Roll cages are essential for sanctioning bodies, and it is crucial to know the material properties and size of the pipe or tube in the structure correctly. Wood can be used for roll cages, but it wouldn’t have a favorable strength to mass ratio. Steel tubing is required by most sanctioning bodies for roll bars, with 1 3/4 inch tubing being required. Water pipe is not suitable for structural applications as it is too brittle. The lightest roll cage material without compromising on integrity is the T45, but by a small margin.
To protect the roll bar at contact points with rollers, cut out a section of 1 ¾ inch plastic pipe. Replicating something similar to an FJ40 roll bar with 4 points of contact to the tub/frame is recommended. Steel tubing/pipe is acceptable for use in an NHRA/IHRA drag car, but it should be seamless ERW or DOM mild steel tubing (SAE 1010, 1020, 1025) or equivalent, or alloy steel. HREW or DOM will keep you safe and alive, but pipe is not strong enough for a roll cage.
Mild steel is the preferred material for roll bars and cages, with standard DOM tubing (usually 1020 or 1025) being suitable for most applications. Sch 40 pipe (std) is commonly used in homebrew roll cages, while Sch 80 (xs) is thicker but harder to bend. DOM or CREW (cold rolled electrically welded) are preferred materials, while HREW (hot rolled) is less durable.
Buying two sticks of tubing is the cheapest per foot rate, and extra tubing will come in handy for future use. 2″ DOM tubing with 0.120 wall is pretty standard, but a slightly thicker wall may be better, but bending it becomes more challenging. The debate is ongoing on whether or not PIPE (Pipe) is safe to use for roll cages due to its non-seamless nature and ability to survive inner pressures.
📹 Handyman’s Don’t Want You To Know This! Tips & Hacks That Work Extremely Well
Handyman tips and hacks one of these ideas in this video is a simple homemade hydrogen generator make sure you watch to the …
What type of tube is used for a roll cage?
The tubes and braces must have a diameter of at least 1. 375″ and a wall thickness of 0. 090″, and they must be manufactured from molybdenum chromium SAE 4130 or SAE 4125 or an equivalent material.
What should you never do when using roll cages?
To avoid accidents when using roll cages, it is crucial to avoid overloading the container and to control your speed. Check the capacity of the cage before loading to avoid crushing injuries. Trust your instincts and only move at a walking pace. High-quality roll cages with a robust metal frame and smooth-rolling castors are essential for preventing injury. Rotomshop UK offers a range of fixed and swivel castors to customize your roll cage to suit your needs. It is essential to use ergonomic roll containers that can glide over any surface, reducing strain on the body.
What kind of steel is used for roll bars?
Roll cage standard materials are CDS (Cold Drawn Steel) and T45 (Toughened Steel). The choice depends on strength, weight, and cost. CDS is ideal for those on a tight budget, as it is cheaper to produce. T45 offers higher tensile strength and a minimum yield strength of almost double. T45 can achieve the same levels of strength as CDS but uses a thinner metal wall, saving weight. This is crucial for those installing roll cages or roll bars in motor sport vehicles or owning 4x4s to balance safety with fuel efficiency.
Metro Steel offers a variety of CDS tubes and half-length tubes at competitive prices, compliant with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sports (CAMS). They can also build a complete roll cage. Contact Metro Steel at 07 3204 1000 to discuss your requirements.
Are roll cages illegal in UK?
Roll cages are street-legal on UK roads as long as they meet minimum specifications upon installation. They can be used for vehicles off the track, but may be prohibited in some cases due to interference with crumple technology. Roll cages are high-strength frames installed on the interior of vehicles, providing mounting for aftermarket components and safety in case of a crash. They are often installed on high-performance vehicles operating at high speeds on a track, but can also be installed for added safety and customization in everyday vehicles. Most cars can be fitted with roll cages, but some may require custom-made frames for non-standardized sizing. Common vehicle makes and models are often manufactured to module.
