Sunday, February 7, 2010

Rackufacture: Home-Made Tube Bender

I've been not real satisfied with the quality of my larger diameter 3/8" tubing bends. So 2 or 4 weeks ago, I can't really remember, I scraped together some parts and a loose plan. The rough idea was to try and use v-belt-type pulleys as bending dies and build a bender that would accommodate multiple pulleys so that I could do a variety of bend radii. At that point I was pretty sure I had no idea what I was doing and that the whole thing would be a colossal waste of time and money. But I've never been one to let practicality stand in my way, so I forged ahead.



I've been goofing with it, little by little, in my spare time. Here's the basic frame, that's intended to be clamped into a bench vise . . .



Here's the bending handle . . .



So long story short, I was able to put some time into the project this weekend and I finished it tonight and faced the moment of truth. For the record, I didn't really expect it to work. Reason being, I bought die-cast zinc pulleys. I was pretty sure that the bending pressure would bust the flanges off. But stronger pulleys are harder to find and way more expensive, so it made sense to start with the cheap ones, figure out if they would hold up, and go from there. Thing is, if they work, I can tool up for a variety of bend radii for not a lot of bucks.

Here's a series of pictures that I hope is fairly self-explanatory. If not, just holler.















I'll be damned. The equipment held up and the bend came out looking pretty good. It's a little assymetrical, not so much that you could tell with the naked eye. Most importantly, the flat spots at the start of the bend are gone. Pretty sure I can live with this. Wow. I actually built something that works. Far out.



Scary thing is, now that I have a tiny bit of confidence, I'll be putting together all kinds of crazy shit.

11 comments:

jim g said...

Dude. I love you. Seriously. You've made real exactly the thing I've been daydreaming about for the past several months. Thank you for letting me know my brain's mostly on the right and true path!

Pat S said...

Jim, that's cool. I've been kicking this idea around in my head for a while too. I'm glad it worked out.

FBC Spokane said...

Well done, Pat. It looks like you know what you're doing. Scary.

Jim N said...

That looks great. What kind of pulleys did you use? I've been trying to figure out which ones to order but I know nothing of pulleys and other things automotive.

Pat S said...

FBC, you're telling me.

Jim, I bought the larger pulleys at Mcmaster-Carr . . .

http://www.mcmaster.com/

The pulley cross-section (size) that fits a 3/8" tube best is the "3L" section. You can look at the different sections here . . .

http://www.mcmaster.com/

Part # for the 3-1/2" pulley is 6245K117.

Part # for the 4" pulley (this is the one shown in the photos) is 6245K118.

For the small pulley on the handle I ordered a part # 3117T6, but it didn't match the od of the tube at all, so I couldn't use it - don't order one of those. I ended up finding one that worked at a local Ace Hardware.

I looked but wasn't able to find any 3L pulleys anywhere in town - they don't seem to be a very common size.

Also, it seems when you're searching the web, there are lots of pulleys advertised as working for either 4L or 3L belts. I think the cross-section for one of these combination pulleys would be too deep to work as a die for 3/8" tubing, so I would stay away from these. (Haven't ordered one, so I could be wrong, but that's my assumption.)

Jim N said...

Pat: thanks man!

Lynxpp said...

Your information about "Rackufacture: Home-Made Tube Bender". Its really very innovative idea for Tube Bending work.

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Unknown said...


في ركن نجد نقدم  أفضل الخدمات المقدمة في مجال شركات تسليك المجارى بالرياض وافضل شركة كشف تسربات المياه بالرياض حيث أن أنسداد المجاري في فيلتك أو منزلك يسبب الكثير من المشاكل الصحية  تسليك مجارى بالخبر والعامة والتي لا يتمكن العميل من العيش في منزلة اثناء تسليك بالوعة المطبخ نقدم حلول تسليك المجارى و شركة مكافحة حشرات بالرياض .
حيث تطفح البلاعات داخل المنزل ولا يتسطيع أستخدام الماء لأي غرض وتعم المنزل روائح كريهة لا يمكن تحملها ويكون ذا بسبب تراكم الترسبات في أحدي مواسير الصرف أو في احدي البالوعات لذلك يبحث العميل العزيز علي أفضل تسليك مجارى بالرياض تعطية نتائج سريعة في نفس اليوم وكذلك تحافظ لة علي المواسير من الكسور
تسليك مجارى بالراض
تسليك بالوعة المطبخ
شركة تسليك مجارى بالرياض

احمد عبد العزيز said...


شركة نقل عفش بجازان
ولان الصرف الصحى من اهم واخطر الاشياء الموجودة فى المنزل وفرنا احدس المعدات والايدى العاملة فى عملية تسليك المجارى بجازان ما عليك غير الاتصال برقم الشركة وينتقل اليك الفنين فى الحال يرو المشكلة على الطبيعة ويعطيك الحل
شركة تسليك مجارى جازان
شركه تنظيف الخزانات بجازان من احدث الشركات التى تقوم بتنظيف الاثاث بطريقه جيده ومتميزه ولن تجدها فى شركات اخرى حيث ان الاثاث يحتاج تنظيف بطريقه جيده حتى يحافظ عليه وعلى جماله
شركة تنظيف خزانات جازان
يعتبر انتشار المجارى أمرا من الأمور الخطيرة والتى تسبب العديد من المشاكل للجميع ,فالمجارى تسبب انتشار العديد من الأمراض الجلدية أو الأنفيه للأفراد نظرا للروائح الكريهه
شركة مقاولات جازان
نقدم كذالك شركة دهانات بجازان
شركة دهانات جازان
تنظيف البيوت مهمه صعبه على الانسان العادى لان البيوت تتصف بكبر حجمها وتعدد حجراتها وتحتاج الى وقت ومجهود لا تقلق فشركة تنظيف بيوت بجازان توفر لك كل هذا بكفاءه ومهنيه حيث تقوم الشركه بتقديم هذه الخدمه بشكل جيد وعلى اكمل وجه وتقوم بتنظيف الارضيات والسيراميك والشجاد والموكيت والكنب والمقاعد وغيرها من الخدمات التى تتالق فيها
شركة نظاقة عامة بالرياض
الذى نسعى لتحقيقه وبالفعل كل عملائنا يسعدون لأنهم أشتركوا فى خدمتنا  وهى تنظيف الخزانات بالدمام فهنيئاً لمن يبادر بالحجز وأهلاً به فى شركتنا
شركة عزل خزانات بالرياض

Karen Fugate said...

Sergio Hudson - the fashion designer who makes us wonder if we should just give up and wear sweatpants for the rest of our lives. Because let's face it, his designs are so chic and elegant, it's like they were made for the red carpet.

But don't worry, even if you can't afford a Sergio Hudson original, you can still appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of his designs. It's like looking at a work of art - you may not be able to afford it, but you can still appreciate the beauty and skill that went into creating it.

And let's not forget about the jaw-dropping moments that come with seeing a Sergio Hudson creation on the runway. From the impeccable tailoring, to the luxurious fabrics, to the stunning details, it's like watching a fashion master at work.

So, go ahead and admire the genius of Sergio Hudson. Even if you can't afford his designs, you can still appreciate the beauty and inspiration that comes with them. And who knows, maybe one day you'll be able to rock a Sergio Hudson Fashion creation on the red carpet (or at least in your dreams).