ChopperCharles
Active Member
I'm looking to buy a tubing bender that can handle thin wall (16ga) steel and stainless steel tubing, 1.5" and 1.75" OD. I want to make a midpipe slip-on for my bike, and maybe make a handful of copies to sell on eBay to cover the costs of the bender and materials. I need to make one 8 degree bend and one 12 degree bend. Nothing off-the-shelf will work.
I've looked into the JD2 model 3 tubing bender. It's expensive ($310 + $300 per die set), and their customer service says it cannot do thinwall tubing without kinking it. I'm thinking it might be possible if I seal the tube ends and fill it with sand, but that's a lot of money to drop on a maybe.
Eastwood makes a similar bender, at a similar price, but does not list a lower limit to the wall thickness. Likely though, it will have similar problems.
That leaves the Harbor Freight tubing roller. It's $180, it comes with a 1.5" die, and 1.75" dies are available from SWAG for $220. People are making roll cages with this thing, and getting down to 7.5" diameter bends with enough time and effort. So it can make the right bends... and being a roller it's unlikely to kink even thinwall tubing. That's my theory at least.
All of these will also need a stand.
I'm leaning towards the tubing roller at the moment. I really need the ability to bend 1.75" exhaust tubing, but for the moment I could actually start a project that uses 1.5" exhaust tubing, just to test the roller. If it isn't suitable, I could in theory just return it and not be out any cash or any shipping. (I dunno if HF has a restocking fee, but I doubt it).
Honestly what I'd like is a bender that comes with an assload of dies and is suitable for both thinwall and thicker DOM tubing, so I could also make frame hoops and other parts. But I'm thinking that's not likely possible.
Any thoughts on this would be great!
Charles.
I've looked into the JD2 model 3 tubing bender. It's expensive ($310 + $300 per die set), and their customer service says it cannot do thinwall tubing without kinking it. I'm thinking it might be possible if I seal the tube ends and fill it with sand, but that's a lot of money to drop on a maybe.
Eastwood makes a similar bender, at a similar price, but does not list a lower limit to the wall thickness. Likely though, it will have similar problems.
That leaves the Harbor Freight tubing roller. It's $180, it comes with a 1.5" die, and 1.75" dies are available from SWAG for $220. People are making roll cages with this thing, and getting down to 7.5" diameter bends with enough time and effort. So it can make the right bends... and being a roller it's unlikely to kink even thinwall tubing. That's my theory at least.
All of these will also need a stand.
I'm leaning towards the tubing roller at the moment. I really need the ability to bend 1.75" exhaust tubing, but for the moment I could actually start a project that uses 1.5" exhaust tubing, just to test the roller. If it isn't suitable, I could in theory just return it and not be out any cash or any shipping. (I dunno if HF has a restocking fee, but I doubt it).
Honestly what I'd like is a bender that comes with an assload of dies and is suitable for both thinwall and thicker DOM tubing, so I could also make frame hoops and other parts. But I'm thinking that's not likely possible.
Any thoughts on this would be great!
Charles.