What steel is used for rollers?
ICT uses 100Cr6, also known as 52100 or SUJ2 steel, for rollers due to its fine-grain martensitic microstructure, resulting in high hardness and exceptional wear and fatigue resistance. For rollers larger than 40mm, the steel is 100CrMn6 for better heat treatment properties. ICT cylindrical rollers are used in various applications, including bearings, ball screws, constant velocity joints, check valves, automotive steering, and seating systems. They are precision-driven, suitable for high-speed applications.
ICT cylindrical rollers are available with profile TR and ZB, sorted in groups of 1 micron each or packed using plastic tube-packaging, maintaining the same production sequence as the last lapping operation.
What is the best material for a roll cage?
Steel roll cages are commonly used due to their ease of use and cost-effectiveness. Mild steel and chromoly are the most common materials, offering a superior strength-to-weight ratio for high performance without adding unnecessary weight. Aluminum roll cages are less widespread due to lower tensile strength but can provide weight reduction advantages in racing sports cars. Titanium roll cages are premium due to their exceptional strength and lightness, often used in high-end motorsports. Despite higher costs and specialized fabrication requirements, titanium offers superior corrosion resistance and strength-to-weight ratio, making it a premium choice for roll cage construction.
What size chromoly tubing for roll cage?
A multipurpose car builder is considering the 2005/04 roll-bar diameter and wall thickness rules for their 1999/03 Mustang GT. They deal with European manufacturers and have seen some rules requiring a minimum of 1. 25 inches OD tubing and no thinner than 0. 098 wall mild steel or 1. 25 x. 083 Chromoly tubing. They also see rules requiring heavier stuff. To accommodate AIX and other future projects, the cage must fit all rules, so they must go with the largest ruling, even if it may be overkill.
Are roll cages safe for street use?
Roll cages can enhance safety and performance by increasing structural rigidity in vehicles. However, they come with significant implications, especially for street driving. While helmets and seat belt harnesses are essential for track use, roll cages can be uncomfortable and subject to different laws and regulations in different countries. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid installing roll cages for aesthetic purposes only. However, if safety is a priority and street driving is done with additional safety equipment, roll cages can be an excellent modification.
Are roll cages illegal in the US?
Roll bars and roll cages are not illegal in standard U. S. road cars, but they are rarely used due to practicality and safety concerns. Roll bars provide rollover protection in convertibles and removable tops, while full roll cages, with ratings like 8-point and higher, are reserved for racing cars to ensure safety under extreme motorsport conditions. Roll cages differ from “BAR” in that they include an overhead tubing structure that extends forward on both sides from the main hoop along the roof line to the A-Pillars, across the roof and windshield line, and down to the floor, inner rocker, or frame of the car.
How thick are roll cage bars?
Roll bars, roll cages, and DOM tubing are essential components for street, street/sport, and race racing vehicles. ERW, or Electric Resistance Welded, is a mild steel tubing formed from a flat sheet of steel. DOM, or Drawn Over Mandrel, is a second process that shapes and smooths ERW tubing for uniform walls, making it stronger. Chrome-Moly is an alloy of steel that incorporates Chromium and Molybdenum, not to be confused with Chrome finish.
Roll bars are made with 1. 75″x. 120″ DOM, while roll cages are made with 1. 50″x. 120″ or 1. 75″x. 120″ DOM tubing, depending on the car’s weight. DOM tubing is now required for roll cages by most organizations.
Can pipe be used for a roll cage?
Off-road recreational vehicles often use ASTM A513 grade B pipe, a structural pipe in the USA, which is generally strong but weaker than other tubes and not safe for racing. To build cages and vehicles using the right material, it is recommended to use 4-6 tubes of 20 feet each for a basic 4×4 roll cage. One spare tube is recommended to avoid waste during the building process. Fabrication tools needed for making a roll cage include a drill, jigsaw, and a jigsaw cutter. These tools help in shaping the desired shape and size of the roll cage.
