360 Degree Bender

[fredo]

http://www.metalcraft.addr.com/large_ring_roller.htm


Sorry i did not read the 2nd page befor posting but here it isagain.

They have a video that shows how it works

[HAWK]

shane7207,

Thanks for the site. They look like quality tools. I especially like the 3/3 scroller. It is nicer than what I have, but at 3x the price I'll have to wait a while. Both the benders are really nice too. However, they show the angle of bend as 180 to 60 degrees.

[shane7207]

hawk, check out metalcraftusa.com they have all kinds of wrought iron forming tools. they have a bender/roller/riveter that seems like what you might want. the practical model will do 3/16 round and 3/4x1/2 flat. they dont specify minimum diameter, but you could e-mail them and find out. the practical model is only 225.00 they also have a larger one that costs 485.00 that will handle larger diameters. they'll also send free catalogs.

[HAWK]

moe1942,

They need to be metal and reasonably precise even though they are decorative. I cut some rings from some pipe using a glycol cooled band saw. They turned out well with a little blade marking. I was able to clean them up with a die grinder and the red Scotch Brite pads. I am still looking at my options.

Thanks

[moe1942]

Ring roller

Hawk,

Basic ring rollers are easily made. You probably have the necessary metal in your junk box. I think 2.5 inches in 3/16 is doable.

Do the rings have to be metal or are they decorative? How precise do they have to be. I am thinking PVC schedule whatever.Can be cut with a power miter saw with carbide blade.

If they have to be metal there are pipe or tubes that have 2.5 OD and can be cut with a chop saw.

Hope this helps.


moe1942

PS: Sorry. Just saw the need for them to be accurate and precise. accurate and precise. Sounds like a job for the lathe.

[aametalmaster]

For more bender ideas go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OrnamentIron/
Check out our work. I go to the Diacro factory all the time they
do my powder coating. Expensive benders but nice..Bob

[gangel99]

Hawk - glad to help. Your messages have certainly helped me!

Be careful about the models on eBay. I think the Diacro #1 and #1A are too small for the thickness of stock you want to bend -- again the specs are on the Diacro web site. One more consideration is the 'nose' that does the bending. The standard nose is a blunted triangular shape and will do circles as well as sharp bends. I happen to have a roller nose which is somewhat better for curves and circle, but worse for sharp bends. I think either will work for your immediate application.

[HAWK]

gangel99,

Great piece of equipment! This is exactly what I am looking for. I'll check eBay and watch for a bargain. Thank you for the web link.


HAWK

[gangel99]

I have a Diacro #2 bender which will do what you need. The Diacro is a production machine so you can do repeatable bends.

I got mine at a garage sale for cheap - they go on eBay for $400 to $600; new are over $1,200. The specs are at http://www.diacro.com/manualBender.htm

The tooling is very expensive, but not hard to make.

[Paul Seaman]

HAWK: very nice weld on heavy weight AL, your bender is nice but mine is less costly and it will do for simple scrolls and works great on slightly anealed Al up to 1/4" using a soft face hammer so I don't bruise the Al too bad, on mild steel I just go after it with the 32 oz. ballpeen and a big crescent wrench. I sent the pics tonight and I hope you get them, let me know what you think of the low tech and low buck approach.

[HAWK]

mschjone,

This is certainly the type machine I am looking for. However, it is pricey. Have you used the JD2 bender? It seems to be a comparable and less expensive alternative to the Hossfeld.

[timw]

I didn't mean to Pooh pooh the Harbor Freight bender, I got mine on sale, I think it was $69. For the money it is a great machine, it just won't bend 360*. I C clamp it to the table of my lathe so I can move it around to other places if I need to rather than mount it permanently. It comes with a good assortment of dies that make it handy for many projects. They sell a scroll attachment for it but I don't do much scroll work. The hardest thing with these type benders is to do more than 1 part that's the same. They always seem to be a little more or less like the last part.

[mschjone]

For what its worth I have had limited use with a Hossfeld bender. Bending various shapes with various materials. No circles that small however. The company does have a huge selection of dies and will even make speciality dies upon request. The bender is about $800 to $1000 new and is great for the hobbiest to light production work. Ebay sometimes has used ones. I'm waiting to find one that's cheap enough as the small amount of time I've used one, made me really want one. www.hossfeldbender.com

Marshall

[HAWK]

timw,

I 'll check out my local exhaust shops this afternoon and see what they have. Good idea. I appreciate the input on your floor bender.

Thanks,

HAWK

[timw]

The easiest way to make complete circles 2 1/2" would be to take approximately 2 1/4" OD pipe and wrap a continuous wrap like a spring. When released they would expand to close to 2 1/2 and then cut. 3/16 round would wrap very easy. The flat would work about the same but would require straightening. A good source of light pipe for stuff like this is exhaust pipe. It comes in dimensional sizes and a muffler shop always has short pieces for little or nothing.
I have one of the Harbor Freight floor benders and it would be hard to do a full circle. I bend S hooks and U bolts with it up to 5/8" round and it does pretty good for that.