulic jack(below) from HF, which I will pick up on Wed. The air assist chamber will have to face upwards. It won't fit the other way. That means the release valve will face down. No problem. I'll think of something. The two jacks are the same except for the bottom unit.

[TamJeff]

Looks like it should work to me. It looks to be principled after a Hossfeld, which in spite of it's manual operation, is one of the handiest benders I have ever used.

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

For your release, you could rig up a flexi drive, like a flexi head drill chuck, then mount it wherever you like. Or a solid one that has 2 or 3 stages with little universal joint type joiners.

http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/upload ... driver.jpg

Something like this with a little adaptor made up to attach to the ram.

Mick

[CraigLam]

Tuh Duuuuuuuuh! It just came about 15min. ago. 5:15p.pm. By far, the most high tech tool I've bought in a long time.

The die itself is very heavy and probably an alloy of mostly steel. Tomorrow morning, I'll get up early and head to the shop. I'll definitely take photos. The stay pins they supplied are stainless steel. They recommended that the other pins be stainless, but, did say that due to cost, cold rolled steel can be used. But, if they start to bend, then I'll use SS. Man, I hope this works. I have some left over .060, but, Pro-Tools recommends .120. Thicker tube bends better, I guess.

[Otto Nobedder]

Nice stuff!

Don't forget there are several tips in this topic about bending tube, and keeping profile on thin tube.

Steve S

[delraydella]

You can also try using drill rod or drill blanks for pins.

Everything is looking great! I might have to try making one of those benders for myself.

[TamJeff]

I have those same pins with our bender. You are going to have a lot of fun with that.

[CraigLam]

I got up early and went to the shop to start bending. I was amazed at how well this bender works. Everything fit perfect. The only adjustment I made was to put a washer between the bending die and the swing arm to take up a little slack. A little bearing grease on the back up and viola! The only trouble I'm having is my welding helmet. I notched a couple of tubes and couldn't see the seam. I think I need a new helmet. .120 tube.

[CraigLam]

I went back to the shop this morning, and started to clean up. I was wondering whether or not the bender could bend .065 tube. So I got some tube that I already had, the one I didn't have much luck with,and stuck in the bender and.........

I couldn't believe it. It worked so well. I would rather use this for a mini bike or go kart. It's light, but, still strong enough for off road use. Next Wed. I'm going down to Philips to pick up about 20' and start.

[ajlskater1]

That is a awesome little Bender. I could definitely use one of those for my shop. If you don't mind me asking how much it did it cost?

[CraigLam]

The bender plans are about 20 bucks. Go to http://www.gottrikes.com. The man that sells the bender is Frank Trakas. About $150 in scrap steel and $80 for the hydro bottle jack and about $200 for the bending die, give or take depending on the size of the die. Dig this! I show the sample of the pipe to my wife. She says, "Hey, it looks like one of those faucets". ??? So, I'm gonna take the old faucet off and replace it with this one. Anyway, I'm trying to get a notcher. What I'm going to do, is use a grinding wheel and shape it for the 7/8" tube. The notcher doesn't work. If I use a 7/8" hole saw, it has to be exactly in the center. It wobbles and moves to much. I wind up cleaning it up on the the grinding wheel, anyway. Tomorrow, I'm gonna do two things. One, weld the fittings on the pipe to replace the faucet, and two, shape the grinding wheel with a dressing tool and test it to see how well it works. Actually, Pro-Tools sells a notcher. $300!
If your thinking about building a Trakas Bender, it is one of the best tools I've ever used. Does what it says, and doesn't need alot of room.

[delraydella]

Craig, cut a v-groove in the center of the wide side of a piece of 2 x 4 or something similar, that will give you a cheap vee-block holder to clamp the tube to notch it. You can use the bottom of the notch as a target for the center of the drill bit. I used this for years on my drill press before i bought a notcher. You can't really run the hole saw all the way through in one cut, though, but if you lengthen the guide bit enough to cut the bottom of the tube, it gives you a centering hole when you flip the tube over.

[Otto Nobedder]

I suspect the grinding wheel won't please you as a notcher, either.

You'll have to dress the stone to an exaggerated profile, as the center of the wheel will wear against the pipe before the edges, and wear the center of the wheel down. I suppose you could rough-cut a v-notch in the pipe end first to minimize this.

Hole saws are used regularly to notch 4130 tubing. It requires a jig and fixture as rigid as a milling machine to avoid the problems you described.. The only trade name that comes to mind at the moment is called the "Ol' Joint Jigger", and you can probably find a link on EAA.org. Actually, WerkSpace is probably familiar with it.

Steve S