📹 TFS: Tube Bending Basics 1 – What You Need to Know
Tube Bending Basics Part 1 covers the general knowlege regarding materials, dies, benders, Center Line Radius, bending gauge …
great stuff man and the best advice ever is to just spend the extra money and buy a tube bender, main thing to remember is that pipe is used for its internal capacity hence water pipe, gas pipe, oil pipe. and tube is used for its external strength, such as a roll cage, or scaffolding tubes for external strength
Dude, you’re good. You obviously know your stuff, but you have a way of explaining it that makes sense. I’m inheriting a late 60’s International Scout and I’m going to rebuild it and trying to think of how I want to do it. Found your website looking at TIG welding and found all the other articles that are gold.
Seriously, thanks for doing this series. I am a total newb at bending and just bought the JD2 model 32 hydraulic bender because I am building a mud truck. With the cost of steel right now, I really would like to avoid costly mistakes. You do a great job explaining this stuff and it obviously took quite a bit of time to do this series. But without this help, I would be lost. So again, thanks a bunch for doing these.
Material length = Centerline circumference of bend arc. C = R2π/4+Ø (4.5″ * 2 * 3.14 = 28.26″/4 = 7.065″, then add one diameter (1.5″ = Ø) for tolerance, 7.065″ + Ø = 8.565″ material used. Example for a 4.5 ” radius using 1.5″ Tube OD ( plus tear/ min. tolerance): 10° bend = R2π/36 = 0.785″ + tear 20° bend = R2π/12 = 1.570″ + tear 30° bend = R2π/12 = 2.355″ + tear 45° bend = R2π/8 = 3.533″ + tear 60° bend = R2π/6 = 4.710″ + tear 90° bend = R2π/4 = 7.065″ + tear 120° bend = R2π/3 = 9.420″ + tear 180° bend = R2π/2 = 14.13″ + tear
Might not hurt to keep this in mind too: “θ x (π/180) x r” where θ is your angle in degrees, and r is your radius. That can give estimates too when jotting ideas on paper and popping numbers into the calculator. Shop class has a different way than trigonometry class, but results should be pretty close to each other either way. (Keeping in mind the centerline thing. Likely some error just given nature of materials, and the real world isn’t perfect – so the shop class way may have some advantage there.)
Hi, I went to the steel yard today to check out tube prices. I realized there’s mechanical tube and DOM tube. DOM tube is a lot more expensive. Which do you prefer? I was wondering if the welded seam in mechanical tube created a problem in the bender? You could almost buy three times the amount of mechanical tube for one DOM tube. Thanks again!
Just subscribed, I thought you looked familiar, and then remembered your article on how to notch tubing, I don’t know how many times I watched that article, but I finally decided to try notching some old chunks of exhaust tubing. The first 2 really looked horrible, then I took my time to get a cleaner radius. Excellent work, and you are a great teacher.
I hope you don’t mind my novice question…. was that tube or pipe that you put a 90 degree angle in with the manual bender around minute 17? I realize you said tube, but I just wanted to make sure. Up to this point, all of the articles I’ve seen lead me to believe I can only properly bend tubing with a tube roller.
You did an amazing job at braking this down for us. I was ready to buy a bender and some pipe, but after perusal this article I realize I was about to buy the wrong bender and would have wasted a lot of time and money. Ultimately I’m going to hand this off to a professional for now and focus my time on other more manageable aspects of my project. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us.
Subscribed. This series of articles is the best that I have seen! You finally made some sense out of this for me! I do have a question though…lets say that you are installing a tube that is perpendicular to two other tubes (an H shape). How do you you properly figure the distance after the notch is made on each end so that you have a tight joint? do you just add 1/3 of the pipe diameter to each end? It seems that whenever I try to add a piece of pipe between two other pieces of pipe I come up short and have large gaps. I know that this is not technically a bending question, but it is something that I have been struggling with. Thanks!!
