metal bender

[Flux Core joe]

does anyone have a blue print for a compact steel bender? ive seen some at harbor freight and northern tool but they don't seem sturdy enough but does anyone have any input?

[Rbeckett]

Look closely at the HF stufff, they are for thin flat steel, if you want to build with tube get a JD2 tube bender and call it good. HF sells a pipe bender, not tube and the compact is for thin ornamental stuff like scrolls and pickets in wrought iron fence. Definately not strong enough to bend structural tube for any substantial project. Plus their dies are for pipe, not tube so the tube has a tendency to wrinkle when you attempt to bend it. Hope this helps.
Bob

[Flux Core joe]

Look closely at the HF stufff, they are for thin flat steel, if you want to build with tube get a JD2 tube bender and call it good. HF sells a pipe bender, not tube and the compact is for thin ornamental stuff like scrolls and pickets in wrought iron fence. Definately not strong enough to bend structural tube for any substantial project. Plus their dies are for pipe, not tube so the tube has a tendency to wrinkle when you attempt to bend it. Hope this helps.
Bob

thanks that helps i want something that can bend atleast 3/16 nothing thicker than 5/16ths

[walker]

Look for a #2 Hossfeld, or a copy, or the plans are online

[Wyoming]

Ditto on the Hossfeld as long as you aren't doing mainly tubing. Hossfeld is a great universal bender, but not the best choice in bending tubing...does it, but not optimized for it. Dies for whichever bender you decide on are where the expense comes from. One of the machinist mags down in my basement bathroom/reading room has a simple bender patterned after the Hossfled design...I'll go dig it up for later...headed to work soon.

[Flux Core joe]

Look for a #2 Hossfeld, or a copy, or the plans are online

Thank you for that ill see what i can do about buying one or building a copycat

[Roadrider]

There is #2 Hossfeld for sale in the buy, sell thread section

[Wyoming]

There are also a couple of Hossfeld set-ups, bare with no dies, on the WeldingWeb site down in Florida with, if memory serves from a day or so ago, asking price of around $100. I'd direct link, but lack the knowledge. Do a search over there for Gremlin, I don't know the guy...so you're on your own. Here is the gist of his posting.

"Reading the clamps thread,you cannot have two many, I'm74, started making wrought iron railings at 18 yrs old. I have about 50 heavy C clamps and 20 or 30 vise grip type C clamps.
I have bought a lot at flea mkt. and auctions. The cheap ones from China,sometimes 3 for $10.00 bucks but they work OK ,just keep them oiled. Anyway the reason that started
this reply, I once worked for a precast concrete step mfg ,they used C clamps to hold the
forms together till the concrete set up. After about a month the clamps would get so rusty
they would heave them out. I would take them to my place ,put one in the vise and cut a
slot with a .045 wafer wheel along the part where threaded screw goes through. a little oil in the slot, sometimes a thin chisel in the slot to loosen it up ,free clamp. Anyway I have a couple of hossfeld benders, basic frames no dies for $100.00 each also Ram Scroll Machine
from Julius Blum for $400.00 I'm 23 miles from Key West Fl on Cudjoe Key

Any intrest send me a note Jim"

[aametalmaster]

http://www.kinzers.com/don/MachineTools/bender/ Just build it to the scale you need. I would do one the same size. I built 3 of them all different sizes. One with a handle long enough to bend an 8' circle...Bob