benders

[aggielr]

Which benders did you that have them buy, and why, and where and is there something you wish you would've gotten that you didn't?

[Cajun]

I have the Pro-Tools model 105 HD. I've had problems with the arm "walking" a bit, but other than that I'm very pleased.

I went with the 105 'cause I got a great deal on a demo with a die, stand, degree ring (possibly worthless, we'll see), handle, and high-end notcher.

If I had to do it all over again I would have waited for a second-hand full hydraulic one.

[mudtoy67]

I got a cheap one from wholesale tool in Houston. It works pretty good, but only does up to 90 degrees and will occasionaly kink a tube. It only cost $110 or so. It's basically a frame with two rollers and a bottle jack in the middle that you put the die on.

[Chadnutz]

Not wanting a cheap one. It is a one time cost, and an investment.

[aggielr]

Andy, i'm lookin at the pro-tools one also, i read some on POR that it was a pretty good set up, and rockbuggy might be havin some sales on it this week, so i'm goin to check his stuff out, i want the hydro one too, but i don't think thats in the cards right now, but maybe later i will retrofit my own like some of the ones i have seen on there, but right now, manual bending will have to work

[stinger7401]

ok so heres the deal, i have an extremely large bender (identicle to the one on monster garge) but i dont have the DOM dies for it. I have about 30 dies fro the other type of tubing from 1-1/4" to 3" i believe. If you buy the dies ill let you used the bender. trust me it would be well worth it.

[Cajun]

If your bender is exactly like the one on Monster Garage, it isn't designed for tubing. The one they use is a pipe or muffler bender, and will kink or severely flatten the inside radius of tubing. To properly bend tubing you need a mandrel bender. If you saw the Rock Crawler episode that's why the guy brought his own, 'cause the one in the shop isn't designed for that.

[Chadnutz]

They bent .125" wall DOM with it on Moster Garage.

[aggielr]

but not properly, i can bend it w/ the cheap pipe bender that i already have, but it flattens part of it and puts kinks and dimples in it

[eight]

I borrowed one of those "pipe" benders once and tried to bend pipe with it. It kinked it every time. I tried different sizes with different dies and different thicknesses and moving the rollers and none of it was any good. I could go about 10 degrees before it would kink. Maybe those things work better with tube. Whenever I build a cage its only gonna need 4 or 6 bends. I may just say **** it and use weld in bends, in that case there'd only be 4. I think I was the only one at the pirate thing without a cage.

[AgDieseler]

Does a mandrel bender differ from a pipe bender only in its construction, or is the process of bending different as well? Do you have to fill the pipe with any material, sand for example, to help the tube keep its shape?

[Cajun]

The process is different. A mandrel bender "pulls" the tubing around the die, while a pipe or exhaust bender simply pressed the die into whatever is being bent.

I've never heard anyone needing to fill the tubing with sand or anything when using a mandrel bender.

[Rex]

A mandrel bender is $$!!! The pro-tools and jd2 are NOT mandrel benders. Mandrels do not leave a kink in the pipe at all, not matter how thin it is they leave it very round, not oval. Dynomax has an add in summit showing the difference. One is like () mandrel is O. Putting sand in the tube can achieve the same result sometimes, but i think the real mandrel benders have a series of disks that you put in that are the same diameter as the inner diameter of the pipe. Look it up on the web, there's lots of info.

Here's a good explanation:
http://www.bankspower.com/Banks_FridayNight_020102.cfm

[Cajun]

Seriously? If so, cool, I learn something new everyday. I guess you're talking about the "3 roll" type benders, like this one...

Very bling.

[robertf03]

they had one of those 3 roller benders in my welding class. I never used it but a guy there built a luggage rack out of square tube with it.