Just need to say your articles are top notch, and i really appreciate your time and help. Now the question. I want to make some engine compartment firewall to frame support tubes for my 1971 dodge demon, and I need a tube bender to make this happen. I don’t plan on making a career out of bending tube. I already drive Amtrak trains for a living, so is there a tube bender that is not crazy expensive, that will get the job done? I don’t plan on making a roll cage myself for this car because I just do not have the skill lever to do it. I just want to make a couple tubes that will have a max of one single 45 degree bend in them. Thanks, Nick
Aesthetically is great. But if you want to look at performance, this machine is incorrect for exhaust tubing. A tube has 2 diameters. The outer and the inner. Let’s say it’s Φ50 with Φ47. When you bend a straight tube and form a radius, in the corner of that radius the inner diameter becomes smaller because it is inclining within, thus causing problems with the ICE gases cycle. The performance of your engine will drop about 6-10%, while your fuel consumption will increase by 10-15%. Keep in mind, you’ll need to form a radius while STRETCHING it so that the inner diameter will remain the same. Cheers!
Hey Justin, I have some behind the scenes type tech questions, not necessarily “how -to” but tooling tech questions. is there a way i can ask you privately? It may end up a good topic for a homegamer/noob homegamer reference article how to be more precise and not put out a half assed product on any project.
Great article. Just what I’ve done that maybe will help out? I scribed a line in the tubing with my lathe, (if a person has one) which makes it perfect to line up with follower die. Make my cheater tube to 90 degrees. I then paint my cheaters orange so they will not get used by mistake and write on them the OD size and thickness of tube. Also record where to bend past the 90 degrees to allow spring back for the true 90. Each thickness will have a different spring back number along with mild steel or chromoly. Not to be a know it all, just passing on what I hope will be useful to everyone.
outstanding article. i have a question. i have a jd2 model 32 bender. When bending a cheater gauge, you show that you mark every ten degrees on the tube. Do you mark it while the handle is locked in and under tension prior tk springback? or do you bend it and allow it to spring back to every ten degrees and mark it while relaxed?
So I’m going to be using 1 5/8 x .083 for a full tube chassis. So 1-5/8 is equivalent to 1.625 and 1.625 times 3 is 4.875, so I’d round that to 5 and get the 1.625x5in. Radius, what degree should I get a 120° or a 240° for doing a tube chassis? Which would I use more for a full on tube chassis? Mind you I’m not half way through the article yet so I’ll edit when you go over it.
Hi. I love your articles. Learned a lot. You speak well and clearly. Question: I am making a 9″ diameter helix out of 3/4″ soft copper tubing. I have a PVC mandrel surrounded by 1″ foam. I will rotate the mandrel by hand and let the copper tube wrap around it. Do I need to fill the tube with sand or salt first or will it bend without deforming without being filled? It’s actually a double helix taking about 100’ of copper tube. When I reach the top I’ll insert another foam cylinder and reverse my direction. It’s for a chilled aftercooler for compressed air. Thanks for your help. Oh, one more question. I had a roll cage installed in my 1977 Land Cruiser. If I unbolt the cage from the floor, will it spring such that it won’t bolt back in easily? Cheers, Paul
TFS…. thanks for your insights. I’m wanting to make a greenhouse out of 1 1/2″ 13ga (recommended by my local supplier re cost). I’ll only be using the one size and want an inexpensive tool that will make up to 90 degree bends without kinking. I know you recommend the machine you are using. Is there a hobbyist version or something less expensive? thanks for taking the time.
Hey Justin, I’m a lazy youtuber in terms of comments but just had to log in to thank you for all your articles. Straight, no BS approach, no selling every 2 minutes (cough cough I’m looking at you several big youtube welders), just practical advise and good old manual work. I’m actually starting my own sheet metal seat pan right now after perusal your article. Thanks and keep them coming.
