flame away: pipe bender

raleighjeepguy

New Member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Location
Raleigh,nc
So I'm looking into doing a some tube fenders, etc. I was an electrician before I got fat at a desk. I have read over alot of threads on other boards of people using cheap a$$ pipe benders to bend tube. I have access to a really nice shop and will have a few sidewinders etc and was wondering if its really possible to bend tube on them? I know these machines well and can bend the $hit out of some pipe just never worked with tube. I figured I'd ask a nice question instead of going out and just testing it and wasting $ if it doesn't work and maybe someone on here has done it before. I've got a nice bucket of water next to me so please don't hold off the flaming.:bounce2:

*waits for jraw to tell me to just use poop pipe instead*
 
I have one for bending heavy wall tube cus I couldn't do it with my JD2'd (going hydro now so probably can in the future).

I got a tip from another guy that was building cages and fenders with one. To try to keep from kinking the tube he kept the guide rollers out as far as possible. I have also heard of people filling it with sand to help spread the pressure on the tube. Either way...the big issue is that the dies won't be the same size as the tubes outter OD, so it will likely deform some. I wouldn't trust the bends for a rollover, but if you spend enough time and go slow with what you do, you may be able to make a bend that doesn't kink much. Good luck
 
I built my fenders with one. I also built them out of PIPE! Just count how many pumps you pump so both sides will be the same.
 
Whole rig built out of pipe and harbor freight bender...BTW it has taken quite a beating and you couldnt tell it wasnt tube unless you knew.

ai138.photobucket.com_albums_q266_74_Chevota_Calliantee_IMG_8864.jpg
 
Tube OD is different than Pipe, so the dies will be different but I know I've seen threads on naxja about putting tube dies in a pipe bender.

I wanna say protools also offers a kit to home-build one of their benders, maybe you could adapt that to fit your pipe bender.

Personally, I'd worry about a pipe cage on the highway. I'm sure it'd handle slow rollovers fine, but I don't think I'd replace much structural metal with pipe on a DD.

That said, fenders aren't really a big deal and pipe is cheap so go for it.
 
found out the od on 1-3/4" tube is almost the same as 1 1/2" rigid so I'm gonna give that a shot.

I built my fenders with one. I also built them out of PIPE! Just count how many pumps you pump so both sides will be the same.
Click to expand...

I'm not using a hf poop bender. More like this

aimages.cableorganizer.com_greenlee_deluxe_bender_s.jpg


I guess as soon as I pick up some tube I'll let you all know how it goes. And yea my fenders are prob going to be rigid conduit since its free.99
 
Don't do it. You must buy the most expensive hydraulic mandrel bender possible and use heavy wall 4130 chromoly, a wouldn't want that tube to fail and destroy the hood :lol:



Just do it and use that bender you got. Use pipe as well if you have it. Its just tube fenders, its not like its protecting your head.
 
Fwiw, 1.5" sch 40 astm 53 pipe will be stronger and likely cheaper than 1.75" hrew. There is also a pretty large difference in diameter so I wouldn't try bending 1.75" in the 1.5" die. I would look at something more along the lines of 1" or 1.25" pipe though...
 
Rigid conduit is nearly identical to Sch 40 pipe (all the fittings work from rigid conduit to Sch 40). I think the only difference is that its not pressure tested and the writing on the outside (and the conduit is galvanized)
 
Fwiw, 1.5" sch 40 astm 53 pipe will be stronger and likely cheaper than 1.75" hrew. There is also a pretty large difference in diameter so I wouldn't try bending 1.75" in the 1.5" die.
Click to expand...
How so?
1.75" hrew=1.75" od?
1-1/2" rigid conduit=1-3/4" od

true?
 
^was waiting for that. Thanks I now feel complete. The way I understand it is that od for hrew is actual od. OD for rigid is inside diameter. If anyone can enlighten me who they get their hrew from I'm gonna try it this weekend.
 
1.5" sch 40 pipe is 1.9" od and .145 wall. Lowes pipe is not astm 53 and is nothing but sprinkler pipe. It can be used for tube fenders, but there is a higher chance of it splitting while you're bending. Tube is measured by od, pipe isn't measured by any diameter...it's measured by "nominal ID" and schedule. They're just very old pipe sizes that go by generic numbers. 1.25" pipe isn't 1.75, it's 1.66 1.40 wall. And it definitely isn't stronger than 1.75" .120. But again, that doesn't matter in the least for what you're using it for. Fenders have no structural or protection use...
 
sorry should have specified and by specified I mean being correct at all

Conduit, Trade Size 1 1/2 Inches, Length 10 Feet, Nominal OD 1.740 Inches, Wall Thickness 0.065 Inch, Steel, Thinwall Pipe, For Electrical Wire
Click to expand...

pretty damn close to 1-3/4"
 
That is for EMT conduit. Rigid is not the same size...it's the same size as pipe though. No way I would use EMT for anything on my truck.
I'm sure that bender probably has EMT dies though...so go ahead and try 1.75" hrew. We'll see if DIY was right about the die.
 
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