Tubing bender question...

rodnocker

rodnocker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Location
Clayton NC
Does anyone have first hand knowledge about Carey Round Tubing benders? One of the things I want to get started on is working with tubing. I found this bender on ebay and it "seems" decent.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-5-8-Carey-Round-Tubing-Bender-/360400602993

I've looked around but I can only find people asking about it. I've not been able to find anyone that actually has one that has said how well they work or don't work. Anyone here have any experience with one?
 
No first hand knowledge, but a little bit of experience to build on. I see a lot of things about it that will probably work, but are not nearly as good as they could be.
1. Cast aluminum dies. Most of the big names use high-grade steel. Aluminum will wear faster, and cast aluminum is much more likely to crack.
2. Follower roller. The reason most benders use a follower plate is to distribute the load. The roller results in a single point of contact, which can potentially deform the tube. One nice thing about a roller is that you won't get the scratch marks when grit gets on the follower, unlike a plate.
3. 0.095" capacity. Most things on a 4x4 are 0.120" wall or thicker.
4. Limited angle. You can never bend beyond about 130 degrees because it will run into the frame and hydraulics. This is not that big of an issue unless you want to make 180 degree bends.
5. The support pin for the follower die is not well supported. It will bend eventually. A wider follower die body would fix this, or making the supports narrower so that there isn't as much moment (bending force) on the pin.

For the price and package size, it seems like a pretty good deal. If not doing 180 degree bends, my biggest concern would be the aluminum dies.
 
dont have experience.... but from looking at it, I believe the lead roller will flatten the tube in bending. Otherwise might not be too bad.

Matt beat me to it.



For the price listed there, i would look at a Pro-tools or JD2 bender.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
dont have experience.... but from looking at it, I believe the lead roller will flatten the tube in bending. Otherwise might not be too bad.

Matt beat me to it.



For the price listed there, i would look at a Pro-tools or JD2 bender.
Click to expand...
I think the roller has the tube diameter recessed into it, not just flat. But still its a major point load instead of distributed across a plate.

Like Ben said, you can pic up a new Pro-tools or JD2 for similar price. The Pro-tools 105 is about $450 with 1 die. I've got the 105HD and its served me (and a couple others) quite well.
 
I have a jmr with 3 dies, 1, 1.25, 1.5 for sale for $450. Needs a pedalstal or hydro conversion.
 
Just out of curiosity... can you do a 180 degree bend with a 120 degree die? Can you do two 90's back to back and have them meet in the middle?
 
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