Great articles! There is a formula to calculate the tubing used which is CLRxDOB(degree of bend) x.01745= tubing used in a given bend, regardless of diameter, or degree of bend. But to figure it out as shown in the article is an awesome way to physically do it, and have a nice tool for quickly calculating bends. Well done!
hey man great website. I’m wanting to make a bumper for my truck and doing it out of pipe why I don’t know. so I bought a harbor freight bender and not really sure how to come up with the bends I want to use. Is that something I should just bend and fit bend and fit until it’s what I want, or do you have a better way of coming up with your bends.
Cool article. I have the same bender and I love it too! Couple of Questions.Why not make a mark on the die to reference the start of the bend? This way you don’t have to remember to add 3/4″ (or whatever that measurement is for each die) to account for the distance from the die edge to the actually start of the bend? Just seems like more to remember. Also, seems like a lot of wasted energy with the springiness in your bender stand. I over killed mine. I welded a 1.5″ square tubing to the foot plate, then drilled holes in a 2″x4″ rectangular tube and slide it over. I welded it to the foot plate and then rosette welded it to the inner tube, then filled them both with sand. It doesn’t move at all when I pull on it. Always enjoy your vids! Keep it up.
This is so valuable, dude. I’m struggling to buy a clone of that from Fervi, a quoted brand here for fabrication. Dn really trust if she bends like we like to 🙂 I’m going for it, it has a restitution period plus it’s like 850 shipped with 3 90° jigs. Be rewatching this article times, and times agaaain… <3
Thank you for putting out the best series on YouTube covering bending! (Thanks for all your other articles too.) I am researching my first bender and leaning towards JD2 model 32 (although a model 3 is probably all I need.) Anyway, I am stuck a little on die selection. I understand material thickness limits/guides your choice of the die. Also that your design/project should also call for a specific die size or vice versa. I also expect that over time I will end up with a bunch of dies. All that said, I still have a few questions. Stupid question #1 – Can you use a smaller Centerline radius die (say 4″) to make a larger diameter bend somehow? (Bend a little, move tube up, bend a little, move tube up, etc.) Or is that too inaccurate? Second question – Generally speaking, from a design perpective, are smaller diameters “better.” It seems like it should be. Thanks! Oh, I am contemplating building an airboat rigging and cage. Stainless 3/4″ – 1″.
The question is how to make gib 180 ᴓ pipe 22 * 1.2 ; ᴓ22 * 1 ; 28 * 1.2, and many others is it possible 1.2mm tube seam, and 1 mm without seam . There are additional punch to end hemispheres connected by the swivel to make the geometry at the site of bending radius of pipe 22 under 35. And what is better to use steel grade, thanks in advance . Вопрос как произвести гиб на 180 для труб ᴓ 22*1,2; ᴓ22*1; 28*1,2 и многие другие возможно ли это 1.2мм труба шовная, и 1мм без шовная. Имеется пуансон с дополнительными на конце полусферами соединёнными через шарнирное соединение для придания геометрии в месте гиба под 22 трубу радиус 35. И какую марку стали лучше использовать, заранее спасибо.
I’m in the process of building a tube bender. It’s a floor model and bends the tube upward. I ordered 120° 5 inch die set for inch and 5/8 tube. Looking at the follower die I see one end is a little shorter than the other and slightly angled upward. I’m guessing that’s the end that will go next to the main die. Is your follower die similar? This one is a Woodward Fab knock off. Thanks.
For anyone perusal this, could you advise as to how you would bend wider steel tube? Say tube with an OD of >=76mm (3inches). Lets say for example that I wanted to bend steel 4″ tube, or 3.5″ tube for an exhaust system… How would I do that? Most hydraulic push benders or mandrel systems have limits to around 2.5″ inch OD… 🙁
Great vid helps alot IF I HAD A LOT TO BEND.. I have a scooter trike im building tring very hard to put a new exhuast on how ever the frame makes this very very hard to find a header pipe that will fit…so i need to bend a “header pipe” no bender can get a propane torch. But thats about it… Any tips on this… Even if i go with building my own with a kit i still have to wield it might be cheapest way to go overall both in tools needed and material.. Any input?
