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#498327 - 11/06/08 06:51 PM Tube bender...
spalind Offline
Member

Registered: 30/01/03
Posts: 3238
Loc: Windham, NH
For all you guys doing your own fab work..what tube bender do you have and how do you like it?

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#498328 - 12/06/08 06:46 AM Re: Tube bender...
Anonymous
Unregistered


Pretty much everyone I know uses the JD2 Model 3 bender and they love it. It's a manual bender that can be converted to hydraulic.

http://www.jd2.com/

Others use the Pro-Tools 105, again never heard anything bad about it.
http://www.pro-tools.com/105.htm

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#498329 - 13/06/08 08:47 AM Re: Tube bender...
Anonymous
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Best efficient bender for at home is the ProTools HPM 200.

http://www.pro-tools.com/200.htm

Not only does it do great bends, but it's hydraulic, so no real physical effort required, even on stronger tube (DOM). Also, they give you the plans for free, if you know of someone that can cut out the precise pattern for you, and then just buy the dies as needed.

I don't like any tube bender that you have to mount into concrete in order to make it strong enough (aka, the manual, long-arm standard mandrel bender). I like something small enough you can move around as needed, and doesn't have to be mounted at all. My garages are relatively small, and so mounting a tube bending maching that has enough clearance around it would just waste too much floor/workspace for me.

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#498330 - 21/06/08 04:27 AM Re: Tube bender...
Anonymous
Unregistered


Well if you don't have the $500-$1000 dollars for a tube bender go to harbor freight and spend $70.00. There is a mod out there so the tube bender does not flatten out the tube and works well. If you want to see I will post up pictures. I do 90's with mine and the tube looks great. Harbor Freight bender is for pipe not tube. Pipe is measured in ID and tube is OD. Not a big deal unless your building a cage for you truck or something like that don't worry. $500 for a bender to make a bumper is a waste to me.

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#498331 - 21/06/08 12:45 PM Re: Tube bender...
Anonymous
Unregistered


Have the JD2.. most folks do. Can share dies with other folks with the same bender. Has a huge selection of dies available. I just poured a nice little concrete footing out back. In order to mount bender correctly the die has to be level. This way there is a consistent baseline when a guy makes a bend then twists the tube and measures the angle of the twist for another bend on a different plane. If the die is not kept level, one degree off can ruin a nice piece of 5 dollar a foot tubing.

If a guy wants to have fun putting tubing together like a puzzle for you own design then yeehaa! However if you are just copying one piece that is already made by someone, buy the part.

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