Tubing bender that i am building.

[texastrendz]

couple shots, not finished yet.

[Captainfab]

Did you build that using the Got Trikes plans?

Looks good.....

[texastrendz]

yep, you got it. thing looked to good to be true in his video, so what the hey, ill try it. got to order the dies from protools. so many options on the dies. maybe you can help. what is a popular clr. and tube size. going to be building roll cages and tube frames with it most likely.

[ShowSS12]

when you get it finished you gotta let me come try it out....

[texastrendz]

got the air cylinder today for it, just need to know what dies to get.

[Twisted Minis]

I built the first version and I am still using it 3 years later. It works great.

[Captainfab]

1.750" on a 6" CLR is a popular one. If you are doing a cage that needs to be NHRA approved, then most of those are 1.625" x .134 wall. My 1.625 die is a 6" CLR. 1.50", 1.250" & 1" tube is nice for some things too. All of my dies are the 240* style which are more $$ but that way I can bend a full 180* if I want to.

If you plan on doing much tube work, seriously consider the Bend Tech software. If you can afford the Bend Tech Pro, you can design an entire cage, frame or whatever before bending a single piece of tube. It isn't cheap per say, but well worth the cost in not wasting tube and time plus being able to see the entire assembly before you start. Even if you can't aford the Pro version take a look at EZ3D. Then when you want to upgrade, all it cost you is the difference in price. Also there is a Bend Tech Pro demo video on You Tube.

When looking for dies try giving Arne a call or check out his website. He is a Pro Tools' dealer, and he may be able to save you some $$. He sells Bend Tech as well.

http://desertcraft.com/categories.php?cat=33

Originally Posted by texastrendz

yep, you got it. thing looked to good to be true in his video, so what the hey, ill try it. got to order the dies from protools. so many options on the dies. maybe you can help. what is a popular clr. and tube size. going to be building roll cages and tube frames with it most likely.

[texastrendz]

i saw that you did build one on another site twisted minis. i actually built it because of all the work you have done with it. good to here it works so well.

[texastrendz]

thanks you capt o capt. for the info. i need to do some research on this thing. it is capable of a lot. the dies are some money so i want to invest right.

[p8ntballer1911]

Link of building instructions? And could you please give me a list of what i would need to buy!? Thanks in advance, I have been in need of a tube bender for months.

[texastrendz]

www.gottrikes.com, is where i found them. you have to buy the plans from him. and let me tell you that they are worth the money. they are all cad drawings that are dimensioned out for you. he gives you a material list and even templates if you do not have access to a mill. i had my father mill the holes in mine. the hardest part is welding it together without warping it. he even gives you hints to help you with that. well worth it to me. listen to me, i am praising the damn thing and i have not even bent one piece of tubing with it yet. lol

[p8ntballer1911]

any idea how much all parts and materials costs?

[texastrendz]

with all the steel and pins, i made the pins out of 4130 chromoly, air cylinder and all i will have about 300.00 in it. now that does not include any dies, that is where they get ya.

[texastrendz]

Finally finished it, i decided to post the finished product.

[Captainfab]

That turned out real nice. Do you have any dies yet? How about a notcher? Baileigh is coming out with the nicest holesaw notcher I've ever seen. You can see a video of it on YouTube.

Also, you have a nice clean shop.

[smashingchuck]

wish I had one!

[addicted2dunes]

I built one of those! Takics setup. I ended up canning mine and buying the Pro Tools Brute though.

[texastrendz]

no dies yet, can not decide on the dia. and clr yet. the shop is a total mess right now. i have about 4 metal stud machines in house right now for sell. they take up a lot of room.

[Captainfab]

What size and CLR dies will depend on just what you plan on building and what wall thickness of tube you will be using. I have round tube dies from .500" to 2" in .250 increments plus the 1.625 die. Just to give you some examples, my 1.5 round tube die is a 5" CLR, my 1.750 die is a 6" CLR, my 2" die is a 7" CLR. If you have any questions on tube bending feel free to ask.