I bought an eastwood hydraulic tubing bender with 1-3/4″ 240 dies, 1-3/4″ 180 dies and same with 1″ . First time bending as i hit the switch the die broke at the pulling part . I couldn’t believe how weak this die was . It wasn’t even welded right . I rewelded it and it works great now . However everything kind of pulls apart when i bend . I’ve bought 2 “affordable ” benders and both of them broke . It’s like the benders advertise they can bend 1-3/4″ dom120 tubing but when it comes to bending the bender swells and bends and doesn’t work right . I’ve spent 4000 bucks on dies and benders and am now afraid to use my eastwood cause things fly off of it right at your face at the same speed as a bullet from a gun . Thank you eastwood for making me bender shy ! 😂 it was not cheap at all either ! I bought 200’ of 1-3/4″ dom120 and 100’ of 1″ dom 120 . All i wanted to do is build an exoskeleton for my Jeep .
For those of you that are seeing this for the 1st. time, like me, ( 3/6/23) and want to buy this bender. the JD2 model 3 bender he is using, is now the (greatly) improved model 32. I was surprised how affordable the new version is, and the hydraulic option isn’t much more. I will be getting the new Model 32 with the hydraulic option, mostly because it is affordable, but also because it doesn’t need to be bolted to a concrete floor.
about the arc length (material for a certain bend). I see that you have marked the length and then basically “plotted” it against degrees on your gauge tube. Could you not simply calculate the arc length using angle and radius? or is this done because the tube is “drawn” over the die and stretches. If so, I’d be curious to see how much the bender stretched the tube as that would compromise the tube’s strength. What are your thoughts?
I just made one of these, and i notice my follower lines don’t really match up to real angles, there’s gotta be an offset and i cant decide what. You have the same problem with yours it appears. For instance if you were bending a 90 and wanted to know material you’d look at your die mark rather than your angle, because its off a bit, they don’t line up. Makes doing 60s feel like a bit of guesswork. but you do well with it so it must not be that bad haha
Fabrication Series or ? Is there not information printed that gives the measurement to mark to start bends based on the diameter of the pipe ? Are bending dies standard for 90 /180 bends for how tight the bend will be based on the diameter of the pipe ? I am experienced bending electrical conduit pipe but want to start tubing for my prerunner cage and bumpers. I work with steel pipe for oil lines but only thread and groove it using 45’s and 90’s that are made. Thanks for your article.
Another way to figure in take up of conduit is to use the uglys electrical handbook. And a cheap way to practice bendings is to use emt and a hand bender found at home depot in the electrical section. With 12years as an electrician i was able to use my friends tubing bender, which is exact same one you have better then he could with his 12years fabricating experience. He was pissed lol and i practiced with emt which 2.30 for ten foot stick plus a (tubing bender level) found in electrical section. Saves the cost of your elephant grave yard you create as you learn. Elephant graveyards can get expensive!!! I can only imagine what yours in tubing cost compared to mine in emt. Try a shepards hook for experience, dont know if it will apply in your field but it takes skill none the less. Thank you for the tip on pipe and tubing i never noticed the same measurements but one is in vs out diameters, i appreciate the lesson.
I am new at some of this fab work. I am trying to make an X pipe for my bike. I am using 1 5/8″ ID pipe. What would my bend be to have the center line at the end to be 14″ and then 3″ down the bend towards the center of the bend is 11″ to the center line? Let me know if this is all the required info to make the calculation?
Do you calculate pipe growth or does it not matter for what type of bending you do, i did a lot of hydraulic lines and as you bend the pipe or tube grows in length as you bend it. In hydraulic installations having the right length the first time is key to saving time not having to trim excess off to make the tight tolerances required. That is why itis calculated on every bent piece before the bending process begins. Just curious and by far one if not the most informative series on all thing fabrication 10/10 thank you for sharing your knowledge with everyone who is interested and those who get interested by perusal your articles.
Great info, I’m just learning how to weld now, so my hands are full but later on down the road, I might look into this pipe bending. A mate of mine was stuck, kept kinking his pipes, so I started looking into it and I’m sending him articles (like this one). Good info bud, will check out your other articles too.
Awesome article just what I was looking for, keep making great articles . I have a question regarding the welding machine that you use, What would be a good welding machine for steel tubes? I see there are mig, arc, flux and spot welding machines. I want make the same type of joins that you do round tube to tube . Thanks, if anyone else knows please let me know
I’ve been bending conduit for motorcycle luggage racks, but I use one of the conduit benders attached to a pole and lock in in a vice, bending is trial and error process. Conduit is packed with mixture of fine sifted sand and bentonite to give rigidity during bending. Is there a better type bender I can use for this?
Hello. I see one of the two follower blocks (the trailing or lead block ?) is offset in pitch in parallel with the tube . How many degrees is the block pitched ? Also, if You would be so kind, does the height (top of die inner radius) of the die shoulders go past the center line of the tube or do they stop right at dead center of the tube ?
I have a friend that wants to bend 1 1/2 stainless steel on the same bend ear you are using but it keeps folding in on it’s self soon as he mite as well staert she’s a youtuber him self but really having problems have you got away to do this as he is trying everything and not getting very far if you want he’s YouTube website happy to give it so you can see your self and he’s a big fan of yours as well am I if you can help you really be grateful
Here’s a formula I use to determine distance around a bend. Radius x 2 x 3.1416 divided by 360 degrees. Then take any angle for example 90 degrees, 4.5 x 2 x 3.1416 divided by 360 = 0.0785 constant for 1 degree of bend, 0.0785 x 90 degrees = 7.06 inches of material for a 90 degree bend in 1.5″ tube at 90 degrees.
I have a question regarding tube size and dies. I’m building a tube bender for 1 5/8″ tube. I chose this size since galvanized chain link fence posts are sold in 1 5/8 inch OD and I’d like to try bending go-kart and bike frames. The thing I noticed is the tube is about .025 larger than 1 5/8 inch. This prevents it from sitting all the way into the bending die. It leaves a gap of about 1/16 of an inch under the pipe. I’m wondering if it will just force its way into the die once I start bending? Or do you think it will kink? I’m not opposed to sanding the die to make it slightly larger so the two parts fit together better since it was a relatively inexpensive die. Any advice? Thanks.
pi(2CLR) times fraction of circle your bend angle represents plus fixturing constants equals cost of materials. so, in the vid example, pi times twice 4.5 (or 9, lol), which is 28.274, divided by 4 ( 90 degrees,a quarter circle), so 7.07 ish inches in the bend itself, plus the shoe and clamp fudginess. your “measured guestimate” is 0.2 inches off the calced figure because of the “lead and trail straights” from fixture to actual die face contact… love the demo, perfect illustration, but give the arithmetic too as it makes great sense once you see the sharpee scale demo. fixture “constants” ONLY apply for the single die, however. those leads and trails can be scribed onto the die though, so only a mystery for the first bend, lol. the differences are probably minor, but plenty enough to cause grief on a multi bent piece built to fit, lol
Hi,anyone know the price of this bender he uses??? also i just need to make U shaped tubes using 1” out side dia material…needs to be 4.5″” to 5” outside width once bent …so i am hoping a 4” die can be used to make bends without any kinks. will it work? I will be using same thickness wall tubing as he is using….If anyone could answer my questions it is greatly appreciated. thanks
There is a math formula for bending allowance. All metal working formulas are online somewhere and are pretty easy to find. You don’t need to waste material to find the material needed to make a particular angle. A test piece might be handy, if you’re not sure to understand the formula or if you’re going to manufacture a large quantity of the same part. But hey, the article works! 🙂